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"  Jewel-toned leaves, memory-making moments, and a home-cooked picnic in the park. These are a few of Parsimonia blogger Beth Styles&amp;#039;s favorite autumn things. The curator of vintage fashion loves to host casual fun fall picnics, and she shares her secrets for making everything\u2014from setup to sit down\u2014a breeze.  &amp;quot;Prep is key,&amp;quot; Beth says. Here&amp;#039;s how she puts together an easy and delicious meal for the woods: 1. Portion and package individual servings before you go. Brown paper food baskets (like the ones used on food trucks) make a great base for building up picnic-size portions. Most fit a sandwich, chips and some fruit without food falling over the edge, and the sturdiness ensures that guests won&amp;#039;t be wearing their food. 2. Make soup. Pour some of your favorite pur\u00E9ed soup in a thermos to transport it to the park\u2014and keep it piping hot. To avoid having to bring utensils, serve the soup in cups (recyclable insulated ones work best). Thermoses are also great for transporting and serving hot drinks, like tea or cocoa (both wonderfully warming options for cool-weather picnics). But to make sure you know which is which, make some quick tags you can tie around the caps with twine. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m always picking up vintage ephemera, and that combined with some rubber letter stamps makes quick work and cute signs,&amp;quot; Beth says. If you don&amp;#039;t have anything like that on hand, some scrap paper and nice handwriting can also do the trick.  3. Bring all the fixings for dessert. S&amp;#039;mores make the best outdoor dessert. If building a campfire is a no-no in your neck of the woods, grab some gel chafing fuel to toast the marshmallows. Grab a large cutting board, wooden crate, even a hard-shell suitcase to set the fuel on and create a gathering space. Cut down on wrapper wrangling by assembling S&amp;#039;mores kits beforehand. &amp;quot;I used some berry baskets scavenged from a local bakery (grocery stores are another place to check), and put the unwrapped graham crackers and chocolate in there with a handful of marshmallows,&amp;quot; she explains. This way, guests don&amp;#039;t have to juggle the individual ingredients when it comes time to bring it all together. 4. Keep it cozy. Toss blankets and floor pillows on the ground to create nesting spots for guests. Set up the food and drink stations nearby on picnic baskets, crates, or old pieces of luggage. This way nothing is outside arm&amp;#039;s reach and the closeness contributes to that communal feel.  Need some picnic recipe inspiration? Try these pumpkin and squash soup recipes.  Tell us: What are your favorite fall picnic foods?   (Photos by Beth Styles)  ----- Plus: See more of our pretty handy project ideas \u00BB 101 holiday decorating ideas \u00BB35 new uses for old things \u00BB21 perfect presents for her \u00BB65 wow-worthy home makeovers \u00BB "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/tips/a4863/fall-picnic-ideas/>