on location: the rose garden - picnic prep

We decided to take an afternoon trip to the rose garden; food and drink were obvious necessities. After a quick trip to the farmers market - see upcoming farm fresh feature post - and with a chilled Vermont craft beer in hand, we set out to make some delicious appetizers. A great way to spend the day. Enjoy!

Italian Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (cooked) cannellini beans (follow below directions if starting with dry beans)
• Olive oil 
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Italian blended dry spices
• Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Prepare beans as instructed on package. Once beans are cooked, place garlic, cooked beans, and olive oil into the chopper or blender. Pulse into smooth and combined. Depending on the size of your blender, this may take multiple batches. (my mini chopper made it a bit taxing.) Add sea salt, ground pepper, and Italian blended herbs to taste.

Pesto Orzo Salad with Chicken and Tomatoes

Serves a small army.

Ingredients

• 1 lb box of orzo or Israeli coucous
• 6 oz. of homemade or store prepared pesto
• Grilled chicken, cubed into 1 in. pieces
• Halved grape tomatoes
• 1/2 minced red onion
• Juice of one lemon
• Shredded parmesan cheese
• Italian flat leaf parsley
• Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Prepare orzo or Israeli couscous as directed on package. Drain the cooking water, and place orzo or couscous in a mixing bowl. While warm, pour desired amount of pesto onto warm orzo or couscous. Toss to coat. Add grilled chicken, shredded parmesan, grape tomatoes, minced red onion, and lemon juice. Toss to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with Italian flat leaf parsley and shredded parmesan cheese on top of salad. Serve warm or room temperature.

Watermelon-Mozzarella Skewers

 Ingredients

• Fresh watermelon, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
• Mini mozzarella balls
• Organic basil
• Aged balsamic vingear
• Skewers

Add a watermelon piece, mozzarella ball, and one basil leaf to each skewer. Prepare as many skewers as you care for. Once the skewers are complete, sprinkle sea salt, and drizzle a high quality aged balsamic vinegar over the skewers. Tip: This is also delicious mixed together and served over arugula for a summer salad.


Once prepared, we packed up our prepared treats, bocce balls, and chilled wine, and we headed off to Elizabeth Park. One thing that we did forget was our blanket. You will have to read the next post to see how we improvised (and how we made "friends" with squirrels).