Picnic Time: Simple Alfresco Meals and Menus

Discover 75 shareable recipes plus seasonal menus for al fresco gatherings that celebrate the simple pleasures of slowing down, connecting with nature, and nurturing each other.

Award-winning cookbook author Klancy Miller started The Picnic Project—a series of intimate outdoor gatherings in New York and London—to reconnect with friends, celebrate seasonal meals, and embrace the simple pleasure of being present. Inspired by these memorable meals, this beautiful cookbook invites you to pick a shady spot, lay down your blanket, and gather your loved ones for a picnic, too.

Inside, you’ll find flavorful portable dishes that travel well and are made for sharing. Enjoy peak produce with smoky Grilled Corn and Zucchini Salad and sweet and salty Feta and Watermelon Salad and vibrant spreads like Berbere Beet Spread best served with a baguette or crudité. Satisfy your thirst with refreshing batched cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages like Mango-Rum Slushies or Sparking Iced Yuzu-Green Tea. Pack satisfying mains like Lemon Poached Salmon or Ham and Scarmoza Sandwiches with tangy Dijon mustard that taste just as good at room temperature. Finish with irresistible treats like rich Brownies made extra chocolatey with instant espresso or Almond Cake with dollops of whipped cream topped with strawberries.

More than a collection of recipes, this outdoor entertaining handbook is packed with Klancy’s make-ahead strategies, pro cooler-packing tips, custom menus, and tons of inspirations for get-togethers, large and small. Whether your planning a park picnic, a beach day, or garden gathering, these recipes will help bring everyone together.