The beauty of a board…
Many times, at first glance, a grazing board seems intimidating. It may look perfectly thought out and put together meticulously. It may be a specific color scheme or particular cuisine. It may be in a fun shape or have all the colors of a rainbow. It may have sprigs of edible greenery and dotted with beautiful flowers. However, it doesn’t have to be like that. There is no reason for it to be overwhelming.
Recently Matt and the boys were out and I knew they’d be hungry when they got home. We literally had nothing in the house to make a meal. No cereal. No bread. No lunch meat. We had a sweet potato. Some cheese slices. A cucumber and some celery. Some random crackers from the discount grocery store. I had barely enough time and barely enough flour that I decided to try a pretzel recipe I had wanted to try. That was it. If I had just laid all of that out on the counter randomly, my bunch would have asked where dinner was. Instead, I pulled out a board and created a display that made all the difference. When they walked in the door, they were excited about “dinner”. They didn’t even know we had no groceries. We had a great meal together and all it took was a few minutes to throw it together (minus the pretzels that took a little extra time, but weren’t necessary).
There are also times where I’ve made a basic meal and it just needs something extra. Soup, for instance, can be elevated just a little when placed in the center of a board surrounded by bread, toppings and bowls.
What about sandwiches? Who gets excited about a basic sandwich that you have to make yourself? Not me. BUT, if you place the elements of a sandwich neatly on a board, it becomes an experience. We recently had bagel sandwiches on the menu so I purchased a couple of fun toppings and mostly used things we already had in the kitchen. When arranged on a board, it became something exciting. It was one of the best meals we had together all summer. We all tried new combinations and really enjoyed each others’ company. It began as basic bagel sandwiches but turned into something fun for our whole family.
Give it a try. Pull some things out of your pantry and fridge and have some fun. Be creative. Watch the atmosphere of your meal change. Watch as your family tries a new food or your picky eater eats without complaining. Sometimes its all about presentation and the few extra moments you take to make something ordinary into something memorable.