Pride Picnic Picks

Last week I shot a two-word text to my neighbor: "pride picnic?" My thought was we'd gather a few folks from the neighborhood for some drinks, a little cheese, maybe somerainbow cookies. My neighbor had other ideas. He texted back about 20menu options, and a guest list that included everybody in our zip code.

How will we feed this horde of proud people? There is no better way I know than an enormous sandwich. A loaf ofcrusty sourdough(ideally shaped as a batard) can be cut in half lengthwise, layered with fixings like roasted vegetables and ricotta, and sliced into individual servings as big or small as you like. Or, you can make a giant sandwich using a whole pan of focaccia:this onehas a cheese filling baked right it, andthis one, part of our new line of bread mixes, is ready in just one hour.

Of course you can't have a pride picnic — or any picnic — without dessert. This 5-starEarl Grey Cake with Fresh Raspberry Cream, from queer-owned bakery Cake Life Bake Shop, is just lovely: topped with a swirl of cream and raspberry syrup, and finished with edible flowers if you have them. But my party is going to require a lot more than an 8-inch cake, so I'm throwing in a batch of bright-pinkNeapolitan Sugar Cookie Bars. With layers of chocolate and vanilla they're a dependable crowd-pleaser, and the colorful raspberry glaze on top will turn any pridepicnicinto aparty.