BACKYARD BITES
A picnic just isn’t a picnic without a spread of delicious, easy- to- eat items. Chilled salads, small sandwiches, cookies and frozen treats are a few of my favorite picnic foods. Give these fun and easy recipes a try for an element of nostalgic flavor on
HAM SALAD SANDWICHES
YIELD: 12 mini- sandwiches
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. smoked boneless ham ( fully cooked and cut into large dice)
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
¼ cup dill relish
1 tsp. coarse- ground black pepper
12 slices whole- grain wheat bread
Butter lettuce
DIRECTIONS
Place the ham in a food processor and grind it to a fine, crumbled texture. Transfer the ham to medium bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise, relish and black pepper until they are evenly combined ( refrigerate if you won’t be eating right away). Spread about ½ cup of the mixture onto a slice of bread. Top with lettuce and another slice of bread. Slice the sandwich in half to create two sandwiches. Repeat this process for the remaining sandwich spread. Serve chilled.
MANGO MARGARITA POPS
YIELD: 10– 12 pops
INGREDIENTS
2 cups mango nectar
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and cut into large dice
½ cup simple syrup
½ cup lime juice
1/ 3 cup reposado tequila
2 Tbs. Cointreau
DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse a few seconds to macerate the fruit. Pour into silicone ice pop mold and insert wooden sticks. Freeze overnight for best results.