The days will soon be getting warmer and kids will want to get outdoors more. Celebrate the warmer days by having a picnic for lunch. If it is warm enough to do this in your climate, go ahead and partake of a spring time lunch with the kids on the picnic table. If it is still cold and gloomy in your area, pick up the anticipation of spring and days of living outdoors by spreading a blanket down on the family room floor and having a picnic right there. Kids love that and they will love the recipes for your lunch that follow:
First you will need something to drink at your spring picnic. Lemonade is always a picnic favorite but this is a little different. There are spring strawberries in it.
Polka Dot Lemonade
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 – 4 lemons)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 quarts cold water
- 1 cup fresh sliced strawberries
- 1 cup fresh smashed strawberries (use a potato masher in a bowl after removing stems.
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a 2 quart pitcher and mix well.
- Let chill in refrigerator about 2 to 3 hours.
- Stir well before serving.
Pinwheel sandwiches are fun to make and just as fun to eat. They are very versatile and you can use just about any cold cut meat in them. Cream cheese is used in these sandwiches but if the kids don’t like cream cheese use mayonnaise or just leave them plain. If they do like cream cheese use the kind in the tubs. Whipped, chive, and garden vegetable cream cheese works the best. Also in the recipe are tortillas. Use the flour ones and not the corn tortillas as the flour ones are easier to roll and don’t break.
Pin Wheel Sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 6 or 7 inch flour tortillas
- 1 tub cream cheese (see note above)
- Lettuce leaves
- Thinly sliced fully cooked ham
- Thinly sliced Swiss or baby Swiss cheese
Directions (makes 1 tortilla)
- If the tortilla is rigid wrap in a paper towel and heat on high in the microwave for 20 seconds.
- Unwrap and spread about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese on the tortilla.
- Place lettuce on top staying about ½ inch from the edges of the tortilla.
- Top this with slices of ham then Swiss cheese.
- Form a log by rolling it keeping the tortilla tight.
- With a serrated knife cut into 1 inch slices and place in an airtight container. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. If they won’t stay rolled place a toothpick in to hold it but remember to take it out before serving to the kids.
- Serve with pretzels, fishy crackers, or a few potato chips.
Raw vegetables with dip is a good thing to have any time but on a picnic it is easy as long as you keep everything cool in a cooler. Kids love raw vegetables; sometimes it is the only way to get them to eat this them. Each kid will have their own little pot of dip so you don’t have to worry about them double dipping.
Double Dip Friendly Veggie Dip and Raw Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 1 whole small pepper per child or adult
- Baby carrots
- Celery, cut in 1 to 2 inch sections
- Peppers, cut in 1 to 2 inch sections
- Cucumber, cut into rounds
- Creamy Ranch Dressing
Directions:
- Cut the top off of a whole pepper and discard seeds.
- Make sure the pepper can sit level after it is hollowed out. If not just cut a little off the bottom to make it stable making sure you don’t cut through to the inside of the pepper.
- Pour creamy ranch dressing inside the pepper and place other raw veggies on a platter. .
Everyone has heard of the dessert called “Dirt”. This recipe calls for crushed Chocolate sandwich cookies, pudding and Non-Dairy whipped topping; not to mention gummy worms. Kids love this dessert. They enjoy pulling the gummy worms out and trying to disgust adults by gleefully eating them. In the spring nothing is as fun as getting out into the real dirt outside that has been covered with snow for the past few months. Kids are drawn to it. This recipe is a spring version of “Dirt”.
Spring Dirt Dessert
Ingredients:
- 1 large packages Spring Chocolate sandwich Cookies with green mint flavor (the cream has a mint flavor and is green)
- ½ stick butter
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3-1/2 cup milk
- 1package instant vanilla pudding
- 1 (12 ounce) carton Non-Dairy whipped topping
- Gummy Worms and or other gummy critters
- An 8 inch diameter (measure the top) new plastic flower pot
- Artificial spring flowers.
Directions:
- Crush one whole package of the mint flavored chocolate sandwich cookies. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl cream together the butter, cream cheese, and gradually add the confectioners’ sugar.
- In another bowl mix milk and pudding. Add to the butter, cream cheese mixture and mix well.
- Fold in several gummy worms and other critters by hand.
- Plug the hole in the bottom of the flower pot with a plastic lid from a storage container or just put some wax paper folded in the bottom (just make sure you don’t serve it).
- Start with a layer of cookie crumbs in the bottom of the pot then a layer of the creamed mixture. Put a few gummy critters in.
- Place another layer of crumbs, creamed mixture, gummy critters and keep going until you fill the pot with a good layer cookie crumbs on top sprinkled with a few gummy critters.
- Wash off stems of artificial flowers (not a bad idea to wash them in a watered down bleach mixture and let dry) and stick in the pot.
- Serve by taking out the flowers and spooning into bowls.
Make sure to celebrate spring with yummy spring recipes and a picnic. Your kids will never forget it.
See other information by this author at PrymeThyme On-Line or see Spring Dinner Ideas by clicking here.
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