Cantaloupe Mint Lemonade makes a perfect and refreshing picnic or outdoor lunch beverage with fruity melon and mint added.

Cantaloupe Mint Lemonade

Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

Boy, has it ever been hot outside! But then again, the temps dropped nicely this past day, hovering between 75-80, not very humid and partly sunny. The perfect time for a picnic!

Birds do it, Bees do it

Even educated fleas do it

Let’s do it-

Let’s go on a picnic!

And did I tell you that Bill and I found  a wonderful new (new to us that is) park over on the east side of Cincinnati this year? We are habitual visitors of parks for the trails, and Bill loves it when they have  an archery range. It’s something he picked up as a child. And when we first met, he taught it to me, and I love it, but I have to admit the  only things I am worse at aiming at besides a hay  bale are probably softballs and bowling pins. I do much better with haystack cookies, meatballs and rolling pins, and put  my hiking shoes on to enjoy some lovely outdoors.

I really feel like I am getting back to my true roots when I am outdoors. I feel a real sense of peacefulness and calm, plus, any excuse to make a special meal out in the fresh air and sunshine is good with me!

Parks are such a great place for picnics, and we like to picnic with the extended family when we can,  usually at a park betwixt Cincinnati and Columbus Ohio.

When I was a kid we used to picnic on the weekends. My mom liked to pick out parks that were  day trips around St. Louis. She would  pack the cooler with sandwiches, salads, chips and pop. She liked buying Shasta soda in the cans. And you know how they say psychological connections are made? I’d be in the back of the station wagon while Dad drove down the highways, and in Missouri along the highways you could see hills and cut rock,  and on those soda cans they showed a rocky little mountain. So over time I associated that soda with going  on a picnic. At home, Dad would get  the  pop bottles that came 24 in a wooden crate (and unless you are older, you probably won’t remember those at all- although some of you will). Those cans don’t have that design anymore, but here’s what they looked like:


You know,  the cut rock sections did seem like mountains to me. I had never actually seen the Rockies,  Sierras or Appalachians when I was that young. But they were  mountains for me. And far far  back  in our country’s history, those “were” mountains (Ste. Genevieve Range) that over time, water wore down the granite, loosening huge boulders, making shut-ins along rivers, and also a  massive system of caves throughout Missouri.


Today, when I go on picnics, I don’t have those picturesque cans of soda, although I do like bringing tasty drinks. I love  bringing dispensers  that I can  fill  with fresh brewed iced tea or things like lemonade made from scratch. They reflect my good old-fashioned sense of what belongs on a  picnic. Imagine my delight when I found  a dispenser  like one my family had when I was young! Who out there had one of these in their family? I know some  of my cousins did. My mom said that sometimes the jugs got confused on camping trips.

Besides picnics, we did also camp with extended family often, as well as go fishing at private lakes in and around the old Grand Marais park in southern Illinois (now called Frank Holten), and another stocked fishing lake near there, and Cahokia Mounds state park. I remember one of Mom’s favorite things to bring was a bucket of KFC with sides and things, and fill that aluminum jug with something to drink, like sweet tea or kool-aid.  What kind of things did your Mom pack on picnics, outings and camping trips?  Did you ever do potluck picnics with relatives and friends? Mom was always famous for her potato salad.

As for things I have liked to bring, hot dogs, sandwiches, fried chicken come to mind, along with sides, chips, fresh fruit and cold drinks, plus something like brownies or cookies, maybe even a fruit pie. If I romanticize about picnics a bit,  I like to think  of bringing wine  and having fruit and a Canadian meat pie, but these days it’s hard to find any place that allows wine. Occasionally a winery will allow you to picnic, but they generally insist that you purchase their wine. But if you do, isn’t this sandwich fabulous? It feeds a crowd.

What are your family favorites for picnics? Is anything  a “must-have”?

Thanks for joining me today as I jabbered on about picnics. Sometimes I love nothing more than jumping in  the car and heading out to enjoy a bit of scenery and grab a bite. It has made some of the fondest memories over my lifetime. And I am certain to have many more!

Join  me again tomorrow as I post with my blogging friends for #BacktoSchool Week. We will be sharing some  of our favorite recipes for packing in  lunches and having after school. School will be starting up again very soon so it’s never too early to start pinning your favorites so you aren’t short  on ideas when the fall term arrives (just a few short weeks  away  now!) Until then-

~Sue

Sunday Supper

Best Picnic Recipes

Starters, Skewers, and Sandwiches al Fresco

• Antipasto Skewers by Soulfully Made
• Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cream Cheese Slider Sandwiches by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Italian Layered Portable Picnic Jars by The Weekend Gourmet
• Low Carb Ham Pinwheels by Cricket’s Confections
• Patatas Brava Chorizo Sausage Rolls by Food Lust People Love
• Refrigerator Pickled Ratatouille Vegetables by My Life Cookbook
• Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps by The Crumby Kitchen

Stow-and-Go Sides and Salads

• Avocado Bacon Loaded Pasta Salad by Daily Dish Recipes
• BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad by Cooking With Carlee
• Broccoli Slaw by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Jalapeno Popper Macaroni Salad by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Marinated Zucchini and Summer Squash by Caroline’s Cooking
• Old Fashioned Potato Salad by Life Tastes Good
• Southern Cornbread Salad by Gourmet Everyday
• Summer Quinoa Salad by Simple and Savory
• Watermelon and Avocado Salad by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Whole30 Cauliflower Potato Salad by Bites of Wellness

Drinks and Desserts for Outdoor Dining

• Banana Snack Cake by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Blueberry Hand Pies by Our Good Life
• Cantaloupe Mint Lemonade by Palatable Pastime
• Cherry Poke Cake by Pies and Plots
• Chocolate Caramel Layer Bars by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Chocolate Cherry No Bake Bars by The Freshman Cook
• Rice Krispie Sushi by NinjaBaker.com