New Years Day Picnic 2011

Ok So i always take a chocolate cake with me on any picnic, well a chocolate cake or a batch of brownies maybe a slice, no actually im lying i would never make a slice instead of a chocolate cake. I would make it as well as a chocolate cake!! So this would be the first thing i do, make up a chocolate cake batter and put it in the oven right away (the oven would be pre heated i turn it on before i start mixing batter) I have a multitude of chocolate cake recipes. And i use different ones for different reasons. This time i used my Perfectly chocolate choc cake recipe, its quick to whip up, everything goes into one bowl, and i didnt have much butter, this recipe calls for oil. If your wondering why my cake is on a cooling rack on a chair outside? well its because i need it to cool down, hey if it was good enough for women in the "old day" to cool their food on a ledge outside their kitchen windows....its good enogh for my cake to be on a chair outside my kitchen door!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the cake is cooking i wash out my bowl and make up a mix of cookies. Today i choose peanut butter cookies, for two reasons. 1- Dean was given a few packets of kisses from work for Christmas and i love putting them on these cookies and have been wanting to since he got them. and 2- this recipe calls for only 1/2 cup of white sugar and the rest brown. After my cake i only had just! 1/2 cup white sugar. Note to self buy some more sugar women! So there you go i call these nut kisses hehehe cute hey? but when i don't have kisses i break up squares of Cadbury and push those into the middle. There is a tray like that in the back there as i ran out of kisses. Any cookie will do, cookies are an essential picnic food as you can take one shove it in your mouth and run away and do stuff!

 While the cookies and cake are either cooking or cooling i make up some sandwiches. I could have choosen to do egg sandwiches as i left 3 dozen in the fridge before i left for holidays but i also had 2 bags of carrots , why so many carrotts? who knows! so with the $20 bucks i had left from holidays i went to the shop and bought a kilo of cheese for $8, some fresh rolls for $4, $5 of Deli ham and $3 went to fruit. There are just some things that are worth there wieght in gold and cheese is one of them. I learnt this little trick from the mother of the two kids i have staying with me. 

Grate some cheese

Grate some carrot 

add some mayo

mix mix mix and then add it to any lunch meat you choose, its quick and the kids love it! i choose fresh lunch rolls and ham today

Pigs in a blanket anyone? These were the last to go in the oven. I raided my freezer and found some little hot dog sausages and two sheets of short crust pastry. Cut the pastry into 12 pieces and wrap 1 sausage in each piece of pastry. Bake in the oven you haven't turned off yet from the cookies. Let these cook till their brown. Put them in a container after they have cooled for a minute or two. They will be nice and warm still when you eat them!. I also throw in the cooler a little tub of Tomato sauce for dipping, heaven help me if i forgot that!!

The cake is finally cool and is the last thing i do before leaving. Actually it was because i wanted the cake to be nice and cool and i was waiting for the pigs in a blanket to cool off for a minute.

I also took along a couple of bags of chips. I already had these and anyone who knows us knows these are always an abundance in our house! (not that we are unhealthy or anything its just we always have them)