Turn a Picnic Into a Work of Art

From Frugal Fun Monthly Tips (Sign up below!)
By Shel Horowitz

You can go a lot farther than hamburgers, hot dogs, and potato salad in your picnics this summer. It's easy to make or buy inexpensive special meals, serve them elegantly, and make them memorable - even outdoors.

First of all, think about * how * you'll serve. It's really not a lot of extra effort to pack a bag with simple but attractive reusable plates (made of unbreakable plastic), a couple of small candlesticks with some nice tapers to go in them, perhaps a frosty cold bottle of something wonderful., with glasses to match - and, of course, a tablecloth.

Next, the menu: It's easy to take a few cents worth of something a bit out of the ordinary and use it to make a mundane dish into something exotic and wonderful. A few easy possibilities:

* Broil or grill a handful of gourmet mushrooms, some garlic, and a chunk of sweet red pepper. Cut it all into thin strips and serve over pasta.
* Mix up a sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, Chinese sesame oil, and fresh ginger. Marinate fresh vegetables and some extra-firm tofu overnight. Serve in flour tortillas for Oriental fajitas, or in pita sandwiches accompanied by store-bought stuffed grape leaves for a Greek twist.
* Buy a perfectly ripe avocado. Spread it over a hearty rye bread and top with gouda or brie cheese.
* Bring a jar of curry paste along. Mix it into a rice pilaf, or spread it on cold-cut sandwiches instead of mustard.

Just a word of warning: when your friends and neighbors find out how good your picnics are, you may get awfully popular!

Return to the Frugal Fun Tips Archives
Preview Shel Horowitz's Penny Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant's Pocketbook a 280-page e-book that shows you how to save a big pile of money on travel, dining, entertainment, recreation, and all sorts of other fun.
This article originally appeared in Shel Horowitz's Monthly Frugal Fun Tips. Please click here for your free subscription.

To visit the most important pages on our site, make a selection from the drop-down menu below. If your browser doesn't automatically take you there, please click on "Visit Now!"

Shel Horowitz's book, "The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant's Pocketbook" will save you hundreds of dollars on FUN...every year... for the rest of your life! learn how to travel to exotic places with zero lodging cost... fly for about a quarter of the published fare... eat in fabulous restaurants for $10 or less... This site is brought to you by Shel Horowitz and Dina Friedman, Directors of Accurate Writing & More--bringing you marketing, writing, and career assistance since 1981. (800) 683-WORD or (413) 586-2388 http://www.frugalfun.com http://www.frugalmarketing.com/ http://www.accuratewriting.com/ http://www.principledprofit.com/

Subscribe--FREE! Frugal Fun Tips Money-saving tips to help you enjoy more travel, arts & entertainment, dining, and more--and spend less to do it! Frugal Marketing Tips Be more effective and spend less on marketing. Covers media publicity, copywriting, Internet marketing, speaking, advertising, direct mail, in-person selling, and much more. Positive Power of Principled Profit Profiles of businesses that are succeeding through high ethics and extraordinary commitment to their customers. Reviews of books on business ethics and customer service. Book Marketing Tip of the Month Pledge-Signer Pow-wow An occasional update (probably two or three times a year) on Shel's campaign to change the world and make future Enron scandals impossible. You must be a pledge-signer in order tor receive this newsletter. Our Privacy Policy Read Back Issues: Frugal Fun Tips Frugal Marketing Tips Writing Advice Positive Power of Principled Profit