While a Fourth of July picnic can't help but be fun, it's the 4th of July picnic recipes and foods you choose that will set the mood for your whole celebration.

So what should you look for when choosing food for a 4th of July picnic? You want it to be festive, flavorful, and fun. You want to taste great at room temperature. And you want it to be easy to travel with and serve. All together... well, that's a tall order!

But it can be done. The Fourth of July picnic food menu here is a wonderful choice if you're planning an outdoor 4th of July picnic. It's got a wonderful balance of light and rich dishes, it travels well, and it's wonderfully festive for the Fourth!

More 4th of July Picnic Food Resources! But lots of your favorite dishes will do well as 4th of July picnic recipes, and there are lots of great ideas out there. For more ideas for 4th of July parties and picnics, LINK check out:

• Fun Family Picnic Menu and Recipes
• Classic Southern Picnic Menu
• Elegant Spring or Summer Picnic Recipes
• Cold Appetizer Recipes
• 4th of July Dessert Recipes
• Recipes for Picnic Sandwiches

This is one of the most perfectly refreshing 4th of July picnic recipes ever created. It's sweet, it's tangy, it's wonderfully cool and refreshing. And it's totally addictive.

A great way to take this yummy picnic drink along for the Fourth? Pour it into large empty water bottles, freeze, and let thaw out in your picnic basket. It's also a great way to keep your food cool! It can also be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge until your picnic.

I always add the extra lemon juice because I like my lemonade tangy. But feel free to leave them out if you prefer a sweeter lemonade.

Makes enough for about 10 people.

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Ingredients:
8 C. seedless watermelon, cubed (about half of one watermelon)
3 C. quartered strawberries
2 cans (12 oz. each) lemonade concentrate, thawed
Juice of 2 lemons (optional) 8 cups water

Instructions: 1. Combine watermelon, strawberries, lemon juice (if using) and lemonade in a large pitcher or other serving container. Blend with a stick blender until smooth. (If you don't have a stick blender, simply blend ingredients in 2-3 batches in a traditional blender.)

2. Stir in water.

3. Chill and serve over ice.

Oven Fried Picnic Chicken

Fried chicken is one of the best traditional 4th of July picnic recipes! But it's not very good for you, and it can be an oily mess to make. My recipe for oven-fried picnic chicken, on the other hand, is flavorful, fairly healthy (no skin!) and a ton of fun to eat-- even cold or at room temperature. Who'll miss all the oil?

You can find this main dish 4th of July picnic recipe right here!

Sure, potato salad is a traditional 4th of July picnic recipe just about every year. But there's potato salad... and then there's potato salad. THIS is potato salad as it was always meant to be: rich, decadent, and full of flavor. As far as food for a 4th of July picnic is concerned, I could eat this and nothing else.

Make this wonderful potato salad just once, and your friends and family will be bugging you to bring it along every year. Perhaps a mixed blessing?

This 4th of July picnic recipe can be made a day ahead of time-- the time just allows the flavors to mix even more. And don't be shy with the bacon... it really makes this dish.

Serves about 8.

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Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes
1 tsp. seasoning salt
10 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained, crumbled
8 green onions, sliced
2 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
16 oz. sour cream (light works well)
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 C. mayonnaise
1 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. prepared mustard

Instructions: 1. Boil potatoes until perfectly tender. Drain and allow to cool to warm-- they shouldn't be hot enough to melt the cheese.

2. Peel (if desired-- I like to leave the peel on) and cube potatoes and place in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Mix gently.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the sour cream, pepper, mayo, garlic salt, and mustard.

4. Add bacon, onion, and cheese to the potatoes. Mix gently. Stir in the dressing mixture.

5. Cover and refrigerate this 4th of July picnic recipe at least 3 hours before serving.

Spinach Salad with Pecans

With the rich potato salad picnic recipe here, you'll want something light to have along with it! This salad is slightly sweet, and the crunch of the pecans is the perfect counterpoint to the creamy potato salad.

You can find my tasty picnic recipe for Spinach Salad with Pecans right here!

Summer Garden Gazpacho

Think I'm recommending that you bring soup to your picnic, and try to eat it with a spoon? Nah-- that would be way too much trouble! This fresh and healthy 4th of July picnic recipe is WAY simpler than that. Made in the traditional Spanish way, this gazpacho is a blended soup-- and, as it is in Spain, it's drunk from cups, not eaten with spoons.

A wonderfully refreshing side dish for a hot summer day. Find the recipe right here!

This is basically heaven on a plate. Really. It's gooey, it's sweet, it's rich and chocolately... and it's ultra easy to make. Plus, like all good 4th of July picnic recipes, it's easy to transport. The filling on this cake is all on the inside, and you can simply transport it in the pan or cut it up ahead of time-- there's no frosting that will melt off or stick to every surface. And you wouldn't want any frosting, either. This cake is perfect just as it is.

As a bonus, this can also be a good make-ahead food for a 4th of July picnic. Make it a day ahead and bring it along at room temperature. This is one of those 4th of July picnic recipes that only gets tastier after it sits for a day!

Serves about 16.

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Ingredients:
1 box German chocolate cake mix
1 1/3 C. water (or as required by your mix)
1/2 C. vegetable oil (or as required by your mix)
3 eggs (or as required by your mix)
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 bag (14 oz.) vanilla caramels
1/2 C. unsalted butter
2 bags (12 oz. each) milk chocolate chips
1 C. chopped pecans

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 13x9 inch pan.

2. Mix up your cake mix according to the directions, using oil, water, and eggs in the amounts given on your mix.

3. Pour HALF of this batter into your prepared pan. Bake about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.

4. While cake is cooling, make the filling. In a large, non-stick saucepan, combine the condensed milk, caramels, and butter. Cook until on medium-low heat until caramels and butter are completely melted, and mixture is thick and creamy.

5. Sprinkle half of your chocolate chips (one bag) over top of your baked cake layer. Sprinkle nuts over chocolate. Pour caramel sauce over. Sprinkle on the other half of your chocolate (one bag).

6. Top filling with the rest of your cake batter mixture.

7. Return to the oven and bake about 30 minutes, til center of cake is springy.

8. Cool completely before cutting or serving.