I thought it was charcuterie. But, I was informed by all three of the girls that this medley of snackable fruits, cheeses, nuts, and pretzels is called Girl Dinner. Well, this dad loves a girl dinner.

Girl Dinner

What would you rate this recipe? 

I would rate this recipe an 8 out of 10. The thing about girl dinner is that it feels more like a snack or a party food to me. For me, dinner is usually like one big meal. And, this is more like a lot of different snack foods. 

How would you describe the flavors and experience of eating this dish with someone who has never tasted it before?

We used the pretzel sticks like toothpicks to connect the fruits and cheese squares to make houses and little people. I don’t care if they say not to play with your food. It was fun!

What part of making this dish did you enjoy the most, and why?

Probably eating it. It was really fun to make stick figures and houses. There was lots of laughter at the table with everyone showing off what they made. 

Did you feel like you learned anything while making it? 

Not to eat so many grapes. It made my stomach hurt. I would have wanted more meat (and more kinds of meat) on the tray. We just had pepperoni. 

If we made it again, what would you want to do differently next time?

I would add more types of protein. Eggs and meat would be great. And, I want more different types of fruit, too. I also would want Ritz or Club crackers for making meat and cheese sandwiches.

Dad’s notes:

This was a really easy dinner to make, and it was kind of fun to play with the thin pretzels. I think one of my favorite parts of making meal was actually (shockingly?) shopping for the different items.

Olivia had very clear ideas about what she wanted to include. And, we collaborated without too much disappointment. I was sad to leave behind the Boursin cheese, though. Sigh.

The hardest part of making this for the blog was knowing that people would see the photos. I’m not a visual creative. So, my tip for this is to skip the board. Just put what you want on a plate.

Based on Olivia’s observation about wanting more protein, I’d say you could also serve this kind of meal with deviled eggs. So, so good.