(8/2020) It seems like there is a "day" for almost any activity and item these days. You can pretty much search "national day …" in a web browser and have numerous options for that date. I do not usually pay too much attention to these days, but the August 31st day jumped out at me. According to my planner August 21st is National Eat Outside Day.

Over the last several years I have very fond memories of eating outside with my family. Somehow eating outside has allowed us to cut out some of the chaos and "noise" of everything going on and just enjoy something different and unique. One summer I tried to take my kids on a picnic each week! We would bring simple food (check out some of our favorite recipes included at the end), a book and sometimes a game to enjoy. We would set up the picnic table with all the random items and dive into the fun. Now, do not misunderstand me, it was not all fun and games! There were lots of complaints from the kids being cold to the bugs bothering them to them still being hungry because I did not bring enough food. But every time they would ask when the next picnic was going to be.

Recipes:

Watermelon Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 6 cups cubed seedless watermelon, chilled (2 lbs after peeling)*
• 4 cups cold water
• 3/4 cup fresh strained lemon juice, chilled
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar (more or less to taste)
• Ice and fresh mint for serving

Preparation Instructions: Add watermelon to a blender and pulse until well pureed (there should be about 4 cups). Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. In a large pitcher whisk together water, lemon juice and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Stir in pureed watermelon. Stir in ice and mint (alternately add ice and mint directly to individual cups and pour lemonade over). Store in refrigerator.

*If you don't have time to chill the ingredients then just use more ice in place of some of the water.

Kale Basil Mint Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch lacinato kale
• 1 bunch basil
• 1 bunch mint
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions: Blanch kale in boiling water for 20 seconds; drain and put in a bowl of cold water to stop cooking; once cool, squeeze dry and roughly chop. Place blanched kale, basil leaves, mint leaves, garlic cloves and pine nuts in food processor bowl; process until finely chopped; add oil through feeding tube until pesto is blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Peach Coconut Milk Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut milk chilled
• 1 cup ice
• 2 fresh peaches peeled and cut into chunks
• lemon zest to taste

Preparation Instructions: Add coconut milk, ice and peaches to a blender. Using a microplane, add a few gratings of fresh lemon zest, to taste. Blend on high speed until smooth.

Southwest Tortellini Salad

Ingredients:

• 20 ounce package three cheese refrigerated tortellini
• 1 cup corn fresh from 1 ear of cooked corn, canned or frozen corn
• 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• juice from 2 limes
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions: Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add tortellini to a large bowl. Add cooked corn, black beans, bell pepper, avocado, cherry tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a resealable jar. Shake until combined. Pour desired amount of dressing (you may not want to use it all) over the pasta and toss to coat.

Berry Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 8 ounces fresh bing cherries, pitted
• 8 ounces fresh blackberries
• 8 ounces fresh blueberries
• 8 ounces fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey

Preparation Instructions: Add the strawberries, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and chopped mint together in a large bowl. If some of the berries are no longer in-season, feel free to substitute with other fruit. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and honey until combined. Pour it on top of the berries. Then gently toss the fruit salad until everything is evenly coated with the lemon mixture. Serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Peach Salsa

Ingredients:

• 4 peaches, diced
• 1/3 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup chopped parsley
• 20 mint leaves, chopped

Dressing:

• 1-inch long piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• pinch of salt – optional

Preparation Instructions: Place the peaches, onion, red bell pepper, parsley, and mint into a salad bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix the grated ginger, olive oil, lemon juice and salt (if using). Pour the dressing over the peaches mixture and toss to combine.

Peach Pie Biscuit Bombs

Ingredients:

• 1 package refrigerated biscuits
• 1 cup sliced fresh peaches (1" pieces)
• 3-4 ounces soft Brie cheese
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
• 3 tablespoons butter

Preparation Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375F. Split the biscuits in half. Place 3-4 pieces of peach in the center of the bottom half of each biscuit. Add a small spoonful of the Brie (about a teaspoon). the sprinkle them all with brown sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle with a little honey (if you are using it).

Place the top back on each biscuit and gently press the edges down to lightly seal and close. Take each one in your hand and gently form into balls so the biscuit is wrapped all the way around the filling. Place them about 2" apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Put the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt it and then let it snap and crackle in the pan until it smells nutty. Remove from the heat. Brush each bomb with the browned butter, making sure to get the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes. The tops will be golden. Brush the pie bombs with the brown butter again after baking and serve warm.

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