Sunday Drives and an Autumn Tailgate Lunch

"Let's go for a Sunday drive," were words often said by my dad when I was growing up, but are seldom said in our own family. But a couple times a year, we opt out of our usual, restful Sunday afternoons in favor of a drive, and we never regret it. It's especially welcome when we've all been super busy, working long hours, and we've passed each other by all week without any meaningful togetherness. (This happens when you're all adults in the household.) It's an opportunity to reconnect as the road stretches before us and conversation, the scenery, some good food, and time together become the priorities for the afternoon. At the end of September, we packed provisions to tailgate and headed north to drive the scenic Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

We drove for many miles along this famous highway (pronounced like: kank-uh-maw-gus), stopping at several scenic overlooks to take in the views. The surrounding mountains were just beginning to sport their autumn foliage -- this was late September and peak foliage was probably two weeks in the future. We breathed in the fresh air and squinted into the blinding sunlight to point out distant peaks. We studied maps, noted interesting berries, admired the way the light illumined the drying grasses, and chatted with a man who was launching a drone. We read historic markers, watched the autumn leaves fall, crossed a covered bridge, and teetered our way, rock by rock, through a stream.

All the fresh air and exercise gave us quite an appetite, and we were glad we'd planned to tailgate. We parked at the entrance to a fire road and set out our lunch -- just the three of us, surrounded by falling leaves, and tasty food.

Provisions for an Autumn Tailgate Party

assorted cheeses

assorted crackers

Italian breadsticks

ciabatta loaf and good butter

apples

salami

Effervé Pear Sparkling Lemonade

homemade apple crisp and Easy Apple Cider Caramel Sauce (recipe here)

Keeping with the same, no fuss, keep-it-simple plan I have for picnics, everything was store bought. I made a small amount of effort the day before in making the dessert. But really, I like to keep it simple on me, because if it becomes too much work to prepare, we won't tend to prioritize times like this, and they're just too valuable for family togetherness to skip. Plain and simple.

I'd love to hear what your favorite tailgating foods are? Do you tailgate just for sporting events, or just because? Do you have any great tailgaiting memories? Join the conversation by telling your story in the comments below! I'd love to hear!

Breakfast Picnic

A breakfast picnic is a novel idea. But a mountaintop breakfast picnic with a view that stretches for miles is even more enticing. Recently, I planned one for Dave and I, just the two of us, on the summit of Miller State Park, the oldest state park in New Hampshire and one whose summit can be reached via an auto road. I experimented with an easy frittata recipe, and we packed it (warm from the oven) and other tasty breakfast foods along to the top of the mountain. 

We took the narrow, winding road to the summit, where we parked the car and walked a very short distance (maybe .10-mile) down a shaded trail to an overlook with a picnic table and the most majestic view of the tree-carpeted countryside and Boston's skyscrapers at the furthest point on the horizon. The sun was warm, but the morning, mountain air was fresh and invigorating, and we were a bit thrilled to have the whole mountaintop area mostly to ourselves for our whole picnic.

In order to keep planning and packing for our breakfast picnic simple, I stuck with my plan (see previous post here) of a menu that was: foraged from the refrigerator, bought at a bakery, and one item that took a little effort.

strawberries and raspberries

assorted baked goods from a local bakery

Easy Breakfast Frittata

mimosas

Although I make quiche frequently, I had actually never made a frittata. It's an Italian egg dish which is really a crustless quiche. Eliminating the crust saves so much time and effort. This one, made in an 8-in. cast iron skillet, will serve 2-4 people and is the ideal, transportable, picnic breakfast food.

Easy Breakfast Frittata

6 eggs

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

1/2 t. salt

pepper

1 1/2 c. chopped vegetables (use a mix of anything you'd like: peppers, onions, mushrooms, leeks, asparagus, etc.)

1 T. butter

1 T. flour

1 c. shredded cheese (any type you like: cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, Gouda, Swiss, etc.)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt butter in an 8-in. cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add vegetables and saute a few minutes until softened. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir for one minute to blend.

While vegetables are sauteing, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together: eggs, whipping cream, salt, and pepper. Add shredded cheese and whisk to incorporate. Pour eggs over finished vegetables, give a very brief stir to mix the vegetables into the egg, and cook until just the edges begin to firm.

Remove skillet from stove top and transfer to oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until center is almost set. It will continue to cook after it's removed from the oven due to the lingering heat in the cast iron skillet.

Transport hot skillet in a towel-lined picnic basket.

Serves 2-4.

After we had polished off half the frittata and more of the baked treats than we should have, we packed our picnic back up and returned everything to the car. Then we turned our attention to the fire tower. It is open to the public to climb, and the park ranger at the entrance had given us a map of the view. I'm always a bit thrilled with a summit map, because they're round, since you're standing at the top and everything you see is 360° around you. With it as our guide, we were able to identify several nearby peaks, as well as Mount Washington to the north, the mountains in Vermont, and Boston to the southeast.

Our breakfast picnic on the mountaintop was a refreshing break from our normal routines, and it was a good reminder to go on dates more often. We decided while we were there that we definitely need to bring friends and visiting house guests back here. I imagine the view in the autumn will be enchanting!

Useful Links and Info:

Miller State Park 

     - entrance fee per person

     - hiking trails

     - bathrooms at the summit

     - fire tower could be easily climbed by people of most ages, but stairs are steep and treads are narrow

Pack:

- tablecloth and napkins

- plates and glassware

- silverware, knife, and a pie server (for the frittata)

- bug spray

- sunscreen 

- binoculars

Mountaintop Picnic

My short summer bucket list included "picnic on mountaintops". Picnics are always fun, but if you can picnic with a view, they become a mini-vacation -- a sort of removing oneself from the world for a bit -- but with tasty food! One lazy, Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago, we packed a picnic and headed to our mountaintop destination, nearly 3,000-ft. above sea level, to the summit of Mount Sunapee, New Hampshire. I had been to the top before (click here) and was excited to show Dave and Julia this unique destination where we could picnic with a view.

Mount Sunapee, which is indeed a mountain, is also a ski resort which offers summer lift rides to the top. To be perfectly honest, heights and chair lifts are not my thing, but I knew the view from the top was worth it. And after some pleading to please lower the safety bar and some admonishments to not rock the thing, I settled in and enjoyed the ride. We could feel the temperature getting cooler as we ascended and the fresh mountain breezes rushed refreshingly over us. Negotiating the on and off of a chair lift with a large picnic basket and a smallish (but heavy) cooler was not as difficult as expected, and before we knew it we were on the top of the mountain with the world before us. What a view!

For once, I think I finally hit on the ideal sort of picnic fare -- simple, delicious, and not too much work. This meant that most of it was purchased from the market, some was foraged from our refrigerator, and an effort was made for dessert.

From the market: rotisserie chicken (sliced), salami, crackers, Brie, Fontina, crusty bread, really good butter, strawberries, plums, French soda.

From our refrigerator: homemade dill pickles (click here), leftover tomato-mozzarella salad.

Dessert: chocolate ganache tarts

We sat there, munching away, having almost the entire mountaintop to ourselves. Julia, at one point, asked, "Is this when bears smell our food and come eat us?" Happy to report that didn't happen! We brought binoculars and playing cards, but amusements paled compared to the simple enjoyment of the view. Occasionally, another group of people would wander close for a good view of the lakes and forests beyond. We'd chat for a few moments. I'd offer them some food. They'd decline and move on. They didn't know what they were missing! The view was great, but the view + picnic was sublime!

By far, my favorite memory of our mountaintop picnic was the several times Dave threw his arms wide to the breeze, smiled, shook his head, and said, "Ahhh...I LOVE this!" I think another trip here in the autumn just might be a good idea!

View on the way down.

Useful Links:

Mount Sunapee  - for year-round fun!

Metal Cooler - This is our absolute favorite cooler! It will pack food for four people tightly, or for two with ample room. All the food you see here that needed to be refrigerated was packed in it (plus room for ice). I'm also quite fond of giving it as a wedding gift!

Artisanal Cherry & Lemon French Soda - Yum!

Lakeside Picnic

Sunday, I had a surprise picnic planned! I was so excited to take hubby and Colette to this location, but...alas...it wasn't open to the public (unexpectedly) that day. So we scrambled to come up with an alternative location, and we chose the grassy beach area at Lake Sunapee. It was a very pleasing alternative!

- Picnic Menu -

cold, roasted chicken

garden picked grape tomatoes

country sourdough bread from The Forge Bakery (MA)

Jarslberg cheese

refrigerator pickles (recipe here)

Pimm's Cups (recipe here)

individual summer berries cobbler

The older I get, the less inclined I am to use paper plates, plastic or styrofoam. I want to drink from a real glass! I'm not sure why this has suddenly become important to me, but maybe it's an attitude of "life is short...use the good stuff." So, I packed dishes, and crystal glasses for the Pimm's Cups, and some of my growing collection of vintage picnic flatware. Worth every bit of time it took to pack and clean!

The mini cobblers proved to be a great little picnic dessert. Just wrap tightly in plastic wrap and transport flat to prevent spillage.

Autumn Picnic

Saturday, Colette planned a fabulous autumn picnic for our whole family!  We discovered a u-pick orchard with a picnic table, and that’s the location we settled upon.

I bought a half peck of apples from the lady who owns the orchard, and she told me that her father bought the property in 1943 from it’s original owner.  The apple varieties she sells are: Paula Red, McIntosh, Cortland, Empire, Macoun, Delicious, and Baldwin.  She custom-mixed my half-peck of apples with varieties that make a good pie.  (Just made it tonight…quite tasty!)

Just had to share a photo of the house across the street from the orchard and it’s beautiful trees!  Isn’t it gorgeous?

The picnic food was gourmet sandwiches (made to order), organic grapes, red potato salad, pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and assorted beverages.  It was served “boxed lunch”-style!

Fun family times!

Picnic Essentials

1. roomy, yet sturdy basket

2. cloth tablecloth and napkins

3. plates or trays

4. small cutting board

5. clips for weighting down the tablecloth from unexpected gusts

6. thermos

7. cups

8. vintage bakelite flatware

A small collection of red- and chestnut-handled bakelite pieces, picked up here and there from antique stores, live in our picnic basket.  Keeping the picnic basket stocked with essentials means we can be ready for a picnic in a matter of moments.