Ahh, Summer. It’s Portland’s secret weapon to make it through the rainy season. We can tolerate the gray only because we know from June through September we’ll all be living in paradise. Drew’s not immune to this perfection, and it’s showing in his recipe selection this month. Instead of just one recipe (delicious as it might be) he’s got a full menu for you… a menu for a perfect picnic. But that’s not all! We loaned Drew the Your Car Matters research staff to put together a range of perfect picnic spots all over the City. So run out to BiMart for a portable grill, small cooler, and big blanket, pick your perfect picnic spot, and load up with this Perfect Picnic Menu for your Perfect Picnic evening. Enjoy!

Drew’s Personal Picnic Burgers

Ingredients:

½ pound 80% Lean hamburger or turkey burger
¼ cup chopped red onions
½ cup chopped mushrooms
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese cheese
3 Tbsp Yoshida’s Marinade or Favorite Liquid Marinade
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in the hamburger in a bowl
Make 2 thick patties
Place on grill. Cook 4-5 minutes per side

Dilled Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 pint sour cream
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp pepper
4 tsp chopped fresh dill weed

Preparation:

Place cucumber and red onion in shallow bowl. In another bowl, stir together vinegar, sour cream, vegetable oil, seasoned salt, sugar and pepper, stirring until all of the sugar dissolves. Pour over cucumbers and onions; stir in dill weed and toss gently. Let sit at room temperature for an hour.

Roasted Potato Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups quartered unpeeled small red potatoes
1 cup Miracle Whip dressing
4 slices bacon, chopped, crisply cooked
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
¼ cup sliced green onions
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 425°
Place potatoes on a 15x10x1 inch baking pan sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and golden brown, stirring once.
Mix dressing, bacon, eggs, onions, salt and pepper in large bowl.
Add potatoes; mix lightly. Serve warm or chilled.
Makes 6 servings.