Epicnicbasket.com Blog

It’s very possible that while you’re in college you may end up spending a summer, or longer, in a foreign country.  Europe and Japan are popular locations to visit, as is China and South America.  Wherever you go, you are sure to have an opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of your host country, sometimes on foot, by bicycle, or by train.  When you do, there’s no harm in showing off who you are and where you come from, and what school you attend, especially if you go to a school as prestigious as Stanford University.  Not many qualify for their rigorous academic standards, so both students and alumni have something to be proud of.  While people in your host country may not recognize the symbol of the Cardinals, it’s a fine reminder of home while you’re away when you take with you a Stanford University Touring Backpack.  This backpack is very functional and comes complete with a water bottle and a place to carry it, as well as various pockets, a couple of sturdy D-rings, separated interior insulated compartments to keep food and other things cool or warm as you like, and hidden interior pockets to keep valuable things such as passports and money out of sight until you need to pull them out.  NCAA backpacks help you stay true to your school, keeping you grounded before turning native, and picnic baskets help you stay organized and fed and style and comfort wherever you decide to go.

Grilling is a lot more work and effort than some might think.  It’s not just simply a matter of putting in coals or starting up the gas grill, putting on some food and just flip things over from time to time.  You quickly realize that coals have to cool down before you put anything on the grill, unless you like your food burned to a crisp.  Gas needs to warm up, but that doesn’t take too long.  And then it comes down to what it is you’re cooking.  Marinades often put a coat of sugar on the meat which can burn when exposed to direct heat, and this requires heat control.  That’s when you figure out just how to do it right, and the tricks of the trade that comes with practice, know-how, and maybe a little research.  Real grill chefs make their work a lot easier on themselves when they can keep their equipment and their food together.  The Ultimate BBQ Chef Tool Set is a good way to do so.  With tongs, grilling fork and spatula, this insulated kit also comes with its own apron and mitt, and can keep your food cool until it’s time to put it on the grill.  This set is an excellent piece of tailgating gear that can make any outdoor event easier on you to pull off and help you keep your stuff organized.  Modern picnic baskets can also make your grilling jobs at tailgating events and parties that much easier to do, and will save you time to have some fun while you’re there. 

All it takes for a good picnic is good food, good wine, and good friends to share it all with.  On those occasions when you take some time to enjoy good company you need travel out of the way to some exotic locale, as nice as that would be.  Along these lines, you don’t even have to be extravagant.  No need for caviar or Kobe beef, no need for Dom Perignon when there’s plenty of excellent wines to go around at a fraction of the expense of fine champagne.  What you need is something beyond the prosaic and common, something that sets your event above in terms of class and style that brings a sense of comfort that it would otherwise lack.  Picnic baskets don’t have to be just a white plastic cooler, and you don’t have to serve food to your guests on disposable plates with disposable cutlery.  There are magnificent picnic backpacks that you can take wherever you want whenever you want and carry whatever you want in style and class all in a nice pack that you can carry with ease.  Something like the Upscale Picnic Backpack for Four is ideal for the kind of outings you want to have with you, your spouse, and your friends.  Complete with real, washable plates, acrylic wine glasses, real cloth napkins, real metal cutlery and a cheeseboard and cheese knife, an insulated wine cooler and a enough space inside the insulated pack that you’d like to keep warm or cool as you like, this can be a beautiful foundation to work with as you make your outings something special, and something you’d all like to do more often. 

There are two great reasons to bring your own lunch to work.  One, it’s far cheaper than going out.  Two, for some people, you may not be able to go out and get your food and eat it in the half-hour many employers give you.  Even if they did give you enough time, making your own lunch is very affordable.  However, the hard fact is that a lot of us are stuck with a paper bag, maybe a few plastic containers, a can of soda, and the company refrigerator to keep things cold, sucking the flavor out of what we’ve prepared and got up just that much earlier for to make.  Fortunately we don’t have to suffer with stale food anymore.  There are plenty of good quality picnic baskets and outdoor coolers that serve quite well as lunch containers that’ll blow you away.  Once you see them, you’ll be wondering just why are you eating like a savage from day to day.  What you need is something like this Metro Lunch Cooler.  This thing is awesome.  It has plenty of space in an insulated container that has enough space to house a full course meal for yourself if you want.  Of course, that shouldn’t impress you.  What will impress you is the actual flatware in the side pocket and the salt and pepper shakers.  You could get something like this with actual plates that you can wash and reuse over and over again, making your lunch breaks downright civilized.  Couple this with a good thermos for your coffee and you’ll be good to go.  Think of this as a way to keep your morale up throughout your day.  You work too hard to have to suffer with bringing your lunch in a paper or plastic bag all the time. 

A romantic getaway for two is not very difficult to manage.  All it takes is some idea of knowing what to bring and where to go.  Unless you’re planning something spontaneous and trying to make it a surprise for someone special, you should generally know what to bring to eat for an afternoon at some remote locale or a sandy beach.  Wine shouldn’t be too difficult if you know what you both like.  You could take all of this in simple coolers if you want, and they would do the job, but the appearance of most of them are very, well, stale.  Artificial.  It’s probably not the look or the motif that you’re going for, and for a moment as special as the one you’re planning you want things to be right.  Wine picnic baskets offer the style and the utility all in one handsome package that you’d not only envision but perhaps hadn’t thought were possible.  The Barrel Riviera Edition wine basket is a beautiful picnic basket with marvelous service for two, complete with real plates, napkins, table cloth, flatware and plastic wine glasses to give your romantic picnic just the right feel and image you want.  Picnic baskets such as this offer all the utility you need with the class evocative of your favorite romantic films and novels, and give you an alternative that often beats a dinner at a restaurant and a movie at a dingy theater afterward.  What’s more, they’re so functional that you’ll find other locales to take them to as you explore the world and your lives together. 

It is going to be a hot season for the Arizona State Sun Devils, and it’s not just the roasting hot Arizona sun.  The ASU Sun Devils look terrific going into this football season even in spite of not being ranked going in.  Often such pre-season rankings don’t mean squat in college football because of the fact that new players are in the mix in a league they’ve never played in and usually the first game or so is filled with so many jittery players that performances are questionable until the rookies get comfortable sometime around the third quarter.  ASU has a good roster of QBs this year, including Senior Danny Sullivan and Sophomore Steven Threet, and with the troubles that Number 11 Ranked Oregon and 22 Ranked Oregon State this year don’t be surprised to see something interesting emerge from Coach Dennis Erickson and the Sun Devils.  To watch them play at home in Tempe, Arizona is going to require a lot of fluids to keep you and your fellow fans hydrated, so it behooves you to not only have something to keep your drinks cool but to show all the other Sun Devils and their opponents just where you stand.  The Arizona State Outdoor Backpack is perfect to bring to the game.  It’s big enough to carry enough refreshment to last the whole game and beyond and is insulated to keep them cool as they can in 120 degree F heat.  College picnic supplies are perfect gifts for students, alumni, and fans alike and picnic baskets can make any sporting event much more pleasurable affairs as they keep things cool (or warm) and organized. 

Putting on a party involves logistical planning.  You need to plan for food and beverages based on how many people you expect to attend.  You need music.  You need activities here and there.  And if you plan on serving cocktails, you’ll need a bar and a bartender; or, at least, someone who knows how to mix those drinks.  Every bartender needs his tools because everybody wants their own cocktail.  It helps to have a handy knowledge of the most common drinks and something to keep the additions such as fruit, simple syrup, ice and other things cool while you’re getting things set up for a party.  Given that you’re equipped with a good selection of the basic spirits, wine and beer, along with a place to serve from, it helps to be able to have something you can take with you wherever your services are needed from place to place.  This handy Bar Tool Set comes with the principle necessities of any good bartender; a pony-jigger device, martini strainer, ice hammer and an ice saw, and a waiter’s friend corkscrew all wrapped up in a handy plastic carrying case to keep things neat and where you know they’ll be at when you need them.  Wine accessories and picnic baskets can make any party easier to arrange and make happen with a minimum of effort, both to set up and to break down when the party, sad to say, does end.  But when it does you’ll be pleased that you did make some things easier to manage so you’ll feel more encouraged to plan for the next party. 

The summer’s drawing to a close, but it’s never too late to enjoy what’s left of the sun and heat while it lasts, nor is it too late to prepare for next spring and summer.  Consider when you and your family go on your outdoor excursions how you might be able to make things easier on yourself when you pack food and beverages.  Bringing disposable plates, cups, and cutlery might seem a convenience until it comes time to clean up, and then you have to find a trash can.  Not to say that they’re not necessary but it’s better to leave as little trash for someone else to clean up as possible.  What you need is something that comes with everything you need in one large pack, which eliminates a lot of extra things you might otherwise carry.  A picnic backpack, especially one like the Denali Picnic Backpack for 4, contains real plates, flatware, wine glasses, salt and pepper shakers, a cutting board and a lot of other things in one insulated pack that will keep your food warm and cool as you like throughout the day.  This is perfect for swanky wine tastings and picnics and serves excellently for family outings or tailgating sessions for a select group.  Get multiple ones to accommodate more people and you’ll be amazed how great these picnic baskets will save you a lot of time and effort to get things ready and going, not just with convenience but with uncommon style.  Enjoy the summer while it lasts, and get ready for next year!

Anyone who’s ever had a child knows that you can never have enough of the things necessary to keep a baby fed, clean, and comfortable.  Most new parents simply aren’t prepared mentally for the kind of job that awaits them when they take their newborn child home for the first time as parents, not unless either of them were part of large families.  You can tell by the way they’ve bought only one package of diapers, only one set of bottles, that they only have one set of wipes in the diaper bag, if they even have that.  Until the baby gets settled into a regular day and night routine the new parents will find themselves awoken at all hours of the night (and day) often not only to feed the baby but just to be around him or her when they’re up.  So new parents need all the help they can get.  When you are looking for a gift for the newborn parents, consider that flowers or some other unique gift basket with candies, snacks and chocolates might be a bit impractical, even if  you know they’d appreciate it.  What they would appreciate, sooner or later, would be something like the Baby Necessities Gift Basket – Teal.  This gift basket contains a wash cloth set, a baby blanket, a teether, a rubber duck, a baby picture frame, a baby rattle, and a teddy bear all in a handy diaper bag.  Teal or yellow are good colors just in case you’re not quite sure what gender the newborn baby.  The practicality of this and other picnic baskets will be certainly appreciated, and you can feel good knowing that you contributed something that will give the newborn parents something you know they’ll get a lot of use out of. 

Tailgating is a ritual that can entail something small or something large, but often the more you do it the bigger it gets as you manage to invite more people to come with you to sporting or concert events.  You experiment with what you can do and how you can do it, learning from others at the venues by what they do to make their parties better and easier.  Eventually you graduate into taking larger vehicles that can accommodate more people and gear, going from a simple car to a pick-up truck to an SUV or van.  Some go for broke and get themselves an RV and just camp out the Friday before the game and the Sunday afterward knowing they might be imbibing a little more than their share of alcoholic beverages.  While that might be a bit overboard for what you have in mind, being able to tailgate with style nad ease has never been easier or better.  With the Vulcan Tailgating Cooler and Gas Grill, you can keep your food and beverages along with the sweet gear this pack comes with, including BBQ grill accessories, all in one convenient kit that can come with an optional trolley to roll it around for easy transport.  The gas grill is the perfect size for you and the small group of fans to cater to.  And because it’s gas instead of charcoal, you can light this thing up before, during, and after the game or concert any time you want without missing much, if at all, rather than having to wait for a smoldering fire to cool down.  Picnic baskets and other items are an excellent way to go to major sports or entertainment events and stay organized, and keep from being bilked by notoriously high prices at concessions.