Weeknight Cheese Platter

I don't know about you, but for me, it's always a challenge to know what to bring when someone asks for 'nibbles'. It's especially challenging when you don't know the person very well! I always try to avoid the standard bag of Doritos and a jar of dip, but at the same time, if I'm going somewhere on a weeknight I don't have time for anything much more adventurous!

So here is my quick, weeknight cheese platter, it sure to impress and satisfy everyone.

There are millions of differing ideas on cheese platters but I've tried to make it simple for you. 

My recipe to serve 6 nibblers is:

• 1 soft cheese (brie, camembert)
• 1 cheddar cheese (mature or smoked), Edam or other similar cheese
• 1.5 boxes of crackers (whatever is available - no need to be fussy. I just aim to buy something thin and not too flavourful) Make sure there are more than enough crackers
• 1 small bunch of purple grapes on branch
• 2 medium green apples, cut into thin segments
• 2-3 tablespoons of chutney - fig, tomato, capsicum (store bought is totally fine) in a small bowl
• mixed nuts - again store bought is fine, you can get great mixes from fruit markets and health food stores in a small bowl

There are always ways to dress a cheese platter up... you can really go quite crazy! But I've tried to keep my quick, cheep and easy.

Some options for glamourizing:

Image from savorysweetlife.com

dried fruit
small pot of honey
cured meats
fresh figs (I happend to have some in my fridge from a jam project I didn't quite get to!)
strawberries or other fresh berries
more cheese! Try a goat's cheese or something foreign, or infused with herbs
quince paste
roasted chickpeas

3 Top Tips:

• Generally, really hard cheeses like parmesan are not used for a cheese platter
• It's not all about taste, make sure you mix up colour and texture too
• Presentation is key, use a clean wooden chopping board if you don't have a cheese board. All the ingredients I've chosen can literally just be pulled from packets and put on the board, the only slightly fiddly bit is the crackers, try and lay them onto the board as shown.

Simply hold both ends of a stack of crackers and lay them on their sides, adjust as needed once they are lain down.

P.S. Don't forget to pair your cheese platter with your favourite soft red wine!

Homemade Smoothie Cubes

I love smoothies in the morning, but often, it's too time consuming and messy to do before work. I once paid a small fortune on 'smoothie cubes' at the supermarket, the concept was simple so I thought I would give it a go myself... plus I had some bananas that needed using up!

The process is simple and you probably already have all the equipment and ingredients, 

You will need:

• 1 or 2 ice cube trays
• A stick blender or other food mashing equivalent
• A jug/bowl/large cup for blending in
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 2 medium bananas

Step one: Blend up your 2 bananas with 1 cup frozen raspberries.

Step two: Spoon mixture into ice cube trays.

Step three: Freeze. It's that easy!

To make the smoothie, add approximately 1 cube for every 100 ml (3.3 oz) of milk or apple juice and blend using a stick blender.

P.S. Try experimenting with different flavours using banana as your base, try banana and muesli, any frozen (or fresh) berries, or you could even add drinking chocolate powder or ice cream for an indulgent smoothie!