Planning Your Picnic

Let's hear it for the boys!

 You've got to hand it to those Founding Fathers. Not only did they get their act together enough to agree on declaring independence, but they picked an awesome time of year to do it. They could only have done better if they waited another week, so that, one day, future citizens in the State of Washington might always enjoy fireworks and barbecue under reliably warm and sunny weather.

But 2014 promises to be a good one, according to my phone:

Looking pretty decent

Which means it's time to plan those 4th of July picnics and barbecues. Sure, you can get the California watermelon, but everything else you need can be fresh and local. Specifically,

1) Hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausages. Our meat vendors have it all. There are pre-made patties if you don't like to make your own, plain ground beef for those who like to mix in secret ingredients, and more sausage varieties than you can shake a stick at.

2) For you pescatorians, throw some salmon on the grill!

3) Buns or artisan bread for garlic bread. I like to make my own buns in the bread machine, but I fully realize you may not want to bother with all that, so swing by our bakers for convenient options. Wildflour will even have gluten-free versions! And for the best garlic bread ever, don't buy a loaf of that margarine-filled grocery-store kind. Try this:

"Homemade" Garlic Bread Loaf
1 loaf artisan bread, sliced in half horizontally and then in individual pieces, like they do for grocery-store garlic bread

1 stick salted butter, softened

4 cloves garlic, peeled

parsley to taste 

Combine butter, garlic cloves and parsley in food processor and whirl till blended. Spread generously over cut surfaces of bread. Reassemble loaf, wrap in foil, and heat in 350F oven until crust is crisp and insides melty!

(The leftover garlic butter is wonderful on grilled or steamed vegetables.)

4) A really awesome salad. For the 4th of July, skip the old bagged salads in the store and grab crisp lettuce or kale at the Market as a base. There are tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, berries, hazelnuts, radishes, herbs, peas, and other goodies to throw in!

5) How about homemade, oven-baked French fries, with one of the many potato varieties found at the Market? My own husband whipped some up while I was out. Just slice (don't even bother peeling), toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, spread on a cookie sheet, and bake at 425F till crunchy!

Got the recipe AND the pic from Cookinglight.com

6) Wash that meal down with some wine, after you've tasted and chosen from among our many vendors:

...for example. And then there's

these guys...

 

7) And then for dessert, will it be 

 

ice cream or

 pie?

Maybe best to play it safe and get both...

All I know is we're in for some sunshine, so celebrate your right to life and liberty, and pursue some happiness at the Market this Thursday and Saturday!