I am a big fan of NOVELTY and after reading this quote in a Psychology Today article, I know why:
“A sense of novelty activates the dopamine system directly. As a result, it enhances mood, positive outlook, motivation, and goal setting. A positive sense of novelty has also been shown to increase creativity in dealing with stress, lower perceived stress and anxiety, and lessen depression.”
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Novelty can be simple. Novelty can be free. And a free and simple way to break up the mediocrity of mealtime, and shake up your body’s snow globe of happy hormones, is a change of scenery. For me, that often means having a picnic!
- For a super low-lift dinner party, plan a picnic potluck with friends or family. I tell everyone to bring a dish to share and their own reusable plate, cutlery and cup (if I’m not pushing my environmental agenda on people, am I even me?). You don’t have to clean your house before they come or do the dishes after they go!
- Spontaneously pack up your dinner on a sunny Wednesday evening and tote it to a nearby park or beach. Or grab takeout on the way!
- If schlepping a bunch of food and children to another location will pop your novelty bubble, spread out a picnic blanket in the yard and eat cheese and crackers, fruit and crudité and little crustless tea sandwiches – no cooking!
If you’re looking for picnic recipe inspiration, here are a couple favorites from The Nosh Newsletter team: Sophie Grossman, our newsletter editor, and me!
Rachel’s Picnic Picks:
I have a plot at a Seattle P-Patch (community garden) and every Tuesday is volunteer night, where gardeners pitch in to plant, weed and harvest vegetables from our Giving Garden to donate to the Ballard Food Bank. After the work is done, we have a potluck and the food is so good, I’ll come for dinner even if I finish work too late to volunteer! A couple months ago, I swooned over a homemade strawberry clafoutis, a silky, sliceable, baked custard studded with fruit. I asked for the recipe and it couldn’t be easier – you just chuck all the batter ingredients into a blender, pour over ripe summer berries and bake until the fruit is jammy and the top is golden. Ooh la la!
Have you ever had a morning picnic? Every once in a while, I’ll gather up some buddies for a beach breakfast at Golden Gardens and keep it simple with a bagel spread.
Pick up fresh bagels at a local spot (Hey Bagel, Mt Bagel & Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos are my go-tos), nicely priced lox, cream cheese and capers from Trader Joe’s and slice up some cucumber, onion and tomato if you fancy. Throw in a jug of orange juice or BYOC (Bring Your Own Coffee) and don't forget the serrated knife!
Sophie's Picnic Picks:
Corn and miso pasta salad at Sunset Hill Park
Pasta salad is a non-negotiable for me when it comes time to assemble a picnic spread. This one, from Ham El-Waylly of NYT Cooking, is a less traditional spin that’s become a favorite of mine the past two summers. The flavor combos might seem unlikely, but the sweet corn balances the zippy lemon and salty umami miso perfectly, and the texture of the ditalini (a very underappreciated pasta shape) with the corn kernels and the celery is a delight. The recipe calls for raw sweet corn, but I like to do a quick char on the grill for added flavor.
Sunset Hill Park in Ballard earns its name; coming here for a lingering evening picnic in August and watching the sun go down over The Sound always renews my love affair with Seattle.
Peach pie at Carkeek
This recipe is from Pie Academy by Ken Haedrich, which I would highly recommend to anyone who is trying to learn how to make pie or perfect their craft. All the recipes I’ve tried from it have been rock-solid, and it has some very helpful notes on technique (the troubleshooting section in particular has really helped me improve my crusts). I am obsessed with this classic crumb-top peach pie, which I now make every summer; if you use good in-season fruit, it will likely be one of the best things you’ve ever baked. Make the morning before a picnic or a day ahead of time – for real, do not try to rush a fruit pie, it needs at least four hours to cool or the filling won’t set – and you can pre-cut it for easy serving when you get to the park.
I really enjoy the picnic tables at Carkeek; they’re plentiful, well-maintained, and have a great view of the water.
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Have a food- or drink-related question? (Need a restaurant rec? Have a mystery that needs solving?) Send me a note: rachel.belle@cascadepbs.org
XO
Rachel Belle
