Picnic Season Food Safety Tips

It is definitely “Picnic Season” and one of the best things about summertime and warm weather is enjoying a picnic on the beach or in a park. Make sure you don’t spoil the day with spoiled food. Recently the FDA updated their information on outdoor food safety. Keep these tips for transport and serving in mind for your next dinner on the grounds.

Transport Your Foods

• Keep cold food cold! Place cold food in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. Cold or below 40°F.
• Consider packing beverages in one cooler and perishable foods in another.
• Meat, poultry, and seafood may be packed while still frozen so that it stays colder longer. Be sure to keep raw items securely wrapped to prevent contamination.
• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds not eaten.
• Dry fruits and vegetables with a clean cloth or paper towel.
• Keep the cooler in the air-conditioned passenger compartment of your car, not the trunk. Limit how often it’s opened.

Serving the Goodies

• Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.
• Do not reuse plates that held raw meat, poultry, or seafood unless washed thoroughly in hot, soapy water.
• Hot food should be kept at or above 140°F. Wrap well and place in insulated containers.
• Use ice or shallow containers in deep pans of ice to keep cold items like chicken salad and desserts chilled. Drain water and replenish ice often.
• Do not leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in temperatures above 90°F.

Spicy Pimento Cheese Balls

(I basically used my favorite pimento cheese recipe to make these)

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, hand shredded
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, hand shredded
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons chopped pimento, drained
• 1 teaspoon grated onion
• Pinch of black pepper
• Pinch or more red pepper
• 1 tablespoon jalapeño peppers, chopped
• 1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans, toasted or not
• Pretzel sticks (optional)

Process cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add cheddar, Monterey Jack, mayonnaise, pimentos, onion, jalapeños, black pepper, and red pepper. Pulse to combine.

Refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Roll into 1-inch balls and coat with pecans. Serve at room temperature, using pretzel sticks if desired.

Yields: 3½ dozen
Per cheese ball: 66 Calories, 6g Fat, 1g Carbs, 3g Protein

Favorite Egg Salad

• 6 large eggs, boiled, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon capers

In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix in onion, fold in eggs, chives, dill, and capers. Chill 20 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Loaded Pasta Salad

For the Salad

• 3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups arugula
• 1 cup cucumbers, sliced
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup torn basil leaves
• ½ cup minced fresh parsley
• ½ cup chopped mint leaves (optional)

For the Dressing

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cook pasta slightly past al dente, drain, toss with olive oil and cool. In a bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. In a large bowl, combine pasta, vegetables, herbs, and dressing. Toss to coat and season to taste. Serves 6.

Cowboy Caviar

• 1 1/3 cups diced Roma tomatoes
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/3 cups thawed corn kernels
• ½ cup diced red onion
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 jalapeños, diced
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15.5 oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

Toss tomatoes with ½ tsp salt and drain on paper towels for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix lime zest, juice, pepper, garlic powder, and remaining salt. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or chill before serving.

Creamy Fresh Cucumber Salad

• ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion

In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, dill, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Add cucumbers and onions, toss to coat. Make ahead and chill to blend flavors.

Serves: 6
Per serving (with sour cream): 67 Calories, 6g Fat, 3g Carbs, 1g Protein