What better way to celebrate this great weather than with a picnic! Kris Shoels is a food blogger with her website called-- Young Married Chic. She's here to show us how to put together a mason jar picnic that makes your meal portable and fabulous.
White Bean Salad
Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
1 15oz can of cannelini beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 tbsp chopped basil
Parmesan, for topping
Salt and Pepper to taste
Distribute evenly between 4 jars (Layer in the jar): 2 tbsp dressing, beans, and cherry tomatoes. Top with a sprinkling of basil, parmesan, and salt/pepper to taste.
Right before serving, shake jar to distribute dressing
Chicken Couscous Salad
Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
1 cup of cooked couscous or brown rice
1 cup of cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup of roasted red peppers, diced
½ cup of feta cheese
In a jar, layer 2 tbsp balsamic dressing, ¼ cup of couscous, ¼ cup of chicken, and ¼ cup of diced peppers. Top with ¨û cup of feta cheese.
Shake jar before serving to combine the salad and dressing¡¡
S'mores Pudding in a Jar
Using a Half Pint Mason Jar
1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
3 cups of your favorite chocolate pudding, instant or cooked
3 cups of your favorite vanilla pudding
1 chocolate bar, roughly chopped
Place ¼ cup of graham cracker crumbs in bottom of mason jar. Scoop ½ cup of chocolate pudding on top of crumbs chocolate pudding with ½ cup of vanilla pudding. Top with more graham cracker crumbs and chopped chocolate. Place top on the mason jar until ready to serve!
Quantities can be adjusted according to the size mason jar you are using
Mini Strawberry Shortcakes in Mason Jars
Mini Butter Cakes (recipe below) or store bought pound cake, sliced into cubes
1 pint of hulled strawberries, diced
Whipped Cream (for topping)
6 small mason jars
Evenly layer in the jars: pieces of butter cake, diced berries, and whipped cream. Place top on the jar and keep cool until serving.
For the Cakes:
3 tbsp butter
2 large eggs
6 tbsp sugar
¾ cup of all purpose flour
½ tsp of baking powder
¨û tsp salt
¨û tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp honey
Cooking Spray
Preheat oven to 375 and lightly spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Melt the butter and set aside to cool
Whip eggs and 6 tablespoons of sugar (using whisk attachment) until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, and salt. Mixing at a low speed, add flour mixture to the egg mixture until combined. Lastly, add in vanilla extract, honey, and melted butter. Mix until just combined.
Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups, and bake until firm and puffed in the middle, about 15 minutes. Allow to fully cool before assembling in mason jars.
Kris Schoels is the editor of Young Married Chic -- a blog devoted to baking, fashion, home decor and travel. http://youngmarriedchic.com
