We’re planning a getaway weekend for the two of us, to celebrate my graduation from community college. The bed and breakfast serves a full breakfast and we’ll probably want to go out for dinner on Saturday night, but I thought it might be nice to have some snacky, treaty type things for evening or in-between. There is a whirlpool in the room, where we’ll be spending some time, and the place is in the area of the National Forest, so there are nice walks around and wooded areas to wander in. All of which is to say, we might be doing some snuggling and movie watching, rather than anything like antique shopping, which might have been on the agenda, but isn’t.
So I’m looking for something that we can take along, that will keep, that is fairly portable, not difficult to deal with, but might go along with the, hopefully, romantic mood. I’m willing to do some prep work before we go, but I will be traveling to St. Louis to get to where he is, before we do the weekend together. Which means I either do it here and take it with, or I do it in the very limited kitchen he has down there.
So, throw some ideas at me. Oh, and while I’m thinking about it, he’s not a big wine drinker and I’m totally uneducated in that area, so we’re more likely to do something like pop or juice, unless somebody has a better idea.
If you want to try some wine in the evenings, buy those adorable little bottles the liquor stores sell in four-packs. That way, if you don’t like it, you can always give the others to someone who does like it.
If you want something for the evening that needs refrigeration, or at least keeping cool, ask the B&B owners. IME, they are very accommodating about these things. If your room is air-conditioned, though, you could keep some good-quality chocolates and/or fresh fruit in there.
For walking around during the day, consider investing in one of those little hand-held coolers. Freeze small bottles of juice/water, and put a couple in the cooler with some fruit and something protein-y, like string cheese, pre-cubed cheese, beef sticks, etc. As the drink thaws, it will keep the other stuff cold, and when it’s all thawed, you can drink it.
Home-baked or high-quality cookies and brownies are always good, too!
If you’re looking for something more “real-food” like for lunch, peanut butter on whole grain crackers is a good choice. Won’t spoil easily, will transport well, and is well-balanced nutritionally.
I like seedless grapes. Rinse off well, pick off and discard any spoiled grapes, then keep them chilled. They’re juicy enough that you don’t need much liquid, and you only have to dispose of the stems. If you get the kind with seeds, well, you do need to dispose of the seeds, or else swallow them. Cheese goes very well with grapes. Larger fruits are also good, but you might need a knife to cut them.
Berries are nice, too, and in a lot of places, coming into season. They are also small (as a rule) and easy to eat. The seeds are edible. With strawberries, you just have to worry about the leaves.
Frankly, stuff like that, I have no compunction about tossing on the ground. Either a wild animal will eat it, or it will simply decompose along with all the other stray vegetation down there.
Will you be anywhere near Augusta or Defiance (just outside of St. Louis)? If so, there are six or so wineries out there that sell some pretty decent wines. I’d go with devilsknew’s food picks and some wine from the wineries. As a bonus, several have live music.
