when we started pencil + ink, it wasn’t just to design intentional spaces + places, but to share a more thoughtful way of living, in an effort to craft for others a life that is beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside.
as much as we genuinely love to cook, it’s a great source of inspiration, but on the days when the creative juices are already flowing, stopping to prepare a meal can sometimes feel out of reach. still, we see shared meals not only as a time to eat, but also as a time to connect + refresh, sharing ideas that nourish our body + mind.
curating a better palate
before kids, meals could easily have been late night take-out or raiding the fridge in a pinch. now that we have a family, we know we need a plan ahead to make it count. it’s the time when our family can share about our day + talk through our highs + lows together, when we stop + take a minute to see each other + really taste our food.
we started keeping ingredients on hand in order to create a charcuterie board to have the best of both worlds. our first few months of this method involved putting together boards on the porch for us parents, with some version of mac-n-cheese or pb-n-j for the kids to share alongside us.
when the curiousity gave way to questions like: “what’s this?”, “can i try that?” + ” that looks yummy” for things like… goat cheese + honey-drizzled prosciutto, we thought…why not make this something we can all share? the board started to contain not only some of our favorites but some items the kids would pick out as well. this started out as something we would serve for dinner, but it quickly became something that they requested for dinner….”we want that thing on a board”.
it wasn’t long until we asked our youngest what she wanted for lunch one day, that she answered: “a char-CUT-erie board” & toddler charcuterie was born. the most beautiful ripple from this request is this: if it’s on the board, they will try it + overtime, their palates are expanding.
after numerous boards over the past few years, we have found many “new” favorites. the one consistancy has been the continued request for food served up on a board. breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner… it’s just more fun on a board!
whet your appetite with a look at some recipes below + a few stories behind the boards here:
