Picnic Food Safety!

Hello daughters of grace!  Summer is finally fully upon us and I'm sure that you have had your first cookout of the season.  Summer is such an amazing time for family and friends to get together but it's also a popular time for people to get sick.  I'm sure most of us know to keep hot food hot and cold food cold but let's talk about some other tips to keep your cookouts safe.  

Check the weather. You probably know to refrigerate perishable food within two hours. But did you know that drops to one hour when the temperature is above 90F?  Get food back into a cooler as soon as you serve it.  

Come clean. If your picnic spot doesn't have clean running water, bring some with you. Bring wipes or sanitizing gel for surfaces and hands.

Keep your cool. Use an insulated cooler with ice, ice packs or partially frozen items to keep food at 40 F (4 C) or cooler.

Pack smart. Keep separate coolers for food and beverages. Chances are people will be in and out of the beverage cooler, which lets cold air escape. Pack your meats in freezer bags at the bottom of the cooler and use plenty of ice!  

Marinade. Make sure to not reuse marinade.  Throw it out after removing raw meat.

Use a food thermometer. Don't rely on the color of meat to judge when it's cooked enough. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature. Safe minimum temperatures are:

• 165 F (74 C) for any type of poultry

• 160 F (71 C) for ground meat other than poultry such as burgers.  

• 145 F (medium rare) (63 C) for solid cuts, such as steaks, of meat or fish

Plating.  Be sure to use different (clean) platter when removing cooked food from the grill.  Don't cross-contaminate.

I'm also going to give you one of my favorite summer recipes.  Pineapple Angel Food Cake.  I sent it to one of the other Mom Squad moms for a cookout this weekend and everyone loved it.  It's a delicious, super simple recipe and it travels well.

Pineapple Angel Food Cake
1 box Angel Food Cake Mix (1 step box - Pillsbury or Duncan Hines)1-15 ounce can Crushed Pineapple in 100% juice.Whipped CreamFresh Berries

Mix cake mix and the whole can of pineapples, including the juice.  DON'T ADD WATER. 


Stir well and place in an angel food cake pan or 2 loaf pans that have been coated with cooking spray.

Cook according to package times.  


Serve cooled with whipped cream and berries.