Pack an awesome picnic

Holy spicy hotness, friendly readers! It's about 1000 degrees in NYC this week, and I am planning my life around moving as quickly as possible from one air-conditioned space to another. The heat comes as a firey blast in the face after a peaceful, verdant, computer-free weekend at my mom's amazing home in Connecticut (blueberry picking, swimming with dogs, and topping steaks with fresh chimichurri, anyone?). I'm digging myself out from under the pile of email I let accumulate over the long weekend, so in the interest of getting back to that arduous task, today's entry is a short one.

I realize, more and more, that it's not necessarily always FREE to attend free events - doing anything outside the home in the City leaves you vulnerable to sneaky ice cream trucks, tempting sidewalk cafes, and smoky rich aromas from gyro vendors. Stand your ground, my broke friends! One of the best ways you can learn how to save money and still do fun stuff is to bring your own food. In that spirit, I offer you the incomparable Mark Bittman, NYT food columnist who graced us with 101 Picnic Dishes back in 2008. I love this piece and still look to it for new outdoor eating inspiration. Peruse at your leisure. And now, back to my inbox...

p.s. Couldn't resist: even if you think you make the best deviled eggs around, you owe it to yourself and your guests to take a quick look at this video by Top Chef contestant Jamie Lauren on how to make the perfect deviled egg. I'll never mash with a fork again.