TIPS: Romantic Picnic Basket

The RelationChef’s Tips for Creating a Romantic Picnic!

1. Choose a Meaningful Theme
For couples who have been together for awhile, use nostalgia to your benefit with themes like: “Our First Date,” “Our First Trip,” “Our Wedding Day,” “The Day I Knew I Loved You,” etc.

Make sure everything in your basket ties specifically to an event, memory, or meal from the day you are attempting to re-create. Take the time to explain to your date why each item in your basket has a special meaning to you, and make sure that the reason it has meaning to you is because it reminds you of something wonderful about your date.

For couples who are celebrating their first Valentine’s Day together and have not been a couple for too long, you might try a more playful theme…

Try something reminiscent of those cheesy high school prom or college formal themes like “A Night in Vegas” or “A Night at the Oscars.” Depending on how you feel about your relationship, you might try something a little more romantic like “The Day We Met” or “Things That Make Me Think of You.” Again, it’s important to take the time to explain each element so that your date knows you planned it out just for them. The fact that you took the time to think of each detail – no matter how “cheesy” it might seem – means a lot.

2. Make the Picnic Basket Unquestionably “YOU”
This is a scary one, I know. It’s scary because first you have to understand what makes you, “YOU.” But don’t over think it. Odds are that just by virtue of being you, you’ll make it unquestionably “YOU.” The goal here is for your date to look back on this Valentine’s Day and say to themselves, “That was so him/her.”

What do I mean by that? Well, maybe you’re a klutz in the kitchen so you buy a bag of fast food and put it in a picnic basket because it’s the best you can do. Or maybe you’re a mechanic and all you’ve got around to use as a “picnic basket” is a tool box you empty out. Whatever it is that you do, there’s something unmistakably “you” about the whole experience that is endearing, and it makes for a memorable evening.

3. Pack an Element of Surprise
Whether the picnic itself is a surprise, or whether something in the basket is a surprise, I think that romantic picnic baskets and surprises go hand-in-hand, especially when the surprise shows that there was thought put in to what would truly make your date happy.

Maybe it’s flowers, maybe it’s an engagement ring, or maybe it’s simply a note that says, “My dear, when we get home, you’ll see I finally fixed that leaky faucet you’ve been asking me to fix for weeks. I’m sorry I didn’t get to it sooner.” Put in an element of the unexpected that shows you care.

4. Showcase your Skills with Some on-site Preparation
One of my absolute favorite things to do is to bake crème brulee custards, pack those custards along with a small re-sealable bag of sugar and a blow torch, and carmelize the sugar right in front of my date. It’s never failed to impress.

Now, if you’re not confident in your ability to make crème brulee, or if that’s just not your style, do something as simple as tossing a salad in-person. (NOTE: If you’re serving a green salad, you need to toss it when you get there anyway, or you’ll have a wilted, soggy salad). Besides showcasing your cooking talent, there’s something about the act of cooking in front of your date that says, “I love you.” Perhaps it’s because you’re actively serving your date and accommodating his or her needs.

5. A Handwritten Note Makes for a Great Keepsake
Just trust me when I say that there is power in the handwritten word. If you don’t already write love notes to your date, a Valentine’s Day picnic is a great time to start. Buy some nice stationary and a pen that writes well on that stationary. Then write whatever comes to your mind. The more personal the words you write, and the more they reflect the core of who you are, the better. Don’t force some special sign off or signature that forms a special connection between you and your date – let that come with time.

If nothing else, your date will treasure the note and the memory of the picnic you made for years to come.

6. Don’t Forget to Think About Food Safety!
If you’re going to venture beyond a sandwich, please think about food safety. Ending the night in the hospital, hooked up to an IV because of food poisoning is definitely not a romantic way to end your evening.

Keep in mind that a lot of food items should only be in the “danger zone” (40⁰F – 140⁰F) for no more than 4 hours. For example, if you’re going to pack sushi (of the raw fish variety), find a way to pack it on ice, even if that means that you can’t use an actual picnic basket. For food safety reasons, I wouldn’t recommend hot foods because it’s hard to keep them hot enough for an extended period of time. If you do decide to pack a hot meal, make sure you have a way to keep it above 140⁰F.

7. Music Sets the Mood
This may seem a bit awkward, because I think that part of going on a picnic is precisely to get away from all the electronic distractions that we have at our disposal these days. That said, if you have a song that you and your date would call “your song” or otherwise has some special meaning, bring the song along with you, and play it either on the way to your picnic, or at some point during the picnic. Don’t play music the whole time though… just enough to set the mood, then take in the sounds of whatever spot you choose for your picnic.

8. GOOD LUCK!!

Email me your romantic picnic stories at stories@therelationchef.com – I’d love to hear from you!

One Response to “TIPS: Romantic Picnic Basket”

1. Jill says:

   02/05/2010 at 2:14 pm

   So if my husband and I follow your tips, are we guaranteed to win your competition on Valentine’s Day?