WRITTEN BY CATHERINE M. ALLCHIN PHOTOGRAPHED BY BARRY WONG

	With a basket, a blanket and a bottle of wine, you can dress up a picnic in a hurry. Add some fixin's from your favorite food emporium and you are good to go. Here, we loaded up on edamame salad from Pasta & Co. and olive-and-roasted-tomato galettes and orzo salad from Macrina Bakery.

We were losers. We didn't have time to pack anything and had to buy food there. At least we had a blanket.
 

Macrina Orzo Salad and Lemon Vinaigrette Recent recipes in Pacific Northwest Mrs. Appleyard's Spring Salad and French Dressing Hummus

By definition, however, we were still "picnicking." That's what is so great about the concept. As long as you're eating and you're outside, you can qualify as having a picnic. Originally, the term picnic (or pique-nique in French) meant an informal potluck outdoors, where everyone either brought a dish or paid his or her share. Nowadays, the sky's the limit: Pack some grub in a backpack on your bike or in the hatch of your kayak, and you are on your way.

Many of us have romantic notions of elegance creekside, thanks in large part to French Impressionist painters such as Monet, who created canvasses of 19th-century Parisian city dwellers indulging in feasts in the country — with peaches and parasols, long dresses and dignity.

Cut to my kitchen in Seattle, where it's 9 a.m. and I am preparing for a picnic by slapping peanut butter on whole-wheat bread as my kids run around like banshees. Let's face it: Cheese sticks and fishy crackers are just never going to be dignified. Fortunately, there is a happy medium. Instead of slaving in the kitchen, think of it as simply assembling a picnic from various sources, including gourmet take-out stores. Some degree of preparation is still involved. The key is how to forage for the appropriate mix of delicacies that will please diverse palates, fill folks up and be both easy to transport and possible to eat while you're sitting who knows where.

First, plan for a movable feast. Get your gear ready in advance. Have a basket, backpack or cooler on standby filled with supplies: plates, cups or glasses, utensils, napkins (bring lots), a garbage bag, salt and pepper, a tablecloth or blanket and corkscrew. You might want to have two sets ready to go — one for traveling by car and a slimmed-down version for foot, bicycle or boat. Last year friends gave us a killer backpack from Picnic Essentials with everything from insulated pouch to cheese knife. (See store.yahoo.com/picnicessentials for picnic baskets and backpacks, ranging from about $45 for a small basket for two to about $135 for a deluxe trolley that holds four bottles of wine.)

Once you have your gear, think safety. Make sure containers have tight-fitting lids. Remember that cold items must stay cold. Generally food should be consumed within two hours; anything left after that should be thrown away.

As for the fixin's, they don't have to be fancy (or expensive) to hit the spot. One of my favorite picnic memories was when our family was traveling in France. We stopped in Aix-en-Provence and bought some cheeses, a baguette and some fruit. We hoped to find the perfect park, but seemed to be trapped in roundabouts of busy streets, so we settled for a bench near a bus stop. It wasn't especially scenic or quiet, but we had a good time with my Swiss Army knife, and the simple food tasted great.

Here are three easy ways to put together a delicious picnic without much fuss:

For a French picnic in the Seattle area, head to Whole Foods (Roosevelt Square and soon-to-be in Bellevue) for assorted olives, an array of cheeses and patés, a baguette and wine (try a crisp rosé from Bandol or a lively pinot gris from the Alsace region, both of which need to be chilled). If you want more umpf, pick up a natural roasted chicken (lemon herb, garlic lemon, classic roast or BBQ) for $7.99.

If Mediterranean makes your day, stop by Macrina Bakery and Café in Belltown on your way out of town. Snatch up a few roasted tomato and olive galettes with fontina and a bunch of the addicting orzo cucumber feta salad. The hardest part will be in choosing desserts from the tempting bounty that Leslie Mackie spreads forth.

Or, let Pasta & Co. make your meal. You might concoct any number of combinations here, including an Asian-inspired picnic such as poached salmon with ginger and sesame, ginger chicken cabbage salad and edamame with caramelized onions. You have permission to stray from the Asian theme to indulge in the chocolate coconut macaroons for dessert. (They will need to be kept cool or the chocolate will melt.) If you plan a day in advance, order boxed lunches to pick up on your way to the picnic. Specify a tuna or turkey sandwich or two salads, and you'll also get olives, a drink and a cookie for $9.95. Stop at one of four locations in the greater Seattle area (Queen Anne, University Village, Bellevue and Redmond).

No matter what you eat or where you are, to be really cool, don't forget the champagne and candles.