19 picnic recipes

Slow-baked picnic beans with bacon, molasses, and brown sugar in a sweet and tangy sauce. This potluck-perfect side dish bakes low and slow until thick, smoky, and irresistible.

Grandma's picnic chocolate cake baked in one 8x8 pan with buttermilk, cocoa powder, and cake flour. An old-fashioned single-layer snacking cake that travels well and stays moist for days.

Crisp and tangy little cookies, reminiscent of the ones Sunshine used to make.

This favorite back-to-school treat is kicked up with a topping of creamy caramel and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Crisp cucumber salad tossed with tangy yogurt, fresh dill, and garlic creates a refreshing low-calorie side for summer grilling and picnics.

A pair of the cutest flip flop cakes you've ever seen. Great for a picnic, cook out or birthday party. Kids love them.

"A fun, easy to make pair of flip flop cakes for many occasions...the beach, picnics, cookouts, etc. Everyone will love them, especially the kids."

Southwestern corn salad: a no-cook tossed salad with sweet corn, kidney beans, bell peppers, scallions, and cilantro in a light salsa-chili dressing. Vegan, picnic-ready, and made in 10 minutes.

Slow-roasted country style pork shoulder rubbed with sage, ginger, and garlic for a crackling-crisp crust and fork-tender meat. This simple 5 lb pork roast recipe needs just 6 ingredients and cooks low and slow for 3 to 4 hours.

A tender and juicy pork roast made seasoned to perfection with your choice of barbecue sauce.

Old-fashioned cucumber and onion salad: paper-thin cucumber and onion slices marinated overnight in a sweet-tart vinegar brine. The crisp Midwestern picnic side that gets better as it sits.

Rotini pasta tossed with chickpeas, broiler-roasted red peppers, roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar. A vegetarian Italian pasta dish that travels well for potlucks and picnics.

Chilled garbanzo and potato salad tosses boiled red potatoes with chickpeas, roma tomatoes, red onion, and spinach, then marinates for hours in the fridge. A lighter twist on picnic potato salad.

Marinated cabbage slaw with green pepper, onion, and pimentos in a sweet-tangy vinegar dressing with mustard seeds. Make-ahead picnic salad that keeps for days.

A no-cook marinated string bean salad with mushrooms, cucumber, cauliflower, and pimentos in a tangy champagne vinegar dressing. Make ahead, fat-free, perfect for picnics and potlucks.

Tri-pasta salad combines ziti, bow-tie, and spinach rotini with tri-color peppers, olives, and capers in a no-oil herbed red wine vinaigrette. Colorful, tangy, and low-fat for picnics and potlucks.