For the latest of housemate birthdays, our apartment took the party outside for a backyard picnic. After finding myself deep down a luxury picnic TikTok rabbit hole, I knew that I wanted to go all out for this party.
I knew I wanted to include some kind of floral backdrop, so I ordered 3 sets of fake wisteria off of Amazon and draped it around our projection screen frame. This proved to be a very quick and impactful backdrop for our picnic set up.
To further set the scene, I covered our outdoor pallet couch with blankets. I chose blankets that had a bit of pattern and color to give it a true picnic feel. For the table, I used one of our extra wooden pallets and covered it with a neutral blanket. Once the food was ready and placed on the table, we added extra wisteria garlands throughout the spread to tie everything back to our backdrop.
For the drinks, I chose bottled coca colas and beers to give the set up a nostalgic feel. We kept the drinks together in one of our woven blanket baskets which we displayed on the table. To give additional height variation to our table, I also pulled out our beverage dispenser and made Orange Basil Turmeric infused water. I really loved what the pop of color the oranges provided (and the water didn't taste half bad either!).
For the food, I really focused on savory finger foods that would be easy for people to grab and snack on. Here are some of my favorites that we made:
Herb and Cheese "Carrot" Croissant
I found this recipe on Pinterest and they were too cute not to make! Once you figure out how to wrap the croissants around aluminum foil cones to create the carrot like shape, they are pretty easy to put together. Find the recipe on Pillsbury's website here.
Teeny Weenies
Another Pillsbury classic and a great grab and go picnic food is pigs in a blanket. These were such a hit! Cover the croissants with a little bit of garlic salt and cheese and you can't go wrong! Find the recipe on Pillsbury's website here.
Pear, Goat Cheese, Walnut, and Balsamic Pizza
I love making pizzas at home. For this party I used premade dough from Trader Joes. I sprinkled on crumbled goat cheese, sliced pear, walnuts (and prosciutto for the meat lovers) on the rolled out and floured dough. Before putting it in the oven I topping it off with balsamic vinegar and a little bit of honey. Bake the pizza for 10min at 500*F.
BBQ Sauce, Caramelized Onions and Brie Pizza
I wanted to offer two variations of pizza, so for my second one I turned to Head County for inspiration. Again I used premade dough for this recipe. Instead of marinara, I used chipotle BBQ sauce as my base. For the toppings I caramelized onions with a little olive oil, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, cooking until brown, and then added those to the pizza with sliced tomatoes, stripes of brie and a little bit of shredded Parmesan. Bake for 10min at 500*F.
Mason Jar Crudités
This was another Pinterest idea that I saw. To create these mason jar crudités, place a hearty amount of ranch at the bottom of a mason jar and then fill the jar with thick slices of carrot and celery. This was a welcome break from all of the croissants and pizzas and it was a cute addition to the table.
Charcuterie Board
None of my parties are complete without a charcuterie board! I wanted to include more meat than I usually do to help break up all of the carbs we were serving. I paired the jerky and extra prosciutto with a couple of cheeses, almonds, dates and then big slices of oranges to tie back to the infused water we were serving.
And voilà! That was what we offered for our backyard picnic set up. I can't wait to do more, now that it's getting warmer outside.
Any ideas for our next party? Comment below.