Pizza Farm?

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!