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I've always been a sucker for anything romantic. When my husband and I were dating, I baked up a luscious mustard chicken in a bread bowl, packed up a big picnic basket, and surprised him with a lunch in the park on a blanket. (It seems to have worked. That was over 24 years ago.) There's nothing like taking a boring meal, outside to a beautiful setting to get out of a rut.

Picnic baskets come in all shapes and sizes. They come in easy-to-transport varieties and they even come loaded with utensils. They are a far cry from the one-size-fits-all hinged picnic hamper of my parents generation.

With the choices available today, make sure you consider the number of people to be served (how much food do you need) and the distance to picnic sight (how far do you need to carry it). If you need lots of food, get the biggest basket you can find. If you are hiking in for a remote picnic, consider a backpack variety.

If you're looking for romantic picnic baskets, look at the baskets outfitted just for two. These make a great wedding gift for a special couple. I gave a nice one to Sam's brother and sister-in-law when they married years ago.

Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.