The Table

I set the table with a very old white lace tablecloth, which I thought looked very French. I added a white outdoor lantern, pastel snapdragons from Paper Bird Flower Farm that I picked up at the farmers market, and some mint from my garden. I thought the little wooden box vase tied in with the rope from the lantern quite nicely. 

I kept the place settings very simple with my white bubble melamine plates (the ones I always use on picnics!) and gold napkins tied with twine. I chose the napkins because they look like squash blossoms and I was going for a casual summer lunch look. My bubble outdoor glasses looked awfully cute with the bubble plates!

The Drink

Alright, I confess, I was supposed to be drinking wine at a vineyard this particular Sunday so I did not prepare a drink but if you wanted an awesome lunch drink, my Blueberry Mint Iced Tea would be be perfect! Get the recipe here.

The Food

This is such an easy portable menu that could be used for a picnic. (After all, I was originally packing this up for a vineyard picnic but my plans changed.) 

Summer Picnic Menu:
Carpaccio di zucchine e limone e mente
Artichoke & Olive Pasta Salad
Summer Sausage, Goat Cheese, & Crackers
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Carpaccio di zucchine e limone e mente

This is a Rose Table classic! I make it so often in fact that it’s even in The Rose Table Cookbook. It’s as healthy as it is delicious and so easy to make. I was inspired to try this when I read the description in a book set in Italy a few years ago and just had to try it. I serve it all summer long when zucchini is cheap and mint is overflowing in the garden. Get the recipe here.

Artichoke & Olive Pasta Salad

I got the idea for this pasta salad after buying the most gorgeous artichokes and Kalamata olives from Amanida USA at the farmers market. This pasta salad is very simple and easy to customize. It was be delicious with my Perfect Grilled Chicken! Get the recipe here.

Summer Sausage, Goat Cheese, & Crackers

If Ina has taught me anything, it’s that (1) you don’t have to make everything and (2) killer ingredients are key. I served jalapeño summer sausage from Tate Farms (delicious!) with the best goat cheese I’ve ever had, garlic goat cheese from Lost Ruby Ranch. If you see these guys around DFW at a farmers market, get the goat cheese. Just trust me!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ah, chocolate chip cookies. A classic for a season. They’re the perfect picnic dessert because they’re so easy to pack. Mine have dark chocolate and sea salt but it’s the method that makes them exceptional: you pull them out when the dough is still wet in the center and let the residual heat from the cookie sheet finish them off. The result is the softest, most luscious chocolate chip cookie you’ll ever have. Get the recipe here.

It was such a nice afternoon, we enjoyed the garden for hours.  I hope you enjoy this menu as much as we did!

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Happy lunching,

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