Forever Nigella: Picnic Pleasure

When I saw the theme for this month’s Forever Nigella, (host by Fuss Free Flavours), was picnic food, I was excited.  Picnics are so much fun!  Sophie really loves them too.  One time we went to the zoo, but I think Sophie was more excited about the picnic we had afterward than seeing all the animals.  Last week we were out running errands and needed a bite to eat.  We went through a drive-thru and took our food to the nearby Chickamauga Battlefield Park.  There was no playground, just a shady spot with a picnic table.  Fortunately, we had a blanket in the car to spread over the table.  We sat there and had a little impromptu picnic.  It was peaceful and we were spending time together as a family.   

I think a picnic calls for simplicity.  It’s not something you should be fretting over.  It doesn’t need to be an elaborate affair.  It wouldn’t be enjoyable if you had a lot to do in order to relax.  That being said, picnic food should be easy and quick to make.  It should also be able to stand up to travel and warm temperatures.  While looking through Nigella’s recipes, I found something that would be perfect to take on a picnic.  Marshmallow Crispy Squares (or Rice Krispy Treats as they are popularly called).  They are so easy, tasty and it just so happens that I was already planning on making some for Liam’s birthday.

Now I know that this recipe is not new to most people.  But that’s Nigella for you.  She’s just as eager to share something ordinary and comforting as she is the exotic.  There isn’t much you can do to change the basic recipe for these treats. It uses just 3 ingredients after all.  But Nigella offers a lovely way of displaying these squares by creating a gleaming mountain of candle studded squares.

(Source)

Her other idea, the one I used, was to cut these into tiny squares, perfect for a party too.

I sprinkled the pan with sparkling blue sugar crystals while it was still warm.  I loved the look of them piled high upon a cake stand. 

I dipped some of them in vanilla almond bark and sprinkled the sugar over the top.  It gave a different flavor and texture to the treats. 

You can find Nigella’s recipe here:

MARSHMALLOW CRISPY SQUARES

For those who need a translation, in this case:

45g would equal about 3 tbsps.

300g would equal about 10.5 oz.

180g would equal about 6 cups

Now go have a picnic!

Are you interested in participating in Forever Nigella?  Here are the rules:

Forever Nigella #8
Challenge: To prepare and blog any Nigella recipe that is suitable to take on a picnic.  Proper picnic food please.
Deadline: Sunday 28th August, midnight wherever you are.
Round up: By the next weekend.

There are:

• No rules about how often you must take part
• No rules about stuff being secret until certain dates
• No rules that everyone cook exactly the same thing
• No rules about not being able to submit to any other blog events – just check it doesn’t contravene the other guys’ rules

But there are 3 rules:
1. Blog your entry by the deadline including:
a) the current Forever Nigella badge
b) a link to this page
c) a link to the official Forever Nigella page at Maison Cupcake: http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/forever-nigella

2. So not to breach Nigella’s copyright you must NOT reproduce recipes verbatim as shown in her books. If using an original Nigella recipe, tell us which book it is from and/or where we find it online (see most likely sites below). If you’ve adapted the recipe in some way i.e. changed at least two ingredients or amended the method then it’s ok to publish the a recipe in your post but you MUST write the directions in your own words.

3. Tell us about your post by emailing me “helen AT fussfreeflavours DOT com”  and c.c. to “sarah AT maisoncupcake DOT com” with:
a) your name
b) URL of your post
c) a photo no more than 300 pixels wide.

Don’t forget to tweet your post with the hashtag #forevernigella – I will retweet all those I see!

N.B. Your entry must have been published since the announcement post. You may only submit something from your archives if you republish it as a new post.