Protect Your Skin From UV In Your Next Picnic

Picnicking is always fun. Now that the warm seasons are back, we all want to enjoy the nice weather and get our shorts out of the closet. Before preparing our picnic baskets, let’s take a moment to think about protecting our skin while we enjoy the bright sun.

We are all aware that sun protection is essential when we are exposed to the sun, like in a picnic day. Everybody should get protected even if we plan to stay in the shade. When we talk about sun protection, we usually think on sunscreen, but there are other ways to protect ourselves from UV exposure. I really like the idea of  sun protection clothes. These outfits are designed to protect your skin from the UVA and UVB. Even if they cover a maximum amount of skin, they are cool and comfortable to wear. Sun protection clothing is less expensive that sunscreen, as you can wear them many times, and it is less messy.

No matter what kind of sun protection you prefer, don’t forget to protect your skin while enjoying the outdoors.

Have a Happy Picnic! 

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Find the right gift for that special woman can be a tough job. Of course we want to offer her something very special, beautiful and useful. Theses qualities are hard to find in a single product. But this time, you don’t need to look around for the perfect gift; you can offer her a picnic basket! She doesn’t need to be an outdoor lover to enjoy a beautiful basket that can be used in a simple gathering at the park.

There are many types of picnic baskets, to find the right picnic basket for a very special mom follow these tips:

The Wooden Picnic Basket is the old elegant traditional baskets. If your mom love the old elegant fashion way, this basket is right for her. You can find baskets that come with full service for two or four persons with large food compartment.

The Willow Picnic Basket is the classic of all the baskets. These baskets are very elegant and you can find them in different sizes, shapes and accessories. Some baskets come with full service for two, four or even six persons. Others come with an insulated food compartment or cooler bag inside. If your mom loves the classic style, this basket will definitely make her happy.

The Picnic Backpack Basket is the free hand picnic basket. This is not a traditional one, but definitely the most practical one. Your mom can use it in a picnic day or for tailgating. If your mom is a sport person, this basket will work great for hiking or biking. You can find this type of picnic basket with a full service for two or four persons. You can also find picnic backpack baskets that come with an insulated food compartment.

The Picnic Cooler Basket is the tailgating ideal. This basket is very light and can be store very easily. It will work perfectly for a picnic day at the park too. This basket is very convenient to transport all your food supplies. It can also be found with service for two or four persons.

I hope that these tips will help you to find the perfect gift for that very special woman that we all owe her our life and we simply call her MOM.

Happy Mother’s Day!

French Fondue Recipe

This is a very easy and stylish recipe to take in a picnic, the harder part is to find the ingredients, but these tips can help you to make a great dinner for a special picnic.

A French Fondue is made by the combination of 3 or 4 cheeses very easy to find in France, not that easy to find in the States. The cheeses are Compté, Gruyère, Tomme de Savoie and French Emmental. But you can prepare a French Fondue with common cheeses in America.

You can use an Emmental cheese (Swiss Emmental or Emmentaler) as your main cheese and then a combination of Aged Manchego, Aged Cheddar and Gouda. To prepare a French Fondue for 2 persons you will need 1lb of cheese. The quantity needed of each of these cheeses will depend on the strong flavor that you want to give to your Fondue.

For a strong flavor French Fondue you need:

1/3 lb of  Emmental Cheese

1/3 lb of  Aged Cheddar Cheese

1/6 lb of  Aged Manchego Cheese

1/6 lb of Gouda Cheese

1/3 of a white wine bottle

1 baguette

For a light flavor French Fondue you need:

½ lb of Emmental Cheese

¼ lb of Aged Cheddar Cheese

¼ lb of Aged Manchego Cheese

1/3 of a white wine bottle

1 baguette

Preparation

Cut all the cheeses in small pieces. Cut the bread in medium size pieces (about 1in. tick). Place only half of the cheeses and add the white wine. Wait until the cheeses are melted and then add the rest.

You will also need one can of jelled chafing fuel.

The Spring Break is Here

For those who are lucky to live close to a beach, or those who are traveling to enjoy their spring break in a sandy beach, here are some tips to make a successful beach picnic.

The first thing that you must have is a cooler, or even better a picnic cooler. Picnic coolers are very light and some of them are equipped with a set for two or four persons, others also come with wheels.

If you only want to have a relaxing time, you can plan your picnic very easily. Bring food that doesn’t need to much preparation. Remember that serving a meal in the beach can be tricky. If it’s windy, you will have sand all over your plate. If you only want to lay down and enjoy the relaxing sound of the waves, sandwiches or panini are good ideas.

If you picnic is part of a big day full of activities at the beach, I recommend that you bring a full meal with appetizer, entrée and dessert. Having fun at the beach can be very tiring and you and your companions will get very hungry. Plan to bring snacks to keep up with the activities.

Have a Happy Picnic!

Easter Picnic Egg Hunting

Easter is the most important feast for all Christians around the world. During Easter they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Many Christians celebrate Easter with their family members. This is an important occasion to share, celebrate and rejoice. Kids specially enjoy this celebration. They are treated with candies, chocolates and the traditional Egg Hunting.

Easter also announces the beginning of the Spring season when weather is warmer and colors are brighter. Easter is a good opportunity to star enjoying the outdoors. A picnic for lunch on Easter Sunday fits very well with the traditional egg hunting. Kids and also adults can have so much fun.

Here are some tips that can help you prepare an egg hunting lunch picnic this coming Easter.

Choosing the right place. If you are planning an egg hunting, I suggest choosing a big park where you can have a lot of space to make the activity more fun. Think also about your companions. If you are planning to celebrate Easter with little children, a small park where you can keep the kids close may be a better idea.

Decorations. Get into Spring mood!, bring a decoration with soft colors, like light blue and green. If you have time, you can make your own decorations. You can use your decorated eggs placed in an Easter basket like a table center.  A chocolate bunny will be a perfect decoration item and also a delicious one! For your egg hunting, instead of using hard-boiled eggs, try to use empty-shell eggs and fill them with small treats. If you haven’t done this before here are some tips:

• Make a hole in the fat end of the egg using a pin or a sharp knife. Make the hole bigger, about the size of a pencil eraser.
• Make a small hole using a needle or a pin in the opposite side. Then blow air into the egg to remove the egg yolk and the white into a bowl.
• Deep the eggshell into soap water, shake it to rinse the insides well and pour it out.
• Decorate the eggshell using your favorite designs. Use a long nail tool to allow them dry.
• If you want to put small treats inside, the button-shaped candies fit very well.
• Cover the big hole with a paper. You can also cover the whole eggshell with a mix of glue and water (50% water, 50% glue) to increase the eggshell resistance.

Getting the food ready. The hard-boiled eggs are a big tradition, they are very easy to take in a picnic and you can use them in a variety of dishes. Don’t forget your insulated picnic basket that will help you carry all your food in a easy and proper way.

Having a picnic is always fun. Let’s celebrate Easter and the beginning of Spring by enjoying the outdoors and get the most of the Easter bunny. Happy Easter!

St. Patrick's Day Picnic

Why not celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a Picnic? Lets go outside and enjoy spring. Prepare your picnic basket and picnic blanket and get ready to have fun outdoors.

Don’t forget your green attire and your picnic cooler full of beer. If you want to be more in the St. Patrick spirit, bring some shamrock to decorate your picnic table. You can easily find some cheap St. Patrick’s decoration in the market.

For your picnic food you can bring some Irish soda bread. Below is an easy recipe that only takes 10 minutes of preparation.

Ingredients

1 cup of white flour

1 cup of whole-wheat flour

½ cup of raisins

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (optional)

1 oz of yoghurt mixed in 0.5 oz of water

½ teaspoon of salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven at 350°F. In a bowl mix the flour (white and whole-wheat), the baking soda, the salt, the raisins and the cumin seeds. Add the yoghurt to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients carefully. Use your hands to obtain a uniform dough. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes. Make an X in the top of the dough with a sharp knife. Place it in the oven at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a baking rack. It serves 10 to 12 persons.

Have a nice St. Patrick’s Day! 

Spring Is Almost Here!

The weather is getting warmer, the trees are turning green, the flowers are starting to grow and the birds are singing happily. Spring is almost here!

With the spring season approaching, it is time to start thinking of all the wonderful things that we can do during the warmer seasons, like picnicking!

Picnicking is a classical activity during spring and summer. A nice picnic is always fun, relaxing and easy to organize.  You just need to have the right gear like an all equipped picnic basket that includes a full set for two or four persons, and a picnic blanket. You just need to think about the food. And if you want to make it even easier, just stop by your local supermarket and buy some prepared food, like a salad or sandwich. It can be that simple!

Have a great spring!