Simple Antipasto Platter

About the dating scene, my friend Charlie throws up his hands, exasperated, and says “I don’t know what women want.” 

Ummmm, what??  How can you not know? It’s spelled out for you every day on the radio—have you not been listening?  We want the country song.  Every country song you’ve ever heard…ever…we want it:

Tan legs hanging over the tailgate…dancing in the headlights…lighting watermelon candles upstairs…a bottle of wine and 2 dixie cups…driving down some old back roads while we lean the seat back and steal your ballcap and you watch our hair fly out the window.  We want you to tell us we feel like Carolina and that you’re drunk on us and high on summertime.  That when we walk in a room you can hardly breathe because we’ve got a devastating smile that can knock a grown man to his knees, and that you hope we’re getting lonely tonight.  And especially, that you’re grateful God blessed the broken road that led you straight to us.  And ps:  we ALL think that brand new Chevy with the lift kit WOULD look a helluvalot better with us up in it!  Just sayin'...

You gotta take the time to get to know her, and this antipasto platter is perfect for “that date”.  That date where you’re gonna hunker down, drink some wine, and talk all night…did she have braces in middle school?  Does she love the first day of Spring?  Find it out, boy—this is your chance.

There’s no cooking involved and you buy everything, soooo eeaaaaasssyyyyy.  Just pick out your favorite things, put them on a plate, open the wine, and get started with your 20 questions.

Oh, and Charlie…it never hurts to make her laugh :)

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WHAT TO BUY:

I've used all of these on the platter, and the ones with the asterisk made it onto the one above:

Genoa salami*

ham (I used smoked ham)*

marinated artichoke hearts

pickled asparagus*

assorted cheeses (I used Gorgonzola, aged Dutch Gouda, and Vermont cheddar)*

assorted olives (I used Castlevetrano and Italian oil-cured)*

grissini

crackers (I used sesame crackers)*

grapes, apples

melon & prosciutto

walnuts*

marcona almonds

preserves (I used blackberry)*

Note:  If you place parchment paper on top of your serving plate (mine is a butcher block cutting board), it makes clean up easy because you just ball up what's left and throw it away.