Picnic Prep!

Picnics are the best and picnics at Wolftrap are even better! We went to an Al Green concert Friday night and I spent the afternoon preparing some goodies for the four of us...

Lesson #1: Make crap that looks and tastes fancy, but isn't. 

(Because this is Wolftrap, not a tailgate at FedEx Field.)

Buy frozen puff pastry sheets, cut into three, schmear some goat cheese on top, veggies of your choice, olive oil, salt and pepper, egg wash the edges, then pop it in a 350-degree oven for thirty minutes. 

Cool them, cut them and they're ready to go!

These would be a great and simple addition to a nice brunch as well.

Lesson #2: A proper dress makes ALL the difference.

Wrapping an ordinary sandwich with some parchment paper and a simple piece of raffia just amps up the class tenfold. 

You know, one most constantly consider, "What would Ina do...?"

(The parchment paper also helps keep the sandwich together while you're consuming it, so it's utilitarian too.)

There is also no wrong way to assemble a sandwich. But here's how I do it...

I cut open a gorgeous ciabatta baguette (the big crumb really helps to soak in any spread you put on top of it), slather on some pesto, then layer it up with some arugula, tomatoes, and a sprinkle of black pepper.

Now that we've built a solid bed of vegetables, it's time to layer on all of the pig product... I chose the winning combination of Genoa Salami, hot ham, and capicola.

Finally, the crucial cheese layer... I chose provolone, since this sandwich seemed to be paying homage to my Italian roots.

Cut it and pack it up!

I. LOVE. SANDWICHES.