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A picnic or holiday table adorned with decorative
vegetables is pleasing to the eye as well as
appetizing! Making fresh vegetables look like the
pros do does not have to be difficult. Here are
some ideas to get you started:
Cucumbers
Cut off both ends of a cucumber. With a potato
peeler, peel one strip all the way down the
cucumber Move over about the width of the strip you
just peeled and leave the skin in tact. Then peel
again, then leave the skin again, causing a
striping effect all the way down the cucumber.
Slice cucumber into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
Cored Cucumbers
Cut off both ends of a cucumber. With a potato
peeler, peel entire cucumber. Slice in half
lengthwise. Gently scoop out the seeds of the
cucumber by loosening with a knife and removing
with a spoon. Slice into 1/4 inch thick slices,
creating half moons. You can also create slices
similar to donut holes by cutting the ends off,
peeling, then cutting in half, but not lengthwise.
Then carefully remove the pulp with a knife.
Slice as above.
Crinkle Carrots
Peel carrots, cut off ends and cut in half length
wise. Use a potato crinkler (a tool for making
crinkle fries) to create these attractive
vegetables (pictured).
Julienne Carrots
Peel carrots, cut off ends. Slice carrots into thin
strips, about 1/4" thick.
Zucchini Hearts
Cut off ends of a zucchini and slice into rings.
Using a small heart shaped cookie cutter or a sharp
knife, cut rings into heart shapes.
Radish Flowers
Cut vertically almost through 4 times, put in iced
water 30 mins.
Other Vegetables
Celery looks wonderful if you don't cut off the
leafy ends. Scallions (green onions) and sliced
bell peppers look beautiful all on their own and
require no further decorations. Cherry tomatoes are
also lovely, but you may slice them in half if you
like, gently empty them and fill with tuna fish.
Broccoli and cauliflower spears need no dressing
up, and let's not forget sliced boiled eggs.
Veggie Holders
Yellow, red and/or green peppers make a great
accent to your picnic table. Simply cut open the
top and clean out the seeds. Fill with sliced
peppers of another color, celery or carrot spears
or bread sticks. The possibilities are endless!
About the Author:
Amanda Formaro is the entrepreneurial mother of
four, and webmom to FamilyCorner.com Magazine at
http://familycorner.com
Create My Own Soup
Children's meals have to be easy, delicious and nutritious. Getting kids to eat vegetables is a major task.
Finding a way to get vegetables into the mouths of kids is easy if they are part of the fun. Creating ways to
get kids to help with the preparation and the cooking of kids' recipes is part of the fun.