We could not have asked for better picnic weather so far this month! Last weekend was no exception as the sun was out and there was a pleasant breeze moving throughout the city. Waking up to such lovely conditions made my anticipation of the day’s picnic that much greater—we were heading to the waterfront!

Pier 1 Picnic

New England Clam Chowder in Sourdough Cups, Zesty Caesar Salad,

Perfect Lemon Bars and Sorbet Green Tea Jars

I have a definite weakness for clam chowder in bread bowls. What I don’t have a weakness for, however, is how freakin’ huge they always are! Stop me if I’m wrong, but an entire loaf of sourdough hollowed out and filled with rich, creamy soup seems a bit excessive. I mean, I love fresh, flaky bread, and I love a good chowder, but I certainly don’t want to overdose on either of those things—particularly in the same sitting. This technique is a scaled down version of the classic bread bowl-- a bread cup, if you will. You still get all of the fun of dipping the bread top in your soup, scraping the soggy sides of the cup out, and tearing up the hollowed out shell—simply in a more manageable size!


No, I did not make my own clam chowder. I’m far too classhy for that. Instead I picked up a can of Progresso New England Clam Chowder—it’s cheap, delicious and gets the job done without making your kitchen (or hands!) smell like raw clams.

New England Clam Chowder in Sourdough Cups
Serves 2
1 can New England Clam Chowder
2 dinner size sourdough rolls (make sure the outsides are nice and crusty)

-Cut the tops out of the rolls like a jack-o-lantern

-Through the hole in the top, lightly cut through the inside of the roll (don’t pierce the bottom!) and pull out the majority of the bread. Leave more or less on the sides based on preference, but make sure there’s enough room for your soup.

-Heat chowder according to can instructions.

For my take on this classic wharf staple I also offer a number of toppings for picnickers to customize their soup as they please:

Sliced green onions

Bacon bits

Grated Monterey jack cheese

Grated Colby jack cheese

To Pack:

-Put the tops back on the rolls and tuck them into a paper or plastic bag.

-Transfer chowder to insulated thermos container for travel.

-Pack toppings into a sectioned Tupperware.

At the Picnic:

-Pour chowder into bowls.

-Pile on your favorite toppings!

One of the great things about scaling down the bread bowls to cup size is that it leaves room to enjoy other flavors in the meal as well—like a little Caesar salad! This is a basic salad with homemade zesty Caesar dressing and topped with oyster cracker croutons. It’s simple, extremely tasty and travels well!
saraH’s Simple Zesty Caesar Dressing
1 cup SmartBalance mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 large clove of garlic, crushed
½ cup grated parmesan
1.5 tbsp milk
1 tsp spicy, brown or Dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt
Few shakes of celery salt
Pepper to taste

-Just whisk it all together until it’s well blended!
-Stores well refrigerated in a jar

Oyster Cracker Croutons
For two salads
½ cup oyster crackers
1 tin of anchovies in oil
Lavender salt

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

-Lay crackers out on a baking sheet

-Drain oil from anchovies into a small bowl

-Cut a small bit off of one of the anchovy fillets and mince. Add to oil.

-Using a cooking brush, brush anchovy oil and bits onto the tops of the crackers.

-Sprinkle each cracker with lavender salt (make your own or use Eatwell Farm’s version)

-Bake 5 minutes

Salad for 2:
1 organic romaine heart

-Cut or tear leaves into bite-size pieces

To Pack:

-Put ¼ cup dressing in a to-go jar or Tupperware

-Oyster croutons travel best in a small plastic container

-Pack lettuce in a plastic bag or container

At the Picnic:
-Distribute lettuce on plates
-Drizzle dressing on romaine
-Top with oyster cracker croutons

Lemon bars are absolutely a classic favorite. These lemon bars are my mother’s recipe and considered legal tender in five countries. They are also the perfect addition to a waterfront picnic on a warm early summer day!

Kim's Epic Lemon Bars

Crust:

1 cup sweet butter

½ cup powdered sugar

Dash of salt

2 cups flour

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

-Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with butter and flour

-Combine all ingredients and mix well
-Press dough evenly into the bottom of the baking dish
-Bake 15 minutes

Filling:
4 large eggs, beaten
6 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups sugar

¼ cup flour

-Keep oven at 350 degrees F

-Mix sugar and flour together

-Mix in eggs and lemon juice

-Pour onto slightly cooled, baked crust

-Bake 25 minutes

-Once cooled to room temp, sprinkle with powdered sugar
-Cut into squares
-Keep bars in the fridge

To Pack:

-If made right before the picnic, lemon bars should be slightly chilled in the fridge before travel.

-Stack in a Tupperware with wax paper between layers.

At the Picnic:

-Simply serve!

***Beware*** People will be jealous and might shoot you dirty looks or try to befriend you for extras!

This off-the-cuff green tea and sorbet refresher is a wonderful finishing touch on this well rounded Pier 1 Picnic:
Sorbet Green Tea Jars
For Two:

16 oz unsweetened green tea

Fruit sorbet (I used peach and strawberry)

Ice

2 mason jars with lids

-Fill jars with ice

-Pour in 8 oz green tea in each jar

-Top tea with a scoop of sorbet

To Pack:

-Screw lid on and throw jar into your basket!

At the Picnic:
-Unscrew lid and throw tea down your gullet!

Pier 1 Picnic Essentials for 2:

Picnic basket

Oil cloth for sitting

2 plates

2 forks

2 spoons

Napkins

Varied Tupperware containers

Plastic and/or paper bags

2 Mason jars

With a beautiful day! And with the San Francisco Bay spread before us, the Pier 1 Picnic could not have been more of a success. Everything was delicious and the sights were unforgettable. Tucked away at the end of Pier 1, there was nary a tourist in sight and we were able to completely avoid all of the flying lures and fish guts that are so prevalent on the other public piers.

Be sure to make this great San Francisco picnic one of your tasty summer goals!

Last Saturday Belinda got hooked up with some Giants tickets and in turn, hooked me up for the evening game against the A's (she rules, BTW). As readers might recall, I had a couple alternate scenarios in mind for some of the elements of my Giant Ballpark Lunch from Memorial Day. I decided to put those concepts to use and packed up yet another bring-in spread for the evening. Since we had spent the day cooking, baking and eating this week's picnic (tune in Thursday!), I packed a little lighter for this AT&T Park meal.

First off, Instead of putting the turkey dogs into their buns before packing up, I just wrapped all four dogs into a piece of foil and then wrapped that with the heat source and into the soft cooler. The buns I just threw into a baggie and brought along in my bag. The outcome was great- we ate the dogs a good hour into the game and they were still warm!

The next element that I'd been mildly concerned about was my SkyBox Garlic Fries. While they'd been delicious on Memorial Day, there was no getting around the fact that there was a wilty element to them. This time around I decided to completely do away with the whole frozen fry approach and use a totally different ingredient. Have you ever had those tri-colored VeggieStix from Trader Joe's? They're made out of dehydrated potatoes, tomatoes and spinach. They're kind of amazing and they totally taste like french fries! Here's how they worked as a more travelable french fry alternative:

SkyBox Garlic Fries- Version 2.0!

Serves 4

1/3 bag VeggieStix or similar product
Spray butter
Garlic salt
Parsley, finely chopped

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
-Line a large cookie with tin foil
-Cover foil with a single layer of VeggieStix
-Spray Stix thoroughly with spray butter
-Coat liberally with garlic salt
-Sprinkle on parsley
-Bake 5 minutes


To Travel:

-Toss into a tupperware and throw into your pack!

To Serve:

-Create construction paper cones in your team's colors (orange and black!!!) by cutting paper pieces in half width wise and simply rolling. Secure with tape and flatten for easy travel!

-Dole servings into cones and dip into Truffled Ketchup- if you can stand to share it!

Sure enough, this was a fantastic alternate recipe! I definitely love the original SkyBox fries, but I think Version 2.0 will be the one I default to when traveling- paper cones and all!

ps... GIANTS WON!!

Living in San Francisco can really take a toll on the thickness of one’s pocket book. Whether you’re enjoying eating out at the city’s many fantastic restaurants, exploring cultural events in our rich museum climate or shopping for unique finds amongst its myriad of boutiques, you’re bound to wrap up your day with a shocked “I spent, what?!” when assessing the damage later on at home. Wait a minute…”home”…home... what was I supposed to remem-- Oh yeah-- the astronomical rent is due.

Yet, here we are- Here I am, still shelling out the dough just as fast as it gets baked. But, I live in a city that I truly love and while I know I won’t be here forever, I try to really cherish everything San Francisco has to offer in the meantime. Currently, I live on Nob Hill. I rock a cute studio with a great kitchen, close to work and in a neighborhood of relative safeness. However while my address is definitely classy, its price can tend to leave my budget lookin’ pretty trashy. This last week was no exception, so when my sweetie and I decided to pack up for a little twilight picnic at the park I found myself digging deep into the reaches of my fridge and cupboards for some grub.

Here’s how some forgotten food, leftover ingredients, a little creativity and a couple cheap-ass beers can still provide a meal worthy of your million dollar view!

Introducing this week’s Classh Course Picnic:

Slumming on Snob Hill Summer Spread

We-so-bi Poor Broccoli Slaw, Flat Broke Turkey Paninis

and Penny Pincher Pasta Salad

Peeking into my fridge over the weekend, I spotted a half full, rolled up bag of “Eating Right” broccoli slaw veggies from Safeway. The package of julienned broccoli, cabbage and carrots is a great addition to stir frys, as fresh salad fodder and even just lightly steamed with a little garlic salt on top. I’d never actually made a slaw with it, though! As I scanned my door full of condiments and random sauces, my eyes landed on a jar of light green wasabi mayonnaise. This was a premixed variety purchased from the deli counter, but it’s a very easy spread to make yourself:

½ tablespoon wasabi powder*
1 teaspoon water
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip—it’s too sweet!)
-Combine powder and water to form a paste
-Add paste to mayo and mix well

* ½ tbsp premade wasabi paste can be substituted for powder and water.
**As always with spicy stuff, add more or less of either ingredient based on taste

Never having been a huge fan of traditional coleslaw, the addition of wasabi mayo definitely made me more eager to finally use my veggies for their originally intended purpose:

We-so-bi Poor Broccoli Slaw

Serves 2

2 cups broccoli slaw

3.5 tbsp wasabi mayo

1.5 tbsp Smart Balance mayonnaise

3 shakes of celery salt

-Mix it all together!

-Seal Wasabi Broccoli Slaw up in a to-go container for traveling

Since we weren’t going far for the evening’s picnic excursion, I thought firing up the panini grill (that’s right, I don’t have 2 bucks to my name, but dang it if I don’t have my Breville panini grill!) seemed like a great idea. The gorgeous day was cooling off and the prospect of a nice warm sandwich in the San Francisco twilight sounded like a very appetizing treat.

Living alone, it takes me ages to go through a loaf of bread or package of pita. More often than not my bread purchases are made solely when I’m having guests or if it’s recipe specified. In any case, I’m constantly throwing leftover bread into the freezer to save or in the event of a crouton emergency. Sure enough, I discovered a totally forgotten package of Trader Joe’s whole wheat flat bread—perfect! I set those puppies out to defrost as I perused the fridge for panini fillers. Since I hoard Laughing Cow light cheese wedges, a few of those were a given, as were some Claussen pickles, brown mustard and smoked turkey lunch meat left over from my brother’s stay with me that week.

Flat Broke Turkey Paninis
1 Whole wheat flat bread per picnicker
1 wedge of Laughing Cow Light cheese per flat bread
2 slices of turkey cold cuts per panini, slightly cooked on stovetop or Foreman grill
1 Claussen Baby Dill pickle sliced thin per panini
Brown mustard

-Preheat Foreman or panini grill (375 degrees F for panini grill)

-Spread cheese wedge over entire flatbread

-Spread a smattering of brown mustard over the cheese

-Place turkey on one side of the bread

-Top turkey with pickle slices

-Fold flat bread over like a taco and place on grill

-Cook until outside bread is nicely grilled

-Wrap in foil for packing and travel


Everyone loves a good pasta salad at the park! Fortunately I had some leftover angel hair and spaghetti squash chilling in the fridge. The inclusion of this stringy squash adds a crisp, unexpected texture to the dish while also lightening up on your carb intake! I found a jar of pesto on the top shelf of my cupboard, scrounged a few pine nuts out from hiding and incorporated a couple staples even the most casual pizza orderer is bound to have lying around:


Penny Pincher Pasta Salad
Serves 2-3
2 cups cooked, chilled angel hair pasta

¼ small spaghetti squash, cooked, scraped from skin and chilled

2 tbsp pesto

1 tbsp chopped pine nuts

1.5 tbsp grated parmesan

2 tsp salt

3 pinches of pizza pepper flakes

-Mix everything together in a medium mixing bowl
-Transfer to to-go container and top with an extra dusting of cheese and a few more pepper flakes


Slumming Summer Spread Picnic Essentials:

-Sweet picnic blanket
-Picnic basket
-Tupperware containers
-Forks
-Plates
-Napkins
-Koozie clad PBR’s
-Soft cooler (optional but always good for containment purposes!)
-Million dollar view (Mandatory)

Sitting on the lawn in the shadow of the Fairmont, we watched the lights go on at Grace Cathedral as we enjoyed our picnic and company. The marble fountain at the center of the park was beautifully lit and Spartacus the Chihuahua came by for frequent visits. Our paninis were warm and gooey, the pasta salad was delicious and the spicy wasabi brocslaw was easily washed down with ice cold Pabst.

Picnic love was in the air and dusk on Snob Hill has never been richer!

Thanks Guys!

I just got back from yet another weekend jaunt down to Santa Cruz and as usual, it was gorgeous down there! The weather has finally taken a turn for the better, the sun is getting up earlier and the fish are a jumpin'. That's my friend Felix's cue to get out there at the break of dawn for some early morning lure casting! Fortunately we all got to reap the benefits as he brought home a 2 foot striper which he and his lovely lady Nicole beer battered up for homemade fish n' chips.

The mild white fish pan fried up beautifully and we chowed down with a handful of frozen seasoned fries baked in the oven. With some ketchup, tartar sauce, a wedge of lemon and a pint of Newastle, we were all very happy campers.

Thanks again, y'all- what a fun night!

It’s June! Memorial Day has passed, the sun is (sort of) shining and I’ve worn shorts on two separate occasions in the past week. While it won’t be official until June 21st, for all intents and purposes- it’s Summer! One of the joys of this season is the opportunity to take mealtime out of the house, on the road and into nature. Be it at a ball game, on a road trip, in the park or at the beach, a picnic is a great way to get outdoors and spend some quality time with friends, family and food! For this month’s Classh Courses I will be packing up and sharing a classhy twist on different picnic types and destinations, so grab your soft cooler, plastic cutlery and a kickass beach blanket—we’re goin’ picnicking!

Falling on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day usually arrives with beautiful weather and the high spirits that only a Monday off work can invoke. With that kind of energy swirling in the air, it’s no wonder this day is one of those most associated outdoor feasting and revelry.

This year I happened to have tickets to see the Giants vs the Rockies at AT&T Park here in San Francisco. Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of getting to go to a game is the chance to eat delicious ballpark food! AT&T Park in particular has fabulous eats—the only downside is how fantastically expensive everything is. AT&T Park does allow outside food so long as it’s in a soft cooler (as opposed to a hard plastic one) but does not allow outside alcohol. So, if you want to get your drink on at the park, expect to pay $9 for domestic beers and the same for imports, though the cup size will be smaller. Supposing you order two beers throughout the game, that’s already 20 bucks you’ve spent on top of your ticket price! At that rate, I’d understand if you’ve lost your appetite. Well, never fear, because this week I’ll set you up with tips on how to pack in your snacks without missing out on your ballpark favorites!

Introducing this week’s Classh Course:

Giant Ballpark Lunch

 SkyBox Garlic Fries, Stealin’ Home Turkey Dogs

and Game Winning Nachos

Gilroy Garlic Fries easily take the title of signature food item at AT&T Park. Piled high with chopped garlic and parsley flakes, at lease one order of these fries is bound to get passed around your group on game day. While this treat is undeniably tasty, I will admit the garlic can tend to be a bit raw, tumbles right of the fries and is best enjoyed when mixed into a generous pool of ketchup for fry dipping. With this classhy take on garlic fries you can enjoy this in-demand dish without missing a game changing play while waiting in that ridiculous line! In addition, the use of some unexpected and sophisticated flavors make these fries SkyBox worthy!

SkyBox Garlic Fries
Serves 4
½ package of frozen fries (shoestring or regular, not seasoned)
Garlic salt
2 tsp parsley, finely chopped
Spray butter

At Home:

-Preheat oven according to package instructions

-Cover a large baking pan with a sheet of foil and lay fries in a single layer

-Spray fries thoroughly with butter

-Generously coat fries with garlic salt

-Bake according to package

-When done baking, shake fries to the center of the foil sheet and sprinkle on parsley flakes.

-Fold foil up around fries so they are well contained for travel but not smashed

At the ballpark:

-Unfold foil to create a sort of tray for your fries

-Serve with Truffled Ketchup and don’t forget to share!

**There will be a bit of unavoidable fry wilting in transit. To minimize this effect, you will want to time your picnic packing so the fries come out of the oven and go into your soft cooler right as you’re leaving home. Also, consider eating your fries first once at the game!

Truffled Ketchup

¼ cup ketchup

¼ tsp white truffle oil

1/8 cup canned parmesan

Dash white pepper

-Mix all ingredients together, put in small jar or Tupperware and throw into your picnic basket!

Who doesn’t crave a hot dog on a hot summer day at the ballpark?! This is the quintessential American treat to go along with the quintessential American pastime. These turkey dogs are grilled (boiled meat is so creepy!) at home, slipped into hoagie rolls while still naked and ready to take on the condiments table at the park’s concession stand!

Stealin’ Home Turkey Dogs

Turkey dogs
Hoagie rolls

At home:
-Grill up dogs on the Foreman or stovetop
-Put each dog in a roll and wrap the whole package up in tin foil*

At the ballpark:
-Unwrap your dogs and take ‘em to the concession stand.
-Load up on your choice of yellow and deli mustards, ketchup, relish and even some chopped onions… Yum!

*An alternate method would be to pack the dogs and rolls separately. Roll up the grilled dogs side by side in one foil fold and pack them right next to the heat source. Pack the rolls separately in a bag and don’t forget napkins to transport the assembled “dogs in buns” to the concessions!


There’s just something about the kind of cheese that maintains a certain level of viscosity no matter the temperature… I love it. Sometimes it comes out of a pump dispenser, other times it’s just chillin’ in a little plastic cup with a lid. Usually its origin was in a bag. Admit it, you love it too and that’s why I see so many folks contentedly munching away on their ghetto bagged cheese and semi-stale chip nachos at so many sporting events. Well, even this guilty pleasure can be given a touch of classh and packed in with you.

Game Winning Nachos

¼ can Juanita’s Nacho Cheese

2 tsp grated cotija or queso fresco

A pinch of chili powder

½ bag of your favorite tortilla chips (Viva Casa Sanchez!)

At home:

-Spoon the nacho cheese into a small travel container

-Top nacho cheese with cotija or queso

-Sprinkle all with chili powder

-Bring enough chips for everyone in your group!

At the ballpark:

-Simply open everything and enjoy not having paid $8 for your treat!

Required Picnic Gear

Soft cooler

Larger basket, bag or backpack

Tin foil

Assorted Tupperware containers

Personal heat pack (ThermaCare HeatWrap-- found at Walgreen's, RiteAid and larger grocery stores)

Packing up:
The Cooler
Option 1:
     1. Hot dogs in buns go on the bottom of the cooler
     2. Place heat source on top of dogs
     3. Set fries packet directly on top of heat
     4. Squeeze in any additional dogs
Option 2:
     1. Place single package of all bun-less dogs on the bottom of the cooler
     2. Set heat source directly on foil wrapped dogs
     3. Pack fries in on top of heat

Now pack your cooler and all your additional accoutrements into your larger bag and head out. If taking public transit, be wary of other passengers trying to snatch your bag- you’ll be wafting tastiness!