Tote N Boat

Excursion Al Fresco

No matter where you go, make the most of it with a little preparation. It doesn't take much to make it special. It's all about the thought.

Many of us have memories of at least one picnic in our lifetime, complete with the classic flannel plaid blanket. Want to recreate that memory? Here are a few things to keep in mind for a perfect picnic:

Where to go

Choose your destination (unless you prefer to do things on the fly) so you'll have an idea how to pack. If you're going on a mountain bike ride or hike, pack a lightweight back pack. Fill a thermos with your favourite bevy and your cooler lunch tote with quick grab items.

For the park or the beach, you can pack more. The space you have will dictate your menu.

What to pack

Bring along foods that stand up well to heat or taste great at room temperature. Anything saucy or mayonnaise-based can be messy or a food-borne illness in the making. Try to make things that are no muss no fuss and prepared ahead.

Snacks are a must before or after your meal. Prepare natural trail mix of nuts, seeds and dried unsweetened fruit (rich in fibre, keeping you full). Homemade granola bars are also great. Brown bag your snacks and tie them up with jute twine, which is better than plastic and looks chic.

Beef jerky is a tasty and safe bet. Pack natural fruit leather, organic apples, or grapes.

A smorgasbord of firm or semi-soft cheeses, such as smoked Gouda, aged white cheddar, Swiss, havarti, fou du roi, noyan or Oka, are great choices as cheese is best served at room temperature. (Avoid soft cheeses, as they may turn into Cheez Whiz in the heat).

You can't go wrong with Sammies, wrapped in parchment or wax paper and twine. Choose crusty or hearty dense grain breads (less likely to get soggy unlike drab white sandwich bread). Adding butter before your spreads acts as a barrier, preventing moisture from seeping into the bread. Pesto, Dijon, hummus, tapenade (olive or sun-dried tomato) are great spreads. Pesto, capicola and provolone with arugula is a great combo. A great vegetarian option is grilled flatbread spread with sun-dried tomato tapenade, roasted zucchini, spinach, balsamic roasted bellas and crumbled goat cheese, all bundled up. A souvlaki pita is excellent. Pick a protein and prepare tzatziki sauce with Greek yogurt (as it's thicker).

Personally, I shy away from gluten, so rice wraps with julienne veg (shrimp if your not travelling too far) and peanut or ponzu dipping sauce are ideal. Or try veggies and dips, such as baba ganoush and white bean and garlic.

Im toten Winkel – Hitlers Sekretarin « Big Boat Blog

I sort of can’t believe that I am about to admit this, but… I was at the library today, looking at the DVDs, and I saw a documentary called “Im Toten Winkel – Hitlers Sekretarin” (“Blind Spot – Hitler’s Secretary”) and I brought it home, and I watched it. Most people don’t know this about me, but I actually love a good documentary.

Not true.

I like a good documentary, but I *love* a bad documentary! (I once watched “Word Wars” which is a documentary about Scrabble… Scrabble! It is entirely peopled with professional Scrabble players and their enablers. It is a freaking train wreck, and I loved it!) I expected that this particular documentary wouldn’t be of the “train wreck” variety, but rather of the “how have I never heard of this before?” variety.