Graze boards are everywhere. What started off as a innovative way to display meat in 15th century butcher shops has made its way into our everyday lives. There are classic spreads, hot chocolate “chocuterie” spreads, and probably a guy in Bushwick making a spread with Cheetos™ and gummy worms right now.
To save money on a meal, I like to do a kitchen sink board to clear out what’s languishing in my fridge and pantry. As I prepared mine this week, I thought of a story a friend told me that one of her favorite childhood memories is her mother making little-bits-of-everything boards after she got home from work. Upon sharing this with her mother, her mother burst into tears because it had been her perception that it showed they were just scraping by. So here’s my advice to the mothers of the world who prepare thousands of meals night after night: aim low and scavenge well.
Look to your pantry for chips, nuts, seeds, crackers, cookies, candy, and jams. Look to your fridge for meats, cheeses, veggies, condiments, and pickled things. Speaking of, I’ll share a free pickling hack later this week to give life to older vegetables. You may want to hang on to your board until then.