Snack board is the ideal meal for Mother’s Day
We usually celebrate Mother’s Day by going out. While I can ask my husband and kids to cook for me or order takeout, what I actually want out of a Mother’s Day meal is neither of those things. I want a meal that I don’t have to think about or clean up after — which means I want a snack board.
Snack boards are a regular part of our family meal rotation. They use up leftovers and pantry staples, and they entice our small children to eat more vegetables. This easy tip makes serving — and cleaning up — a Mother’s Day snack board easier, no matter its shape or size.
Before you set up a snack board, line your tray, cutting board or surface with parchment paper. This super-simple step can save you from scrubbing soft cheese off your favorite cutting board and lets you use decorative trays without harm.
While plastic wrap and waxed paper can also cover your snack board surface, parchment is my preference because it can also be used to wrap leftover cheeses or baked goods after cleanup.
If you’ve got a round snack cutting board, use a cake-lining technique for cutting a large round cover: Tear off a piece of parchment paper just slightly larger than your serving tray, then fold it into an imperfect square and finally into a triangle. Set the tip of that triangle in the center of your dish, then trim off the excess parchment hanging over the edge.
Unfold the paper and you’ve got a round piece of parchment that will fit perfectly on your round serving board or tray.
3 essential elements
Let’s set the record straight: A snack board doesn’t have to be a cheese board. In fact, many of my favorite board meals are actually built with leftovers or pantry staples. If you really want to impress Mom with a snack board meal this year, consider adding the following three things:
A warm snack: You don’t have to cook a recipe. Just toasting some nuts or warming some olives adds contrast and makes a snack board feel special.
A cool dip: Drizzle olive oil over yogurt or dress up sour cream with dried herbs, so that your bread and vegetables (or even leftover roasted chicken) have something saucy to make them feel fresh.
Something sweet: I’m a big fan of dark chocolate-covered almonds, but I’d be happy with store-bought cookies, too.
So, all you need is a grocery delivery and a little pantry scrounging to make a Mother’s Day meal that doesn’t require cleaning the entire kitchen afterward.