Hollywood Bowl Picnic - Part 2

Ah, Dave Matthews Band... you did not disappoint.  Oldies, new songs and everything in between.  We had great seats and great people sitting around us.  Couldn't have been a better night.  Unless of course, we had time to picnic before the show....

We left the house at 6:15 thinking we would arrive by 7 latest, picnic while the opening act played and have a nice food and wine buzz by the time we sat in our seats for DMB.  Traffic disagreed.  We arrived at 7:30, and had to wait in multiple lines.  First to park, then to will-call for ticket pick up.  Then we had to wait in line to enter the.  We got to our seats by 8:10 and we were on line just a few minutes later for wine.  We finally sat down and thought we would eat a little before the show started when all of the sudden we heard "Ladies and Gentlemen... Dave Matthews Band!"  So much for eating.  The wine went down like water and we were able to snack throughout but we didn't get the whole picnic experience.  Now we know leave at 3 pm to get to the Bowl.  Lesson learned.

The nice thing was that I had everything packed in ice so the food stayed cold, we had a late night snack after the show and the food lastest through the next day for lunch and dinner.

My menu:

Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich

Quinoa salad with zucchini, red onion and Dijon lemon Vinaigrette

Tomato and mozzarella salad with ciabatta slices

Melon balls

Black and White cookies

Unfortunately since I had planned on taking pics at the show while picnicking, and since it was dark while we ate, I have no pictures of any of my dishes (except for the leftover tomato/mozz salad pic below).  But you can find the recipes for Ina Garten's Chicken Club sandwich here and Martha Stewart's Black and White cookies here.

The tomato and mozzarella salad is so easy and a crowd pleaser.  Here are directions for you:

I cut a bunch of heirloom cherry tomatoes in half and mixed them with a container of mozzarella balls (also know as Ciliegine), about 1 T of good olive oil, 1/2 T of balsamic vinegar, some seat salt and pepper to taste and about 5 large basil leaves, chiffonade.  Taste and see what it needs - you may need to add more vinegar or oil or salt/pepper.  Mix well and store in the fridge until ready to eat.  Stir once more before serving.  You can use slices of  bread to sop up the yummy tomato/olive oil mixture at the bottom of the bowl.

Everything I made was easily stored in Tupperware containers in a bag with lots of ice and lasted very well.  I didn't put the sandwiches together ahead of time because I didn't want them to get soggy so I stored each ingredient in a different container.  It worked out very well.

What are some of your favorite picnic "go-to" recipes?  Feel free to share here!

Hollywood Bowl picnic...part 1

Tomorrow, I am going with my great friend, M, to see Dave Matthews Band at Hollywood Bowl.  For those of you who have been lucky enough to see a show at the Bowl, you know it's a great place to picnic prior to a show.  I thought I would come up with a great menu for the day and I'm still working out the details in my head (stayed tuned for Hollywood Bowl picnic - part 2).  In the meantime, I knew exactly what I wanted to make for dessert.... Black and White Cookies!

I have had these cookies in my head since reading a post on Unemployed Eater's blog and rather than visit the bakery he mentioned (although I will some day), I thought I'd make my own.  I've actually tried this recipe before and really like them.  They still don't compare to Country Boy Bakery's cookies, but I'd have to drive 2,800 miles to get those.  Walking into my kitchen to try one of mine is a much better commute.

This recipe is from Martha Stewart.  I think the most important hint I can give you is to take the cookies out just as the sides start to show a little color.  You want them to be soft and cake-like.

Black and White Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar; mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk.


2. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls (or use a 1/2-ounce-capacity ice-cream scoop); place them 2 inches apart on lined sheets. Bake until bottoms turn golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool.


3. Whisk confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. If necessary, add more water (icing should be a bit thicker than honey). Transfer half to a small bowl. Stir in cocoa; if necessary, thin with water. Spread white icing on half of each cookie's flat side, and cocoa icing on other half; let set 30 minutes.
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I followed the recipe verbatim... Martha says this recipe makes 4 dozen cookies. I think it might be a typo as I came out with about 2 dozen using her tablespoon measuring method.  Also, I could have used a little more icing so next time would add maybe an additional 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and add to the other ingredients as needed to the icing mixture.
 
Also, I didn't make mine "perfect" like Martha did.. I like my food to have some character. :) 
 

 
These cookies taste better after 24 hours of resting.  Of course I couldn't resist trying one just as it was iced and it was delicious.  Can't wait til tomorrow night!
 
What's your favorite picnic dessert?  Feel free to share here.
 
Chow for Now!  :)