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A Charming Tea Time Tailgate Picnic by Martha Strom Charm - how can charm be defined as it relates to food in a travel and environment magazine unless of course it refers to an utterly charming restaurant? Webster defines charming as fascinating or delightful (or charm, the noun, as a decorative bauble you hang from a chain). To have charm, was not defined so we can leave that to our own interpretation. Fascinating and delightful food we can do and that brings to mind afternoon tea. So "charming" food and menu ideas for our readership - much more receptive to picnics - will be for A Charming Tea Time Picnic. A search for some good picnic ideas first brought suggestions for picnic locations such as in a park - no muggers allowed, on a boat even if it doesn't leave the dock, at a botanical garden - stay away from the cactus patch, on a riverbank, at the beach or even a city picnic in the town square or by the public library - steer clear of the parking meters or you may have to feed the meter maid. Tea menus can be simple or they can be complex a la the Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C. with its wonderful tea sandwiches and its scrumptious whipped cream desserts. Our picnic sandwiches will be equally as delicious - our dessert suggestions will be much more simple. The bread you use should be firm, thin sliced bakery bread or Pepperidge Farms if there's not a bakery near by. True tea sandwiches have the crusts trimmed and are cut in small shapes but for our picnic version it will be your choice - crusts or crustless and no small shapes. If you choose to trim the crusts you can put them in a Ziploc and when you have time use your blender to make crumbs. Freeze for future recipes. So - -go for a hike in the woods, go for a sail on the lake or take a walk around the city. Get back to the car around 3 or 4 P.M. for your tea time picnic. Spread out a blanket on the grass, or a colorful cloth on a picnic table or arrange the food attractively on the tailgate of your car and enjoy the rest of a wonderful afternoon. Here are some flexible menu suggestions. You can use as many or as few as you wish.   A TEA TIME PICNIC MENU Sandwiches Sliced Chicken Breast with Brie and Mango Chutney Sliced Cucumber and Red Onion Thin Ham and Swiss Cheese Slices on Rye Curried Tuna Salad with Chopped Salted Peanuts Pimento Cheese with Chopped Green Olives and Walnuts Accompaniments Toasted Whole Almonds and Pecans Whole Baby Carrots and Bias Cut Celery Yogurt Dill Dip Sweets Small Clusters of Red and Green Seedless Grapes Variety of Bite Size Cookies Glazed Lemon Pound Cake Slices Beverages Bottled Ice Tea and Ice Coffee Chilled Pink Zinfandel Wine Chilled White Grape Juice THERE YOU HAVE IT A menu that is very civilized and quite elegant with exceptional sandwiches ENJOY! SUGGESTIONS & RECIPES Here are some suggestions for assembling this very special picnic. Use a variety of breads - white, wheat, rye, raisin, etc. Remember the butter should be soft for easy spreading. Spread thinly - use just enough to keep the sandwiches from getting soggy then add mayonnaise, mustard, chutney, etc. Sandwiches Sandwiches Sliced Chicken Breast with Mango Chutney - These sandwiches are great made with a baguette loaf or Steak Rolls. Buy a ready-roasted chicken (don't use prepackaged sliced "slippery" chicken). Slice the breast meat and use the rest of the chicken for salad, in chicken soup or creamed chicken another night. Butter the bread, spread one side with chutney (chop up larger mango pieces if necessary). Add sliced Brie and chicken slices. Cucumber-Red Onion Sandwiches - Thinly slice an English cucumber - those are the long skinny ones. They're better tasting, crisper and have smaller seeds than the ordinary cucumbers found in most markets. Thinly slice a red onion and place slices of onion and cucumber on thin sliced buttered white sandwich bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper - and fresh chopped dill if you have it. Top with another buttered slice of bread for a very simple truly delicious sandwich. Cut diagonally. Ham and Swiss on Jewish Rye - Use a good quality sliced boiled ham and Swiss cheese. Butter rye slices and spread one side with Dijon mustard. Cut diagonally. Curried Tuna Salad with Chopped Salted Peanuts - I keep my tuna salad very simple. Mix one can of well drained whole albacore tuna with enough mayonnaise to bind. Add 2 Tbs. or more finely chopped onion, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. curry powder, 1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts and a squeeze or two of lemon juice. Salt to taste after you've added the peanuts. Butter whole wheat sandwich bread and spread with tuna mixture. Top with buttered slice and cut in two. Pimento Cheese with Chopped Green Olives and Walnuts - Bind together finely grated cheddar cheese (An 8 oz. bag of Kraft Grated Cheddar works just fine) and one small (2 oz.) jar well drained pimentos, chopped with mayonnaise. Add 2 or 3 Tbs. chopped green olives and 2 or 3 Tbs. chopped walnuts. Mix together and spread on slices of white or wheat sandwich loaf. Cut sandwiches in two. This pimento cheese spread is a great favorite in the southern states and in Texas. If you're entertaining a group from the South these little sandwiches should be very popular. Accompaniments Toasted Almonds & Pecans - These can be done ahead. Put the nuts in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes with 2 Tbs. butter until slightly brown. Stir after five minutes. Drain on a paper towel and salt them. Celery & Carrots - For a picnic these are great. Baby carrots require no preparation except washing and drying. The celery stalks can simply be washed and cut on the bias for bite size eating. Yogurt Dill Dip - For the vegetables - see recipe archive Sweets Small Clusters of Red and Green Grapes - Cut bunches of grapes in small clusters with scissors. Variety of Bite Size Cookies - See "A Bite Size Cookie Buffet" in the archives and choose 2 or 3 recipes to make ahead. Glazed Lemon Pound Cake - Bake or buy a lemon pound cake. Frost with lemon glaze made with 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbs. lemon juice, grated zest from one lemon and a little water for thinning (about 1 tsp.). Poke holes in top of cake with a fork and drizzle glaze over cake before slicing. Slice and cut slices in two. Beverages These are pretty self explanatory. I have suggested bottled tea, coffee, etc., but you can obviously make you own and put them in Thermoses. Thermi. Insulated bottles. Chill the wine and grape juice ahead and put them in an ice chest. Don't forget ice! What You'll Need To Take Along Some "don't forget" suggestions for a more successful and enjoyable tea time picnic might be - depending on the weather of course: Cork screw, can opener, knife, cutting board - Portable radio or CD player - Bug repellent, citronella candles, sunscreen - Large umbrella, length of polished cotton fabric (trim the edges with pinking shears) for a table cloth - fabric with printed red geraniums or watermelons would be fun. Bunches of flowers or a clutch of balloons - a kite or a croquet set or a deck of cards - a folding table - a blanket - and anything else you might think of to make the day more spectacular. Don't forget ice! If you're having a group why not ask each one to bring a part of the menu and it will be twice as much fun with just half the responsibility. Have a Charming Tea Time Picnic and let me know how it all went. Love, Mom Martha Strom spends lots of time equating love and food. Check out the Eats archive for more edibles, practical menus for all occasions, and the occasional outrageous donut binge. If you have questions, recipes or ideas you can write to Mom@GetLostMagazine.