Top 10 Picnic Foods

Having a family picnic? Thinking of trying to please all of your guests may be a challenge. Instead of worrying yourself, get together some recipe ideas to bring your picnic together. These foods do not have to be expensive, they simply need to be tasty and easy to clean up.

1: Crackers with some form of spread. This can be a cheese spread, or some kind of dip if you prefer that. This is great for kids and those just stopping by to say hello, that maybe are not interested in coming over for a full meal but just a quick snack.

2: Chips and other snacks. Pretzels, tortilla crisps, salsa and various dips and cheeses are excellent munchies to have on had at any picnic. They require very little to set up and clean up is a breeze!

3: Fruit trays. These are simple to create on your own and they have something to offer everyone. Little ones and adults can equally enjoy fruits cut into smaller pieces, you can place a small plate of toothpicks next to the trays and the guests can self serve until their fruit hearts are full!

4: Cookies. Another great way to bring kids and adults together is by serving a big plate of cookies. They can be made to tailor your occasion such as graduate cookies, wedding, 4th of July or someone's birthday. Make them fun and let your creativity go wild here.

5: Salads. They can be made of fruit, or the traditional bean versions. Easy to serve when prepared, you simply leave a large spoon in it with a few bowls and you are done.

6: Sandwich variations. This can be in the form of the classic lunchmeats spread out with bread and toppings available on the table. You can always get one of those already made hoagie rolls. Those can be the shape of a circle or they come in very long variations such as a six foot long one.

7: Vegetables. Perhaps you don't head to a picnic with the thought of veggies on your mind, but you certainly can enjoy them if they are done right. Get a bunch of fresh produce and cut it up into finger foods, then place a variety of dipping sauces out for your guests. Raspberry glazes, ranch salad dressing and cheese and nut bends are excellent choices.

8: BBQ. You have to create something on a grill to obtain that wonderful picnic smell. Chicken, ribs, kabobs, steaks or burgers can all be great choices. Make sure you have enough choices to go on top of the grilled foods and don't forget the buns!

9: Ice creations. Remember being a kid and going to get a snow cone? Those scoops of ice with flavors drizzled over them? You can create these at home by buying an "Icee machine" they are really cheap and so much fun for the whole party!

10: Popcorn. Yes, you can string along your Christmas tree, and it may be a huge movie favorite, but popcorn can be a good choice for picnics also. It's easy to make and kids love it!

Kids Cupcake Party

Being a Mom means you are also quite the party planner. Yes, every year when your kids crave something that just has to be cooler than their classmates for a birthday party idea, you have to put on your Martha Stewart hat. Coming up with ideas must encompass the age of the child, the sex and what their interests may be. One excellent idea for girls that are up to the age of ten and boys that are around four years old is a kids cupcake party. Boys and cupcakes, what a mess you must be thinking? Well, it can be controlled and the little guys seem to really love getting into it. The decorating can be the most fun part, next to eating them!

You will need some supplies:

Wax paper or a large roll of brown recycled paper

Cupcake tray liners

Cupcake mix

Icing

Sprinkles or other candies

Plastic utensils for baking (spoons spatulas)

Cupcake oven trays

First, you need to talk it over with your child. They may have their own theme they want to incorporate into the party. Some examples are Barbie, Star Wars, Hello Kitty, Bratz, Xmen and so on. If they have a theme then you can take it a step further and use that theme to obtain a few treats in your local dollar store to have about for the party. They usually sell plastic rings and also toys that can be given out in treat bags for the attending children. Next, continue onward with the theme process and get some food coloring. You can create the color of icing that you want to use for the cupcakes. Some kids will prefer to do this themselves during the party, so if you have the patience, then go for it! Look up online if you need to ahead of time to have a basic color mixing chart so you know which colors you can mix that will create all sorts of character themes and superheroes for the little ones! The kids can get very creative with this activity, if you can afford to pick up a few things to decorate them, then by all means do it! Small candies that can be sprinkled on top of the cupcakes are great, as well as even items that are not edible that the kids can use as decorations for their sweet creations. Fruits can be used in small pieces mixed into the cupcakes if you wish to take it a step further such as small cherry slices, peach ones or strawberries. Make it even more fun by having the kids stand with their cupcakes and take their individual pictures with their cupcakes so they can show their own parents what they accomplished!