As the weather begins to turn warmer, families look for ways to get outside after the long winter months. But before you pack the picnic basket, remember that as the weather starts to heat up, you need to take extra precautions with food outdoors. Here are a few food safety tips to keep recipes from spoiling.

Store and transport all meat in a cooler with ice. Rather than put the cooler in a hot trunk, place it in the back seat of an air-conditioned car. Once you arrive at your picnic site, keep the cooler in a shady spot.

As you grill, take out only the amount of raw meat that will fit on the grill. On a warm day, never leave meat out for more than 30 minutes.

Barbecue all beef, chicken, and fish thoroughly and plan to eat shortly after you arrive. Bring extra plates -- one for handling raw foods and another for cooked foods to prevent cross-contamination.

Try the delicious picnic recipes on the following pages!

As the weather begins to turn warmer, families look for ways to get outside after the long winter months. But before you pack the picnic basket, remember that as the weather starts to heat up, you need to take extra precautions with food outdoors. Here are a few food safety tips to keep recipes from spoiling.

Prep: 20 minutes; Marinate: 2 hours; Cook: 30 minutes; Grill: 50 minutes

Prep: 30 minutes; Cook: 20 minutes

Prep: 25 minutes Chill: Up to 24 hours