I live by a beautiful white sand beach on the shore of Green Bay in my hometown of Sister Bay, Wisconsin. Behind the beach is a grassy park and bandstand, which hosts bands from around the country as well as Friday night outdoor movies.
People bring their folding chairs and blankets to the park to enjoy the outdoor entertainment. There are several restaurants and pizza places nearby where you can get food to go. It’s also fun to bring your own picnic basket full of summertime treats.
I found a vintage picnic basket in my friend Kris’ shop in Wauwatosa near Milwaukee and immediately knew I wanted to fill it up with summer picnic food.
My menu includes the best submarine sandwich you’ll ever eat, fresh veggie sticks, fruit salad, a cool avocado bean salad, my Original Almond Cake, and homemade lemonade. Now that’s the way to enjoy a picnic!
Best Submarine Sandwich Ever
Sourdough bread
Sliced turkey
Cheddar cheese
Watercress
Mayonnaise
Butter
Pesto
Assemble the ingredients between two slices of sourdough bread. Cut the sandwich in half and wrap it in wax paper. Tie it with a string to hold the sandwich together.
P.S. Adding thin sliced salami is also great.
Avocado Bean Salad
Black beans, drained
Frozen corn, thawed and drained
Red onion, chopped fine
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Avocado, sliced in wedges
Snow peas
Chopped parsley
Toss all the ingredients together gently. Dress the salad with olive oil and
fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
Mango Blueberry Fruit Salad
Mangoes, cut into small cubes
Fresh blueberries
Toss together and dress with fresh lime juice and a touch of brown sugar.
Veggie Sticks
Baby cucumber
Baby carrots
Crisp peas
Pipka’s Almond Cake
Find the recipe here: https://www.pipkas.com/shop
The secret to enjoying a picnic: keep everything SIMPLE and TASTY.
Go ahead and substitute store bought lemonade and cookies, or cake. But simple homemade salads are delicious and assembling your own fresh sub sandwich means you can customize it to your own taste with whatever you have on hand.
HAVE A FUN PICNIC!

Best Submarine Sandwich Ever
Ingredients
- Sourdough bread
- Sliced turkey
- Cheddar cheese
- Watercress
- Mayonnaise
- Butter
- Pesto
Instructions
- Assemble the ingredients between two slices of sourdough bread. Cut the sandwich in half and wrap it in wax paper. Tie it with a string to hold the sandwich together.
- P.S. Adding thin sliced salami is also great.

Avocado Bean Salad
Ingredients
- Black beans, drained
- Frozen corn, thawed and drained
- Red onion, chopped fine
- Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Avocado, sliced in wedges
- Snow peas
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- Toss all the ingredients together gently. Dress the salad with olive oil and
- fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Mango Blueberry Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- Mangoes, cut into small cubes
- Fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Toss together and dress with fresh lime juice and a touch of brown sugar.