Gifted article.
I’m definitely someone who will often make a snack plate a meal. This and that from the refrig/cupboard to sort of create my own personal charcuterie plate. While this article talks about it as “girl dinner”, here on CC we are friendly to all genders.
Do you do a snack plate for a meal often? And if you’re building your own PERSONAL snack plate (no one is sneaking bites off of it) - what are you going to include???
A strong contender for me:
A piece of good strong sharp cheese (a hard cheese usually)
OLIVES - back up plan, pickles
Bing cherries
Small piece of crusty bread slathered with either butter/salt or a sharp cheese spread.
Raw veggies and a little dip (sour cream based or hummus)
I can and DO eat this often. I promise my plate is reasonable size.
In the summer, the two of us empty nesters share a large snack plate for dinner quite often! It usually has: cut up veggies, some pickled veggies and/or olives, cheese cubes (or soft cheese and crackers), maybe some nuts, salami. Served on the deck with a glass of wine or n/a beer for me. Dessert is berries and maybe some chocolate.
During our recent hotel stay, we did not want to get off our waterfront balcony and ordered a thing called “mezze platter” to be eaten on the balcony. A good version of the “snack plate”!
My snack plate would have hummus, pita bread or pita crackers, some havarti cheese, an assortment of olives, some kind of fruit probably grapes. That would be summer! Hmmm. I think I need to make this for Wednesday!
Tonight I made a snack tray (just for me) while DH was hosting an association meeting downstairs. When the meeting ended, he came up and started picking at my tray (!) while regaling me with the boring details. Eventually, we decided he didn’t need to grill the steak he had thawed for dinner. The tray featured a bowl of nuts, prosciutto-wrapped cheeses, and fruit kebobs (grapes, strawberries, pineapple, sharp cheddar cheese cubes). The original tray had only enough for me, but there was more in the fridge so…
Cheese and a good cracker or sliced fresh bread (as a penny pinching college student studying abroad, many a meal while traveling was cheese and a loaf of bread from a local bakery!).
Sliced tomatoes and basil from my garden with mozzarella and a drizzle of good olive oil.
Salty olives, grilled eggplant and roasted red peppers
When my husband traveled a lot for work, if my kids were not home, I rarely made a “meal” just for myself. A couple of weeks ago, none of our kids were home. Dh and I were discussing dinner and I suggested just a nice charcuterie plate rather than the bother of cooking. It was great (and even better b/c he prepared the whole thing while I was at work!).
I eat something like this every day. I don’t stick it all on one plate usually. It is the same as grazing, but I typically sit at the table with everything in front of me, or I just get things one by one.
I personally think the term girl plate is ridiculous and I hope it doesn’t catch on. Sorry not sorry😉
Perhaps this is bending the topic, but mine is a handful of greens with things piled on top. Pickled beets, garbanzos, blue cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, hard boiled egg are typical.
I usually end up making a snack plate in the kitchen because we eat in the deck, so it is easier to carry the food there that way instead of trying to juggle multiple bowls/jars/etc.
I eat a version of this every day for lunch (my first meal of the day). It typically includes a version of salami (maybe ham, if I have it), cheese, sometimes a flat bread cracker, always has suffed olives, sometimes pickles, sometimes nuts, sometimes a scoop of chicken salad if I’ve made some. My kids always ask me if I made my charcuterie for lunch
Following with interest here. I have friends from my long time hometown coming to join me for an Ann Patchett book launch at the end of the month. Starts at 6:30 and they will be traveling 2 hours. I want to offer them a glass of bubbly and some small bites before we go. Will look forward to reading your responses!
My husband has been doing a snack plate mid day forever. His is very Italian forward - cheese cut off a block (parmesan or the like), slices of Italian salami (or dried sausage), either crackers or Italian bread (sometimes turned into garlic bread), and oil cured olives. He never makes a plate, he usually puts out these items on a cutting board and slices as he eats them.
I can get on board with this! All sounds delicious.
I packed a snack board for my work lunch today. Pita chips and feta salsa (dip), couple ounces romano cheese (protein/salty), a few buttery green olives, bing cherries.
It usually has: cut up veggies, some pickled veggies and/or olives, cheese cubes (or soft cheese and crackers), maybe some nuts, salami. Served on the deck with a glass of wine or n/a beer for me. 
I just use “snack plate”. Even if it’s a meal