"I'm Going on a Picnic, and I'm Going to Bring..."

“I’m going on a picnic, and I’m going to bring…”  Remember that little road trip game extaordinaire? When I was growing up my parents always packed the car with us kids and we drove, going far and wide in search of adventure. We went to the mountain or the ocean, anywhere really, just to explore and eat a picnic lunch and be together.  Egg salad and tuna, peanut butter and jelly, all the usual favorites growing up. 

Now that I’m grown with my own kids, we carry on that tradition of exploration.  A particular favorite snack for us when we’re on the go is a good bagel – it’s a fun snack, one that keeps well and tastes delicious anyplace.  So, like a true pioneer, I fashioned this super tasty chive cream cheese to load onto toasted seedy bagels from Simple Truth.  I piled on cold smoked salmon and extra dill, capers and red onion.  Smoked salmon and cream cheese is one of my favorite meals, and it felt really fun and different to modify it a bit and take it on a picnic. 

A cold pack and pressed juice, fresh fruit, and trail mix round out the menu.  Our six year-old Noah isn’t a fan of salmon, but he can 1000% jam on some bagels and cream cheese along with fruit and trail mix. Picnics are all about the finger foods, am I right?

Oh yeah, mom hack: Always add green to every meal.  Spinach and broccoli have always been mixed into just about everything I make for the little man, from mac and cheese to eggs!  So when the chives appear in this heavenly cream cheese, Noah is all about it!  Swing into your local Kroger store (in my case it’s Fred Meyer) and pick up everything you need to make this delicious picnic spread. You can't go wrong with any of the Private Selection or Simple Truth products from Kroger.  Then hit the road, head to the park, mountain or beach.  Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend.  While you’re at it, enjoy the cream cheese recipe below.

Chive Cream Cheese

8 oz. soft cream cheese

½ cup chopped chives

¼ tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. grainy mustard

½ tsp. cracked black pepper

Lox fixin’s

 4 Simple Truth seeded bagels

8 oz. smoked salmon

¼ cup brined capers, drained

¼ red onion, sliced

Picnic Checklist

·          A medium-sized cooler or picnic basket

·          A large blanket or table cloth to relax upon

·          A disposable bag for waste if no public waste cans are handy

·          A main dish like bagels and lox

·          Plenty of water and SOMETHING FUN TO DRINK

·          Plenty of snacks like fruit, chips, trail mix, and string cheese

·          Hummus (this is a great picnic basket addition, and you can grab pre-washed pre-sliced veggies at the store as well these days)

·          A sweet treat like cookies or brownies that can be easily devoured without a fork or spoon

·          A small tube of sunscreen (always in our picnic bags)

Happy picnic-ing, everybody!

Sponsored by Kroger.

Whole Grilled Leg of Lamb with Couscous and Asparagus

Over on the Rustic Joyful Food YouTube Channel you can watch me prepare this RIDICULOUS recipe! Grilled butterflied leg of lamb & herbed couscous -- it's juicy, crispy, flavorful, and ABSOLUTELY worth a watch!  Special thanks to the American Lamb Board, our partner in this collaboration. Click here to watch, and PLEASE remember to like and subscribe!

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb & Herbed Couscous

One 2-3 lb. butterflied leg of lamb, bones and shank removed
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 diced Fresno chili
Juice and zest of a lemon
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/2 cup chopped mint
2 Tbsp. olive oil
5 crushed cloves garlic
the juice and zest of a lemon
2 tsp. kosher salt (to be added just before the grill)

Salsa Verde

1 cup of basil
1 flat leaf parsley
1 cup cilantro
1/2 cup mint
2 cups olive oil
1/2 shallot
1 small garlic clove
Juice and zest of a lemon
1/2 red Fresno chili
Salt and pepper to taste

Couscous

1 1/2 cups pearl Couscous
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice and zest of a lemon
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped fresh herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the lamb, combine all the ingredients for the marinade and liberally smear it on the meat. Place in a gallon Ziplock bag and inside a glass dish, then place in the bottom of your refrigerator overnight. 

Before grilling, bring the lamb out of the refrigerator and allow to rise to room temp, at least an hour and a half. Turn the grill on to high and preheat for 5-10 minutes. Place the meat on the hot grill skin side up so the fat can keep the meat moist. Sear the lamb for 5-8 minutes per side, then turn the grill to low. Watch carefully for flare-ups. Grill the lamb for about 40 minutes total, rotating every 5-8 minutes or so. You want a great char but nothing burned. Grill the meat until you’ve reached an internal temp of 125 for a medium rare finish. Remove the lamb from the grill and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes while you cook your couscous.

In a heavy-bottom cast iron, sauté the shallots in the olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, pine nuts and couscous. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the pine nuts begin to toast in the oil. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes, covered. Fluff with a fork and add the herbs, lemon juice, olive oil and tomatoes. 

Serve with the sliced lamb.

To prepare the salsa verde, hand chop all the ingredients finely or pulse 3-4 times in a food processor, and serve as the perfect condiment to the grilled lamb.  

Grilled Lamb Kabobs + Red Quinoa & Tomato Grain Salad

Grilled Lamb Kabobs

2 lbs. lamb leg meat cut into 2-inch squares

2 red peppers 

2 yellow peppers

1 red onion

3 Tbsp. olive oil 

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Juice and zest of a lemon

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

3 Tbsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped

Place the cubes of your leg of lamb into a large mixing bowl. Chop the peppers and red onions in roughly 2-inch pieces. You want them to be about the same size as your meat. Add the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and fresh oregano to the bowl and mix thoroughly to coat the vegetables and meat.  Marinate at room temp for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator. Soak bamboo skewers according to the package directions and start the kabobs off with a piece of onion, then pepper, then meat chunk. Repeat this process until you’ve filled your skewer. Repeat this process over again until you’ve used all of your ingredients. Preheat your grill to 450 degrees, place the skewers on the hot grill, and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side. This will give you a solid medium rare. Continue to cook until you’ve reached a temperature you are happy with. 

Red Quinoa & Tomato Grain Salad

2 cups cooked red quinoa (any cooked grain can easily be substituted)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup small mozzarella balls, halved

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup sliced radishes

1/4 cup chopped basil

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley 

Citronette

1/2 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely crushed

Juice and zest of a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of red chili flakes

Add the grains, tomatoes, herbs, and mozzarella to a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Citronette ingredients. Pour over the grains and gently mix. After about 20 minutes you may need to add a touch more salt and pepper. Quinoa loves to soak up the flavor. This is best served at room temperature.

Last but not least...enjoy!