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Solution! Cheese Plate Jar
Since Hank came along, we entertain at home a lot more because we’d rather buy groceries for the week than fund a sitter for an evening.
This is our cheese plate jar, it’s where we keep snacks for impromptu hosting. We used to eat all the yummy snacks ourselves, and then have sliced fudgesicles and dry pasta curls when people came over. Now, once something goes in the jar, it’s for guests only.
You can stock it with all kinds of shelf-friendly snacks, but our favorites include:
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Bars of Dagoba or Scharffenberger dark chocolate
Raw almonds, pecans, filberts
Roasted pistachios or pumpkin seeds
Dried apricots, cranberries, or mangoes
Crystalized ginger
If you happen to have some cheese in the fridge and a little drizzle of honey, you can make a killer cheese plate with that stash. If not, take three little dishes (we use sushi plates), and put out almonds, dried apricots, and chopped chocolate. You can put it together in five minutes with no cooking and no stress.
Look at you, so fancy.
That is a fabulous idea! I’ll have to adopt — and then hide it from my partner who will assume all those tasty treats are for him
Hmm, filberts – are you Oregonian? Haven’t heard that term much outside Oregon!
Love this idea! Party in a jar.
Great idea! I always keep a bag of these stashed in the cupboard: http://www.amazon.com/Just-Off-Melrose-Crisps-Caesar/dp/B001HO1Z2A
If someone stops by I throw them into a silver mint julep cup and voila! People think I just whipped up some fancy cheese crackers!
Great tip, will put it into action cause the good stuff always seems to get eaten before the guest come . . .
What do you do with the crystallized ginger?
Oh how I love to put things in jars! Makes it perfectly dog proof! And this is a grand idea. I love it.
So… a filbert? is that like a hazelnut?
Love that idea! I hate cooking, so anything I can put together quickly and easily is a must. Thanks for the tips!
I say filbert, too.
My grandparents (from whom I first heard the word) are from Minnesota, North Carolina, and Southern California respectively.
Great idea. I have a toddler too, and so entertaining at home is a LOT easier than going out sometimes. Although like you I find that all the items I buy “just in case” we have company mysteriously disappear. Putting them in a jar, while simple, may be the barrier I need.
Brilliant! Also makes a great hostess gift.
That would also make a sweet handmade gift. A cheese party in a jar, just add cheese. Lovely.
Good tip. What will I do with my half baggie of Skittles and free Saltine Crackers that I normally save for these occasions?
This is a great idea. My tack tends to be to buy stuff I don’t like myself (for instance, to keep boyfriend happy, I keep green tea, olives and fig rolls in the cupboard – he also likes chocolate and ice cream, but those things are gone as soon as he leaves the house) as I know it will stay put in the cupboard for when others come round!
Oh what a fantastic idea that I MUST try! Though, I have to say, most of the people who want to come to my house are so picky they bring their own food.
No bitternes.
Think like a Canadian – Try maple syrup instead of honey!
Clever, you are.
You’re awesome.
This method keeps it out of my grubby little hands!
That’s genius.
Where is this alternate universe where people always have guests popping in expecting a plate of fancy appetizers and a cocktail to greet them? Every cookbook and women’s magazine seems to have tips for dealing with these mythical unexpected guests. Am I the only one who doesn’t have this problem? Maybe (probably) I am just unpopular.
What the heck is a filbert? And what do you do with the honey?
Spoiled Only Child, I encourage people to call when they are in the neighborhood and drop by. I think if your friends and family are confident that you like having them over anytime, they’re more likely to come with little or no notice.
GENIUS!!!
Lizzy — Filbert=Hazelnut
Perfect! of course I’ll have to have my daughter hide it so mummy and daddy don’t disturb it during a late night movie snack crave.
That is a fab idea…I’m going to do that at our house. We don’t have a lot of fancy snack foods around because I will end up eating them but this is awesome in a pinch !!
[...] Entertaining at home is a great way to spend time with friends while saving some cash. Check out Maggie Mason’s (queen of the Mighty Goods/Junior/Haus shopping empire) cheese plate jar which makes impromptu entertaining a snap. [...]
What a great idea. How do you keep your hands out of that jar in between guests? I like to keep some good marinated olives and fruity Parmesan in the refrigerator at all times. Add some almonds and good wine — makes everyone happy!
I recommend dried cranberries as well. Dried cranberries and almonds taste delicious together. Might go make a snack of them myself right now….
That’s a great idea.
I also am quite partial to dried apricots.
Wonder how many times I’ll have to remind the kids that it’s just for guests. Unless I were to fill it with broccoli, of course.
You get an A+ for that idea.Mahalo
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i am totally doing this. but then i am having my husband hide the jar, because if went too long without hosting people, the chocolate would not survive.
I think you are thinking like sukrat, but I think you should cover the other side of the topic in the post too…
TOTALLY LOVE this!! I actually went out and made one last week! thank you for the tip as I was part was there but you gave me the extra push I needed to have the right supplies on-hand!! =)
[...] Maggie Mason consistently posts great ideas for making life (and craft) easier to manage. This cheese plate jar idea of hers is a great organizational idea for foodies, but I’m pretty sure we can adapt the idea to a great recycled craft idea. [...]