SilverSage
Resident Crone
Well, it's not exactly a picnic, but that's the closest thing I could think of to describe it.
We have a friend who moved to memory care unit in an assisted living facility last month. They have a pleasant little private dining room that family & friends can use if they want to have a family style meal with their loved one. We've reserved the room, and I'm making dinner to take to Larry. There will be 4 of us.
Here's the difficulty. All the food has to be 'picnicable'. That is, they must be able to be carried in, need no refrigeration or last minute cooking, able to be served at room temperature or at best, cooled in an ice chest. I don't own a crockpot or any other keep-warm device, so that precludes foods that need to be served hot. I'm not good at this.
The one certain is that I'm poaching a salmon and making a lemon-dill mayonnaise for it. A picnic cooler will keep it for transport, and a thermos will hold the sauce. Salmon has always been Larry's favorite - he requests it for his birthday every year, so it's a done deal.
My dilemma is in what to put with the salmon. I don't want anything mayo-based, since I have the mayo sauce for the fish. I usually love asparagus with salmon, but I don't know what to do with them cold. Would marinated artichokes & red peppers overpower the salmon? Any ideas for a rice/pasta/potato dish that is served room temp, doesn't use mayo, and wouldn't duplicate a marinated veggie? Or maybe a veg that doesn't need a marinade?
Since it's such a structured environment, there is no cocktail hour and no appetizers are necessary. Dessert's easy. Larry swoons for chocolate, so I'll just make a cake or cookies and leave the leftovers for the staff.
I'm usually not a picnic or a pot-luck kinda gal. Planning this menu is taxing my creativity. Any ideas?
We have a friend who moved to memory care unit in an assisted living facility last month. They have a pleasant little private dining room that family & friends can use if they want to have a family style meal with their loved one. We've reserved the room, and I'm making dinner to take to Larry. There will be 4 of us.
Here's the difficulty. All the food has to be 'picnicable'. That is, they must be able to be carried in, need no refrigeration or last minute cooking, able to be served at room temperature or at best, cooled in an ice chest. I don't own a crockpot or any other keep-warm device, so that precludes foods that need to be served hot. I'm not good at this.
The one certain is that I'm poaching a salmon and making a lemon-dill mayonnaise for it. A picnic cooler will keep it for transport, and a thermos will hold the sauce. Salmon has always been Larry's favorite - he requests it for his birthday every year, so it's a done deal.
My dilemma is in what to put with the salmon. I don't want anything mayo-based, since I have the mayo sauce for the fish. I usually love asparagus with salmon, but I don't know what to do with them cold. Would marinated artichokes & red peppers overpower the salmon? Any ideas for a rice/pasta/potato dish that is served room temp, doesn't use mayo, and wouldn't duplicate a marinated veggie? Or maybe a veg that doesn't need a marinade?
Since it's such a structured environment, there is no cocktail hour and no appetizers are necessary. Dessert's easy. Larry swoons for chocolate, so I'll just make a cake or cookies and leave the leftovers for the staff.
I'm usually not a picnic or a pot-luck kinda gal. Planning this menu is taxing my creativity. Any ideas?
Last edited: