Simple food and a stylish setup are marks of a successful picnic. RELATED STORIES Take a Family Picnic

There’s nothing quite like packing up a meal and heading out into the great outdoors to enjoy it with friends or loved ones. The sunshine, breeze and cool grass just seem to make food taste better and add fun and adventure to what could be just another lunch or dinner. If you love picnics but are worried about the hassles involved, follow some tips from an expert who knows how to keep things stylish yet simple.

Claudia Coenen has owned Claudia’s Kitchen, an upstate New York catering business, for six years. One of her favorite family activities is "going out to dinner" with a picnic basket in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley. Here she shares ideas for having a fun and hassle-free picnic of your own:

• Tablecloths. Coenen always brings two tablecloths to a picnic. The big one is to spread out on the grass for everyone to sit on, and the smaller one goes in the middle to serve as a table. She finds this setup is practical and also looks very nice.

• Plates and utensils. Old-fashioned picnic baskets are also a nice touch, as are real metal utensils and cloth napkins. To eliminate the worst of the cleanup, you can use disposable plates, but Coenen prefers sturdy plastic to paper ones.

• Keep it cool. Another handy trick is to freeze juice boxes and bottled water the night before your picnic. When you pack your cooler or basket, the frozen beverages will keep food cool, and by the time you spread out your blanket, they will probably be ready to drink.

• Simple food. When planning your menu, think about portability and convenience. Coenen recommends fried chicken as a main dish, and bar cookies or cupcakes for dessert.

• Fun ideas. Eating outside can add an extra bit of fun to a family meal, and to make things even more special, bring along little things to complete the feeling of adventure. Candles can add light as the sun goes down, and binoculars are great for bird watching and checking out the clouds or the sunset.

Picnic Ideas for Families on the Move
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