IN THE KITCHEN

Summer Picnic Special Recipes To Make Your

By Alexandra Sullivan

Picnics are the perfect summer activity. Sitting under the sun, listening to music and eating snacks with friends is the perfect way to make memories. This July, grab some friends (or that special someone) and roll out a picnic blanket. It’s time to take your picnic game up a notch with these easy, customizable and delicious picnic recipes.

Pinwheel Sandwiches

For this recipe, there are many different variations of ingredients you can include to make it fit your own personal taste. Feel free to switch out meats and cheeses as you wish, but for now, I’ll show you the recipe for Italian pinwheel sandwiches.

You’ll Need

■ 12” flour tortillas ■ Cream cheese ■ Parmesan Cheese ■ Italian Dressing ■ Salami ■ Pepperoni ■ Provolone cheese slices ■ Romaine lettuce leaves (or spinach)

Directions

1. Mix 4 oz of the cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of Italian dressing, and as much Parmesan cheese as you want. 2. Spread this mixture across 2 tortillas. This will be what holds together the pinwheels. 3. Take your meats, cheeses, and lettuce or spinach and place them evenly across the pinwheels, focusing them towards the center. 4. Roll the tortillas into tight rolls and slice them, making even sized pinwheels.

Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail

Ingredients

■ 1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup) ■ 1 cup water (for the simple syrup) ■ 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice ■ 2 to 3 cups cold water ■ Strawberry liquor ■ Cut / muddled strawberries ■ Sliced lemons (optional)

Directions

1. First, create your own simple syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir until the sugar dissolves and remove from heat. 2. Juice 3 or 4 lemons into a cup and add the lemon juice and the simple syrup to a pitcher.

Add the cold water and taste.

Adjust to your own desire. 3. When serving, add muddled or sliced strawberries and sliced lemons to a glass or a mason jar.

Add in your desired amount of strawberry liquor and pour your fresh lemonade over. To simplify this recipe, mix premade lemonade with strawberry liquor, cut strawberries and sliced lemons!

No-bake Mason Jar Cheesecakes

This recipe will make about 6 small mason jars full of no-bake cheesecake!

Ingredients

■ One block of cream cheese ■ ½ cup of powdered sugar ■ 1 tsp vanilla extract ■ 1 tbsp lemon juice ■ Graham crackers

Topping Options

■ Berry jam ■ Strawberry topping ■ Chocolate Ganache ■ Whipped cream ■ Berry garnishes

Directions

1. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Mix in a tablespoon of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. 2. In the bottom of the mason jar, add a layer of crumbled graham crackers which will act as the cheesecake crust. Fill the rest of the jar with the cheesecake filling and leave room for your topping. Feel free to make your own jam or top it with any of your favorite toppings.

You can also layer the toppings and the filling throughout the jar to make a picture-perfect pattern. Garnish with berries, graham cracker crumbles or whipped cream and enjoy!

While picnics are fun, it’s also important to keep your picnic food safe in the Florida heat. For all these recipes, make sure to keep perishable items cold. Bring enough ice and gel packs to keep your food fresh. Do not keep perishable food out for more than two hours and have plenty of water on hand to stay hydrated.