Soon it will be so hot the only time you will spend outdoors is the time it takes to dash from the house to your car. But while the weather is still tolerable, take advantage of it by packing a picnic and spending a little time in your favorite East Valley park.

Soon it will be so hot the only time you will spend outdoors is the time it takes to dash from the house to your car. But while the weather is still tolerable, take advantage of it by packing a picnic and spending a little time in your favorite East Valley park.

We asked Mesa cooking instructor Judy Toth for some ideas about what to pack for a picnic where all the cooking and preparation is done in advance.

“Everybody likes chicken,” she says. “And it tastes really good cold or at room temperature.”

Toth suggests barbecued or fried chicken for a picnic, but says if it’s really hot and it’s going to be a while before you eat it, pack it in a cooler.

For vegetarians, she suggest her grilled vegetable panini (see recipe). Simple salads, such as one she makes with broccoli, a little red onion, dried cranberries, crumbled bacon and sunflower seeds, with a mayonnaise, white wine vinegar and sugar dressing, hold up if made in advance and make a great side dish. But again, Toth cautions against using mayo or other perishable products if you don’t have a cooler nearby.

Keeping it simple is key, she says, because you don’t want to lug a lot of food around. A main dish, a salad and a few munchies are enough.

No matter how light you want your load to be, you must have something sweet, she says. She bakes cookies and brownies for her picnics, but says skip the frosting.

“It melts and sticks to whatever you pack it in,” she says. “Instead of frosting, I like to make my brownies extra decadent.”

She adds extra chocolate chunks and homemade caramel to her confections.

Grilled Vegetable Panini

Yield: 4 sandwiches

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2 red onions

2 zucchini

1 portobello mushroom

1 roasted red pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 to 8 tablespoons garlic aioli

4 large basil leaves

4 slices fresh mozzarella

8 slices crusty bread

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Cut onion and zucchini into thick slices. Cut the stem from the mushroom, clean it with a dry cloth and cut it into slices.

2. Brush vegetables with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. To roast vegetables, place in a 425-degree oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until al dente.

4. To grill the vegetables, place on a grill pan or on the grill until vegetables are soft, but not soggy, and there are grill marks on each side. Remove from heat.

5. Brush one side of four slices of bread with olive oil. Turn over and brush the other side with garlic aioli.

6. Place grilled zucchini, onions, mushroom and pepper on bread. Place a thin slice of mozzarella on top of the vegetables, making sure the cheese does not go over the side of the bread. Place a basil leaf on top.

7. Place a slice of bread on top of the sandwich and brush it with more olive oil.

8. Place each sandwich in a heated panini press or pan. Make sure the sandwich is weighted down. Grill until bread is browned. If using a pan, turn the sandwich over and grill the second side until brown.