5 Steps to Creating the Perfect Indoor Picnic Date Night (with recipes!) (2024)

5 Steps to Creating the Perfect Indoor Picnic Date Night (with recipes!)

Staying in is the new going out. At least that’s what I think. Especially when staying in involves snuggling up with your boo while eating off of a giant cheeseboard and drinking wine.So I’ve put together 5 steps to help you create the perfect indoor picnic date night, including picnic date foods and indoor picnic ideas. Enjoy!

1. Set the scene

The perfect indoor picnic has 3 main elements: a giant blanket to sprawl out on, an abundance of greenery, and a few pillows throw to cushion your booty. Besides that, the possibilities are endless. I chose to lean some of our picture frames against the wall for ambiance, and brought our guitar over so that we could do a jam sesh after dinner. Other fun ideas to set your scene include mild scented candles, your favorite card game, or a poetry book (this is date night, after all)

2. Keep it cheesy

Can you call it an indoor picnic if a cheese board isn’t involved? I don’t think so. To create this spring-inspired cheese board, I used the following ingredients:

1 wheel brie cheese
1 block blue cheese
Prosciutto
Castelvetrano olives
Almonds
Red Grapes
Blackberries
Figs
Dried Oranges
Water Crackers

I loved this combo of ingredients. Usually I like to stuff my cheeseboards with cheese, but for two people this was just perfect. And bonus points if you candy the oranges yourself 🙂

3. No bake, no problem

To complement your cheeseboard, may I suggest a giant brussels sprout salad and smoked salmon tartines? Both are super easy to whip up, and don’t require you to turn on your oven! I loved this aspect of our indoor picnic, because it felt truly picnic-y to have an entire meal that wasn’t made on the stove. Recipes below!

For the Brussels Sprout Salad

1 lb. brussels sprouts, shaved
1/2 cup red grapes, halved
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup roasted almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt + pepper to taste

1. Separate 1/2 cup of brussels and fry them in 2 tablespoons olive oil until crispy. Set aside until ready to serve.
2. Toss together remaining brussels, grapes, and parm. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, dijon, and s+p to taste.
3. Drizzle over salad and top with fried brussels!

For the Smoked Salmon Tartines

5-6 thin slices rustic bread (pumpernickel or grain bread work well!)
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped, plus more for garnish
4 oz smoked salmon

1. Lightly toast bread and allow to cool completely.
2. Whisk together cream cheese, lemon juice, and dill. Spread over cooled bread slices.
3. Top with smoked salmon and a sprig of fresh dill.

4. Photo finish

Snap your spread with a picture-perfect camera, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III. It’s compact, stylish, and packs all the punch of a big dSLR without the hassle or the price tag.TheOM-D E-M10 Mark III is perfect for anyonelooking for a high-quality, easy-to-use camera that isn’t a dSLR. It captures depth beautifully, and makes for professional-quality photos with a simple click.

I shot all the photos for this post on my OM-D E-M10! Well, except the photoof the camera. Because that would be impossible. Or… very impressive.

5. Sweets for my sweets

I am of the firm opinion that every meal should end with just a bit of sweetness. For a perfect indoor picnic date night, you could do anything from Red Wine Browniesto Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies to a One-bowl Carrot Cake. We went for the latter, but skipped the cardamom/ginger combo in favor of a simple cream cheese frosting with walnuts on top 🙂

and most importantly…

…give your hunny a big snuggle and tell them how much you love them. Because they’re just the best 🙂

More picnic date food from Broma Bakery:

Rhubarb Bars

Blackberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Salted Caramel Scotcheroos

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Samoas Brownies

This post is sponsored by Olympus USA. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Broma possible!