Eat Out More Often

Where was I?

2010-05-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

hey HEY hey! Did we fall off the face of the planet or what? There's simply no excuse. The good news is, it's spring, and picnic season is upon us. Here's some picnicking that went down in the last year that you didn't know about, because we took pictures and then just sat on them like the hoarders we're known to be.

Does it still count as a "picnic" if you're only about twenty feet from the house? Let's let this one slide--those people look so happy, we'd hate to crap all over their day!

Sometimes a picnic can be as simple as a group of friends arranging themselves on a Rainbow Brite blanket and sharing stories around a bottle of ketchup.

Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Are we out of our minds?! That's a sixty foot drop right behind us! Welcome to Edge City, picnickers...

With a stopover in Snooze City.

Hold the phone. A picnic on a roof? At night? In the wintertime? With naught but snacks and whiskey? Don't mind if I do!

Fudge Puppy

2009-09-08T21:43:00.001-07:00

Fudge Puppy
Originally uploaded by kimberlyserene

It's the Minnesota State Fair. It's the biggest holiday for Eat Out More Often. People by the thousands eat in the great outdoors during this annual celebration of food and fun. I sampled some delicious sunflower seed/honey ice cream from the honey people while my brother Matt decided it would be a good idea to eat this chocolate-dipped Belgian waffle with whipped cream and sprinkles. Wow.

Keeping it Cool

2009-08-13T11:51:00.001-07:00

5.3.2009 Motorcycle Picnic
Originally uploaded by kimberlyserene

Looking at the New York Times today I stumbled across this slideshow review of wine coolers. Not those Bartels and James fruity drinks your aunt was always so fond of - no. These are to keep your wine cool for a summer picnic! Personally, I think all coolers reviewed were a little stern in appearance compared to my Picnic At Ascot picnic pack but different strokes for different folks!

Picnic at Zuma

2009-08-04T11:25:00.001-07:00

2009.7.23_Picnic@Zuma
Originally uploaded by kimberlyserene

Summer means beach and beach means picnic! A boogie board can double as a picnic table in a pinch. Warning - after eating wait twenty to thirty minutes before swimming.

Motorcycle Picnic - A Photo Essay

2009-05-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

Picnic at Ascot

2009-04-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

For my recent birthday I received a Picnic at Ascot brand picnic pack complete with two cups, two plates, silverware, a cutting board, a corkscrew, napkins and an insulated compartment large enough for two bottles of wine and some delicious cheese. When a company uses the word Ascot in their name you know they mean business. A great spring full of splendid picnics awaits. Oh, the possibilities....

California Funshine Vacation

2009-02-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

Some dear Minneapolis friends flew down for a little sunshine - California style. Of course, where there is sun, there is outdoor eatin'.

The nice thing about an at-home picnic is the ability to eat directly out of the garden.

A picnic is the perfect activity for those deprived, for months, of seeing living, green outdoor environments and feeling the warm sun on their faces.

Pizza Farm?

2009-01-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

I have a recurring nagging feeling because I never went to the Pizza Farm when I lived in the Midwest. I think part of the problem was that the warm-time-of-the-year goes by way too quickly and I was always too busy to make the 2-hour trek from Minneapolis, MN to Stockholm, WI but I should have made time! I have been hearing for years about this amazing farm where on Tuesday nights people can come and buy their pizza made with ingredients grown right there on the farm! On top of that, you can bring wine, a blanket, and utensils and have yourself a merry little picnic! On the farm!

photo by massdistraction

I vow that next time I'm in Minneapolis - or at my parent's farm in Wisconsin (which is directly north of Stockholm as the crow flies) I WILL go to Pizza Farm and take everyone I can with me.

Fantasy Picnic

2009-01-26T22:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know in many parts of the country it's cold and grey. A bright table cloth laid out across some lush, green grass and tank-tops as far as the eye can see may seem like a faint memory from a time almost forgotten but it isn't! Bust out some of those old Barbie dolls, one of those green scrubbies - or some legit synthetic grass, some cloth and cut up paper plates and you can picnic vicariously in the warmth of your home!

Think about it.

Motorcycle Picnic

2009-01-24T12:13:00.000-08:00

Being a motorcyclist need not limit you in the ways of picnicing. In fact, one of the joys of motorcycling is driving to a beautiful, remote location, pulling over for a delicious snack, and enjoying a lovely view. For this particular lunch we chose a sweet spot just off the Angeles Crest Highway.

It is important when having a two-wheeler picnic to select items that will not shift or spill too much in transport. A sandwich and tightly packed salad with dressing on the side is a good start.

Stop by a liquor store and grab some of those cute mini-bottles of wine and you are set!

Eat on the Street - Coney Style

2009-01-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

The best candy shop I've ever been to is located in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Williams Candy has a great selection of confections on sticks perfect for eating while tooling around the amusement park.

Worried about the ocean breezes blowing your hair into the sticky sweetness of a candied apple? Do what I did - get a candied apple covered with chocolate sprinkles.

Ivy opted for gummy bears in a bag.

Eat out at the White House!

2009-01-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

Imagine a picnic on the White House lawn. A feast grown right there in that historic, democratic soil!
Eat the View has started a petition to encourage the new First Family to plant fruits and vegetables at their new residence. And if that idea isn't charming enough for you check out this video by Roger Doiron about the history of edible gardens (and picnics) at the White House!

Games for Picnics - Part 1 Ping-Pong

2008-11-26T23:37:00.000-08:00

As we all know, sports and picnics go hand in hand. What is better than spending an afternoon biking to your favorite picnic spot, playing frisbee, breaking for some picnic snacks, then finishing the day with badminton? I'd like to highlight a lesser known picnic sport - ping-pong. Ping-Pong is portable, low commitment, and a real crowd pleaser.

It is also very hip among the celebrities according to the latest in the New York Times.
Think about it! You could even throw a picnic blanket over the ping-pong table and have it double as a picnic table.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

2008-10-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

What better spooky October fun can be had than picnicing in a cemetery? And why not throw in a movie to boot? At Hollywood Forever in Los Angeles you can do just that. This weekend they are doing a special Halloween screening of Carrie so grab your trick-or-treat picnic basket and go!

Hollywood Forever was this summer's best and most frequented picnic spot for yours truly. Where else can you view a screening of Barbarella while sipping sweet summer wine and feasting on delicious caprese salad in the open air under the stars?

To maximize your Hollywood Forever movie picnic pleasure, I recommend the following:

Arrive early and secure a good spot - a spot directly between the two speakers and behind or in front of the slight dip in the middle of the lawn. It's best to be set up and eating before the sun sets and well before the movie begins.

Bring a plastic tarp to be placed under your picnic blanket. The ground can get a little cold and damp when the air temperature drops as evening sets in.

Serving platters and trays will help prevent the topples and spills that are likely to occur once the sun goes down.

Keep picnic items in containers with lids that can be easily sealed to make post-picnic clean-up in the dark much easier.

Bring some extra layers - it gets chilly out there in the graveyard!

Follow these simple tips and you too can have one of the years best picnics!

Takin' it to the Streets!

2008-08-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

This article in the New York Times highlights some high-style sidewalk picnics as a reclamation of public space! Right On.

Picnic with the Devil (or his minions)

2008-07-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

Bust out the popcorn, it's movie nite! In keeping with our running theme of picnics gone horribly wrong (and filmic depictions thereof) we are happy to offer you this tasty little silent film made by our dear friend and favorite imp Mr. Uncertain and his talented cohorts... Enchanted Picnic!

Solo picnics: the haunting

2008-07-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

Every day here at EatOutMoreOften HQ we get piles of fan letters thanking us for our unique contribution to the world of outdoor dining, but asking us again and again, often in tones of desperation and woe, the same questions: Is it safe to picnic alone? What if I choke on the bitter flavor of Loneliness that resides permanently in my mouth? Surely, there will most certainly be other people in the park who could call an ambulance or pat me on the back until I regurgitate my aborted picnic onto the freshly mowed lawn, but who will be there to Heimlich my aching heart?

Having no shortage of friends begging to dine with us, we were of course curious about and moved by the plight of the solo diner. Considering our role as acknowledged experts on all things picnic, we took it on ourselves to answer our readers concerns. What follows is an experiment in solitude.

Trial #1: Fort Greene Park, a Thursday morning
So, attempting a solo picnic in Brooklyn's beautiful Fort Greene Park is a bit like cheating, because the park is actually teeming with ghosts eagerly waiting to be channeled by your unsuspecting mind. Deep inside this park's picturesque hill lies the crypt (or mass grave) of soldiers who died in captivity on prison ships during the American Revolutionary War. But what better place than a Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument to embark on an experiment that could very well prove deadly?

Moving on. For today's spread I stopped at a little French bistro near the park and picked up their "Parisian basket" consisting of baguette, croissant, muffin, and jam and butter. A little bread-heavy, but that's one of the advantages of solo picnicking--there's no one to tell you to lay off the baked goods. I also brought along a copy of one of my favorite comic book series, Cromartie High, which chronicles the exploits of a group of Japanese badasses who attend a super badass high school and hang out with a mysterious and hairy friend who bears a disturbing resemblance to the late great Freddie Mercury. I brought the book to stave off Loneliness, because it always makes me laugh out loud, much like the company of good friends. So far, so good!

Hold the phone! I've only got two hands! I can't butter and jam my baguette and read my book at the same time. But if I set down the book to prepare my meal, the American Revolutionary soldierghosts will surely possess my emptied mind and lead me to commit unspeakable acts of violence on the noisy teenagers who dance on their very grave. And if I become engrossed in my book to forestall such a disturbing fate, I won't eat my food at all, thereby disqualifying this excursion from picnichood completely. If only I had somebody to talk to, some charming conversation that could keep the ghosts at bay! Abort! Abort!

Trial #2: Central park, a Friday afternoon
Whoa, that was close. I can't believe I was so smug as to think I could just enjoy my simple meal all alone whilst perched on a crypt for fallen soldiers without channeling their wrath, which has undoubtedly festered these past two centuries into a murderous bloodlust. I'm going to have to be more careful this time. Ah, what could be more innocent and free of bad vibes than New York's playground for the masses, Central Park? I found a site near the 72nd Street and Central Park West entrance, not so very far from the John Lennon monument, Strawberry Fields. I know what you're thinking--not another site of murder and haunting!--but don't worry. Mr. Lennon came to me in a dream and said he'd love to have me for over for a picnic and there would be no funny business like demonic possession.

Still, I'm wary. And how carefully I chew.

But the picnic goes off without a hitch! I see cute dogs, eavesdrop on the cell phone conversations of passers-by, and toast to a warm glow in the summer sun.
I think the lesson learned here is that solo picnickers do need to be very careful. If the Loneliness doesn't drive you mad, the angry ghosts who inhabit the periphery of our mortal plane will! We have also learned that there is hope for the solo picnicker as long as he enlists the help of a friendly spirit from beyond the grave--a guardian angel, if you prefer--to simultaneously take the edge off the gnawing anguish of Loneliness and scare away marauding ghostly presences. Mr. Lennon was so kind as to accompany me that day (whispering encouragement and bits of lyric in my ear), but I'm sure he has many engagements on his social calendar; appearing in pot-induced trances, answering hippies' prayers, and the like. I think the prudent thing to do now is to pick a patron saint for the solo picnicker, someone who is preferably dead and just forgotten enough to have the free time to watch over those who dine alone. Any nominations?

Apple doesn't fall far from tree

2008-07-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

Did you ever pack up your badminton set, picnic blanket, adult diapers and thermos of mojitos, and head out to a beautiful picnic site with the kind of view you usually only see on greeting cards of the "sorry about your grandma dying and all" variety, only to discover that you forgot the food? It happens, don't be embarrassed. Let's talk about it. Because your situation is not hopeless, not by a long shot. Not if you live in Los Angeles, thanks to an group of picnic visionaries called Fallen Fruit. These guys and gals make maps of public fruit trees in the LA area, so that when you're hungry and in a bind, you can just stroll right up and pluck yourself some nourishment. Fallen Fruit is looking to expand their free fruit revolution to cities all over the damn place, so if you've got a neighborhood with delectable edibles that are ripe for the picking, you can make your own map, send it in and contribute to the feast. With any luck, they're gonna turn this crummy parking lot nation into a veritable garden of Eden, only this time around, there's no penalty for eating the apples! Here's the map for the Silver Lake neighborhood, where we at Eat Out More Often hope to be scavenging for avocados, apples, figs, peaches, and bananas next weekend. Cool, huh?

Red Eyes at Morning: the picnic's secret invader

2008-06-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

In this installment of Eat Out More Often, we present another cautionary tale of picnics gone horribly wrong. Although it may leave a bad taste in your mouth, we feel it is nonetheless important that you know the risks you take on when you decide to eat outdoors, where Ma Nature and her brood of thuggish fauna, flora, and what-have-yous terrorize and ambush we peace-loving humans like some debauched family of cutthroat criminals.

Like most picnics, this one started innocently enough. Four friends looking for a little fun in the sun on a California beach (the fourth friend being behind the camera, of course). We were so stupid, so trusting, so certain in the existence of a just and orderly world. We didn't know that in mere hours we would come to question it all as an insidious foe entered our ranks, preying upon the very bonds that wound us so tightly together, the same bonds that would soon violently break in a gory climax of pus and accusations. So stupid, so stupid I could almost laugh through the bitter tears that course down my cheeks to this day...

Anyway, here's a picture of our first glimpse of the beach as we climbed down from the roadside. What a view!

We were of course determined to find the best spot or our much-anticipated picnic, and so we walked for miles along the beach, carefully surveying the coastline for a locale that would suit us.

All that walking sure made us hungry! Lucky for us, we brought a great spread, and I'm not talking about a Playboy centerfold, either!

As you can see, we've got a delicious array of edible goods, mostly purchased from the farmer's market. The colorful cups really kicked the picnic up a notch.

And then things got weird!

And we found a cave and horsed around in there for a bit.

All in all, it was a great day, and we went home with our tummies full of delicious food and our heads full of precious memories...

...except that this guy got pink eye! And that's what I was talking about in the beginning; the thing that made the day a bit of a downer, looking back on it. Because then he passed it on to the other guy, and the two haven't spoken since. The lesson here is, careful where you put your hands--even when you're among friends--and remember that when you eat outdoors, you're also hosting a picnic for asshole germs and the main course is YOU.

Springtime/Picnictime

2008-03-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hey winter is over like a fat rat, how bout a big whoop-de-do? Can I get a hip hip hooray? Good. Now down to business.

Although it's still a little brisk to sit outside and eat a meal in the grand tradition of picnicking which we love so well, now is the perfect time to start scouting sites, building an arsenal of recipes, and stockpiling nuclear weapons. Whoops, I mean stockpiling portable dishwear and utensils.

I don't know about yous, but I'm getting paid on Friday, so here's a little rundown of the picnic accoutrements we at Eat Out More Often and millions of other picnic enthusiasts will be rushing out to buy:

1 badminon set: booyah! Almost everybody is good at badminton. You can get these for $20 or so at your local crappy mall or maybe even at a dollar store. Host a badminton tournament/picnic and then rig the scoring so that your team wins! And don't forget your sweatbands.

1 frisbee: doubles as a plate!

1 thermos: the Jerk had it right, a thermos makes a great gift! These come in handy when you want to mix up some mojitos for your picnic without getting busted, because thermi look as innocent as babies.

TP/napkins/anything that wipes: it's nice to have something handy (other than your hand) when your pants are down and there isn't a pinecone in sight.

1 used portable radio: crank up the power! I don't think I would recommend this for every picnic, because it's always better to make your own music if you're so inclined. But this can be a nice way to jazz up those day-long picnics at the beach, and a radio can also warn you if there's a tornado coming!

1 pair of binoculars: essential for scoping out babes, birds, and enemies who wait in ambush.

1 book of Family Circus cartoons: a great way to steer the conversation away from something unpleasant and get back to wholesome picnicking, especially if you ignore that fact that everybody in the family secretly hates Jeffy.

That's all I can think of for now, but there's bound to be more picnic-themed stuff you can blow your money on. Keep in mind, however, that fancy badminton sets and adult diapers don't make picnics great, people do. And food do, too.

Red Sky at Night

2007-12-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

On a chilly December day like today, I often find myself reminiscing about those sunny summer beach picnics that seem so long ago.
This particular beach bash buffet, on legendary Venice Beach, was made even more smashing by the presence of our fine friends to the east - the Texans! Sharon, John, Sara, and Liz had come all the way from Houston, Texas to picnic in style and in the warm California sun - and it was John's birthday to boot.

The stakes were high so my regular picnic fare -cheese, bread, and a little fruit - would not suffice. I looked to my Brockhampton Healthy Home Cooking Cookbook for Picnics and Barbecues and found a salad worthy of this occasion. They call it the 'Salad of Red Leaves, Beans, and Roots' but I like to call it 'Red Sky at Night (a.k.a. a Sailor's Delight)'.

Here is how I made the recipe:
1 can red kidney beans
1/2 red cabbage, shredded
1 small red onion, quartered and finely sliced
1 beet, peeled and grated
1 oz blue Stilton cheese, crumbled

mix up everything but the cheese in a bowl then add this vinaigrette:

1 tsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp tobasco sauce
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil

chill all of this until you are ready to serve it, when you are ready to serve pull some big leaves off the cabbage and put a nice scoop of salad on each leaf then sprinkel the Stilton on top. An alternative presentation approach is to line a big bowl with leaves and let everyone serve themself from the bowl. However you serve it, this is a delicious and beautiful salad perfect for a special occasion.

Needless to say, the salad - along with chips, guacamole, one chicken, and a giant watermelon - was enjoyed by all.

Head Games

2007-09-20T13:57:00.001-07:00

Only while picnicing could you witness something so rare...

Picnic at Hanging Rock

2007-09-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the theme of picnics in cinema, I have come across another movie featuring a picnic gone terribly wrong. Picnic at Hanging Rock is a 1975 Aussie film about a group of school girls and a teacher who embark on a St. Valentine's Day picnic in the year 1900. A strange, sonic spell is cast over some of the girls causing them to wander into the steep crevices of Hanging Rock never to be seen or heard from again.

Ingmar Bergman R.I.P

2007-08-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

In honor of the recently departed film-maker extraordinaire, Ingmar Bergman, let us think of that unfortunate picnic in the Academy Award-winning film Virgin Spring. A seemingly pleasant outing on a sunny afternoon turns sinister for an innocent maiden setting off a chain of events that lead to brutal revenge and ultimate redemption. Not a tale for the weak of heart.

2007-07-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

Parisian Picnic

2007-07-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

Just around dinner-time and just before sunset, a stroll along the legendary banks of the Seine reveals a populus that knows how to picnic.

What appears to be an everyday group of people enjoying the outdoors on a warm afternoon is actually a raging picnic! An edible after-work get together? A gastronomical beginning for a big night on the town? Who knows?

This lovely couple demonstrates that a little wine, water, bread and cheese, and some raw vegetables are all that is required for an elegant evening along the Seine.

Viva la France, Viva la Pique-nique!

Jim Davis takes on picnics

2007-07-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

When Garfield has a picnic, he really has a picnic...

A picnic in the Great Indoors!

2007-06-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Imagine the heartbreak of planning an elegant rooftop picnic - poolside - overlooking the charming village of Sommier, France only to be rained out by an unexpected thunderstorm once the picnic blanket touched the ground!
Luckily, the pioneering spirit of my fellow travelers (Slim, Annie, and Marc) came through as we hastily moved to plan B - a picnic in our room. An indoor picnic! Unheard of, right? Not anymore.
With the windows opened wide, the cool, misty breeze provided a semblance of outdoors while Annie and Marc prepared and feasted upon some locally attained edibles including cantelope, apples, cucumber, carrots, grilled asparagus, camembert, various meats, and a fresh baguette (of course). A sudden bolt of lightning caused a power outage that enhansed the outdoor/indoor effect and provided an almost eerie mood for our enclosed picnic.

Red Hook, Part 1

2007-06-21T18:12:00.001-07:00

Hello again! Here we are enjoying an eveningtime picnic in Red Hook. Known for inspiring the inspired Elia Kazan film "On the Waterfront" and for being hated by that surly sci-fi horror novelist H.P. Lovecraft, Red Hook offers many lovely, not to mention historical, vistas for the casual muncher. We picked this spot in the sprawling and aptly named Red Hook Park for its vicinity to the Red Hook Grain Terminal (in the background), which reminded us of the mighty grain towers that rule the Nordeast neighborhood of our much-missed hometown, Minneapolis.

For tonight's picnic Thew has prepared a special treat--a slurry of tunafish, nayonaise, tomato paste and cilantro that is perfect for spreading thick on pita, along with healthy slices of avocado. I don't know what he calls the concoction, but I call it delicious! Strawberries and apples make an appearance as well, admirably representing the fruit family in this latest battle of the never-ending war of sweet vs. savory. Who will win, in the end? We don't care, cause it's time to eat!

But you know what this picnic is missing? Dessert. Luckily for us, or so we thought, Red Hook is the home of Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies. These tart little devils can be purchased, during business hours, from the pie factory tucked away in a pier-perched warehouse along Red Hook's coast. However, like the mystical land of Avalon (not the Roxy Music album Avalon), which can only be accessed if you know the right incantation or if you really believe in fairies or something, the precise location of Steve's pies is sometimes hard to pin down. Try as we may, wander as we might, we couldn't find the damn place anywhere that night. No, key lime eluded us that storied evening, but the pie was to be ours another day...

Eating Out More Often--Central Park

2007-05-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to Eat Out More Often, a roadside rest area on this information superhighway devoted to the fulfilling endeavor of eating and socializing in the cheap showiness of nature. Although we're still chewing over the mission statement of this online newsletter (blog is such a vulgar word) we are eager to take a big bite out of something we see as a sadly unexplored topic--picnicking! For now, it is enough to say that we love the pageantry and pleasantness of the picnicking pass time, and we intend to "drink a toast," if you will, to this great outdoor tradition.

Here we have our inaugural Eat Out More Often picnic, the one that started it all. As Kim and Thew-- especially Thew--are demonstrating, we were set to eat a spread of baguette, cheese (of the brie and goat varieties), chips, hummus, avocado, red grapes and--on the sly--white wine. The accordion we brought along for some post-picnic ditties proved an excellent serving table.

We picked the coziest of spots for our lunchtime rendezvous, Central Park at 59th and Central Park West. We liked this site for its shadiness, its gentle slope, and, because of its busy locale, the opportunities it afforded us for amusing people-watching.

As foreshadowed by the presence of the accordion, an already marvelous picnic can often be improved upon with music. Ukuleles do nicely, as they are light, portable, very easy to play, and they encourage group participation. Here Jim teaches Ivy an especially tricky lick on Herman's Hermits' mournful pop hit, "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter." We look so happy here; little did we know a bagpiper was on his way to take a big musical dump on the proceedings.

What's that you ask? Is there a video of "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter"? Well, since you were such a dear about it...