Marburg

Allright, here's the situation:
My favorite (read: only) girlfriend is coming home from the wonderful city of Quebec after a month of learning French at "Le Valé" (that's probably not spelt right.)

I've told her that when she gets back we're going on the world's largest date.

She's been eatting restaraunt foods all month and probably isn't going to want to go out for a fancy dinner. (drats - that's so easy though)

I figure it would be very fun (and a surprise to her) if we had a picnic on the beach.

So what foods do you think are great for a picnic (sandwhichcs, etc?) but most imporantly how're they made/prepared?

Please phrase you're instructions so the average first-year canadian university studant could understand them. (aka. Has no idea how to make anything (even grilled-chesse sandwhiches) and doesn't know any of the imperical system of measuring thingies)

If I get any brilliant ideas... I'll swear allegance to the TFP .... FOREVER!!!!

Ripsaw

More information required.

What type of food does she like to eat?
What type of food do you like to eat?
What kind of beach (sandy, rocky, shells, etc)

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Marburg

Well the both of us will eat pretty much anything that's no longer moving. She's the kind of girl that the world is jealous of - she eat 31 times a day but will never weigh more then 120lbs. I'll just eat anything.

I suppose it would be a sandy beach, with one or two rocks about... next to the water.

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Pellaz

off the top of my head:
Fried Chicken (esp chilled, we had cold fried chicken sandwiches whenever we went on picnics as a kid, so it's always the first thing I think of)

assorted meats and cheeses and crackers

any non-lettuce salads (potato, cranberry, etc)

lettuce salads

crab cakes

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Katyblu

fresh fruit and cheeses.... maybe some wine

Fisher

I love this question. I see you are from Nova Scotia. I am from Florida, so although I've done a lot of beach picnics, I probably don't have a good picture of the setting. Are there icebergs? Oh, it doesn't matter.

I think your idea is great; she will love it. From a guy's perspective, it's an especially good idea because you'll think it's fun and she'll think it is terribly romantic. You get to hang out on the beach and eat what you want because you're choosing the menu. She'll tell her friends how romantic it was. I've learned that you don't have to be Mr. Suave to be romantic. To their credit, most women are impressed by thoughtfulness and effort.

First things first...everything has got to be clean and safe for consumption. Single guys and women have different concepts of clean. This is a time to acquiesce...make sure blankets, utensils, etc. are way cleaner than they really need to be. And you need a cooler for food.

I think you should keep it simple. No wine glasses and silverware - make it all finger food and drink wine and/or water out of coffee mugs or jelly jars or something (no plastic please). You can have some good finger food such as: shrimp cocktail, cheese, bread, fresh berries, raw vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms with dip (crudites or whatever it's called), even roast chicken. Just bring plenty of napkins...or forget the napkins and lick each other's fingers.

If you're interested and need help with recipes/preparation, I'll be glad to expound, but for now I've said enough (at least).

Plummie

Mmm, picnics..

I love the idea of doing a turkey and swiss wrap, with alfalfa sprouts, mayo, and tomatoes.

Some fruit, like grapes are nice and a bottle of wine.

Homemade brownies or oatmeal cookies would be delicious too, afterwards.

Must-haves include:

Thick blanket or comforter (an old one, because it will spend most of the time on grass or dirt)
Food
Drinks (cold water, fruit juice, or soda)
Ice (don't bring perishable foods if they can't be kept in a cooler)
Drinking cups
Eating utensils
Serving utensils
Napkins/paper towels
Salt and pepper
Condiments
Trash bags for cleanup
Sunscreen

Hope you have a blast!

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Kim

Marburg

Wow, I don't think there was a bad idea in that entire list! I especially love the vegtable and dip idea. Mainly because of the high tasty to easy-to-prepare ratio!

A lot of people are suggesting roast chicken. Why is that? It's good and all, but is it just a coincidence that people are roccomending that one food... or is there something that I don't know about roast chicken?

The beaches here are basically the same as their florda counterparts - a tad colder, the water is about 20 degrees. (that's in celcius, people )
Of course, if Flordia beaches were a 10 then our's would be like a 4! Here's a pretty close representation of the beach I'm planning to go to, except no people!
http://nsonline.com/postcards/photos/4-0449.jpg

ps. I really apreciate all your help people!!!

dellamag6

Fresh strawberries and some dipping chocolate would be a plus.

Fisher

Marburg

That beach photo looks pretty nice! 20 degrees C, what's that, about 70 F? That's not too cold. There's something sort of appealing to this Floridian about the thought of going to the beach and wearing a sweater instead of wearing sweat.

I think a lot of people suggested roast chicken because it's good and pretty healthy. Also hot, warm or cold, it's still good. Rustic...finger lickin good.

bernadette

aw what a lovely idea ♥

i'd pack a pretty wicker basket with the non-perishable items, such as a nice loaf of sour dough or french bread, a couple of wine glasses, any utensils (ie a wine opener, flatware, plates), a blanket &/or pretty table cloth, napkins, chocolates &/or cookies

and then i'd pack a small cooler with some nice cheese, fresh veggies & fruits, some sliced deli sandwich meats

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RemyLebeau97

I'd personally make something homemade for my girlfriend. However, Sandwiches are the ideal picnic food. Make sure you get some fruit in there also, girls dig fruit. Maybe some strawberries or grapes, anything you can dip in whip cream and feed her. Also it'd be a great idea to bring a bottle of wine for you all to sip on and relax after your meal. Maybe a few candles too if your going to be there when night falls. And some suntan lotion to give her a nice relaxing rub down before or after you eat. Buy her some flowers too. Ok with these items you should be in like flint. Hope I could be of assistance.

Rodney

I've had successful beach picnics with a loaf of bread, a block of good cheese, some grapes, and a good wine or beer. If the indivual foods are of good quality, it's the presentation that counts.

Oh yeah, also go out to a good bakery and buy several really sinful pastries. She'll love it. Pasty and champagne, by the way, is one of the world's great food/drink combos for lovers. Makes you happy and silly and sweet.

castex

Get a set. Am I too late? Get the full picnic set with crockery, glasses, everything in the wicker basket as mentioned by Bernadette. Also, get one of those disposable barbecues where you just light a corner and it's off. Cook marinated kebabs of lamb or king prawn. Wine. Chablis, you choose.
Midnight swimming's always good. What fun!

dimbulb

how about some sushi.
If its hot out, you might want to skip the raw foods. Plenty of fully cooked sushi out there. Its finger food. It's bite sized. mmmmm....

Fruits are good. Wine is good.

I like the idea of wine, cheese and crackers though. Make sure the cheese matches the wine. =) google it or something...