Ever heard of the expression “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray”?   Well, that was somewhat my case today.

It’s been a hot, dry summer so far on PEI, and today was forecast to be 31C and very humid.  I had been planning a beach picnic for some time and last evening rolled out the plans for the day and began preparations.  This morning, while it seemed a little breezy, I didn’t think it was particularly windy so off we set for a mid-day picnic on the beach.  However, when we arrived at our destination, the whitecaps were rolling in to shore at a reasonably good clip.  Suffice it to say it was breezy and it was going to be difficult (read ‘impossible’ and ‘frustrating’) to hold things in place for a picnic on the beach.

So, I had a “Plan B” ready just in case, for some reason, a beach location would not be suitable – good thing to do when the food has all been prepared!  So, my beach picnic became a beach-“themed” picnic in a calm location not many yards from the beach where we could still hear the waves rolling in to shore.

On the menu for the picnic:

Turkey, Egg, and Cheese Baguettes (recipe follows)

Green Salad

Brownies

Brown Sugar Jelly-filled Cookies

Seashell Chocolates

So, let’s assemble the elements of the picnic and see what is in the picnic basket.

I like to wrap the cutlery in napkins.  This can be done ahead of time and it’s also a great way to remember to bring along the napkins!

The highlight of today’s picnic were the baguettes – they were really tasty and very filling!

These looked extra special wrapped in parchment paper and dressed with a string bow and a sprig of lemon thyme from my herb garden.

We have lots of fresh leafy lettuce in the garden these days and salads always taste better with produce freshly picked.  It doesn’t get any more local than the backyard garden!

Food always seems to taste so much better outside and there is no reason why a picnic can’t be as stylish as a table setting.  All you need is a pretty tablecloth, a posy of wild flowers, a few props, some tasty food and you have an instant picnicscape.

I live near water so a lot of my inspiration for tablescapes and picnics comes from the sea.

A tasty lunch!  Are you hungry yet?

Brownies are the quintessential picnic food!

But Brown Sugar Jam-filled Cookies are good too!

And sea-inspired chocolates are a great way to finish off the picnic!

Here is my recipe for Turkey, Egg, and Cheese Baguettes:

3-4 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 – 1 1/2 tbsp Basil Pesto

1 1/2 – 2 tbsp soft goat cheese

Shaved turkey breast

Lettuce

Red Onion

Sliced Cheddar Cheese

2 sliced hard-boiled eggs

1 baguette

Butter

Directions:

Cut baguette in two or three pieces, depending on length of baguette. Slice baguette pieces in half, lengthwise.   Butter both sides of the sliced baguette pieces.

Mix mayonnaise, pesto, and goat cheese.  Spread on both sides of baguette.

On one side of bread, add a layer of lettuce, followed by the shaved turkey breast, red onion, cheese slices, hard-boiled egg slices, and second layer of lettuce.  Place second slice of bread on top.

Wrap in parchment paper and tie with string.  It may be necessary to use toothpicks to help hold the filled baguette together, particularly if you are going to be traveling a distance with them.

Yield:  2-3 servings

So, even if you live in a big city and dream of being near a beach or water, you can still have a beach-themed picnic inland wherever you are, as I have done here.

I hope you have enjoyed coming along on my picnic today.

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