Basics

You Will Want to Make This Easy Picnic for Your Next Outing

It’s a perfect summer menu for two

Mark Bittman
Heated
Published in
6 min readJun 30, 2020

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Chicken legs cooking on a grill.
Photo: Shaiith/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Over on my newsletter today, there’s a shoutout to the shrimp boil I featured on Heated for this year’s July 4. (Hopefully, we’re not convening huge groups of people; maybe it feels weird to celebrate; maybe we just haven’t had the time or the energy to plan something SO FESTIVE.) It’s a super casual, low-key dinner that, if you haven’t done one at home before, may become part of your summer repertoire. Shrimp boils with fresh, in-season shrimp from say, North Carolina, are fantastic.

This picnic for two is another option for the weekend, and, for that matter, any other outdoor meal for the season’s outings. All you need for a good picnic is a cooler. If you’re not going far, you don’t even need that. I like to keep it casual, but nice, so bring real plates, glasses, forks, napkins, and a tablecloth or blanket for the table or ground.

Serve the grilled chicken cold, naturally, and choose a version of potato salad—between…

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Mark Bittman
Mark Bittman

Written by Mark Bittman

Has published 30 books, including How to Cook Everything and VB6: The Case for Part-Time Veganism. Newsletter at markbittman.com.