On Boards: Simple & Inspiring Recipe Ideas to Share at Every Gathering: A Cookbook

by Lisa Dawn Bolton

Overview

The #1 bestselling cookbook you don't want to miss—with 200,000+ copies sold!

Transform simple foods into beautiful boards with 100+ easy and achievable recipes and ideas, perfect for beautiful, stress-free summer entertaining.

Sharing food on boards is the perfect way to entertain family and friends. With minimum effort and maximum impact you can casually host in style, while focusing on spending time together, rather than being stuck in the kitchen. No cooking skills are required to make these boards (and you!) shine!

In On Boards, food stylist Lisa Bolton has put together 50 ideas for instantly approachable boards, all with effortless entertaining in mind, as well as 52 recipes for delectable savory and sweet additions like Beet Hummus, Bourbon Bacon Jam, Mashed Potato Dip and Chocolate Salami. The boards can be pulled together in very little time, and each includes presentation and styling tips to impress your guests. Any assortment of food can be pulled into a beautiful board, so you will be able transform whatever is in your fridge and pantry when unexpected guests arrive!

With chapters on Everyday Boards, Holiday & Special Occasion Boards, Seasonal Boards and Around the World Boards, you will find inspiration for every gathering. Whether you are looking for a breakfast or brunch board; a board for Christmas Day, Superbowl Sunday or New Year's Eve; a huge celebration or a cozy date night for two, it is included in this collection of gorgeously curated boards.

On Boards is the gift people give again and again—perfect for those who love to entertain, but not the stress that goes with it!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780147531148
Publisher:	Appetite by Random House
Publication date:	10/30/2018
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	136,559
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

LISA DAWN BOLTON is a food stylist and writer. She left her career in banking to dedicate her time to her two loves: family and food. She lives near Vancouver, Canada, with her husband and son.

Read an Excerpt

Welcome! Come in, pull up a cushion (yes, cushion) and sit down. Make yourself comfortable, and let me tell you a little about how I love to eat.

When I recall my fondest food memories, they’re filled with people sharing simple food, family-style. People crowded around a table, passing bites around. People curled up with their feet on the sofa, wineglass perched delicately on the armrest. People sitting on cushions eating casually, no utensils required. And I’m not off fussing in the kitchen; I’m with everyone else, enjoying every last bite of baguette, Brie and blackberry, not giving a second thought to anything other than the moment. If that sounds like an experience you would like to be a part of, this book is for you, because that’s the beauty of a big, bountiful board, a board full of food to pick and share from. Because of that board, I don’t have to be stressing over dinner—I can sit back and enjoy the company of my family and friends. For me, the recipe for a perfect gathering is:

Find some good company.
Gather around a big board.
Make some great memories.

I truly believe you don’t have to prep and plan an elaborate spread every time you want to entertain. The effort that goes into hosting shouldn’t overshadow what you serve. But the pressure we put on ourselves can be overwhelming. Trust me, I’ve been there. Anticipating guests on the weekend, scouring my cookbooks for that perfect dish, making four stops to gather every item in a long list of ingredients. Then, after following the recipe to the letter, closing the oven door and just praying it works. Only for when the guests finally arrive, to still be too busy in the kitchen to actually spend time with them! That used to be me. But not anymore. It was when I had a family of my own that I realized how fast time passes and that the little moments in life are what really matter. I didn’t want to miss those moments because I was too busy whisking a sauce to hear the stories being shared in the other room.

Serving food on boards is the perfect solution to serving something delicious that has also, almost entirely, been prepared in advance. Most of what goes onto a board can be made ahead of time, so you never have the stress of timing a perfect meal. And the best thing about boards is that no matter your culinary skill level, you can create something beautiful. But no matter how the board turns out, it will be the stories, laughter and company that people will remember. Whether you’re having a picnic with close friends or a fabulous New Year’s Eve celebration, boards are really about the people sitting around them and give you a real chance to eat, share and connect with those you love.

Editorial Reviews

If you’re convinced that charcuterie boards are little more than basic assemblages of cheeses, meats and assorted jams and jellies — you clearly haven’t met Lisa Dawn Bolton.” —The Vancouver Sun
 
“Bolton has put together 50 approachable ideas for boards (wood, slate or marble) that are perfect for effortless entertaining over the holidays. For anyone who loves to entertain, it’s a gift to have Bolton’s secrets of transforming foods onto a beautiful board.” —The Wiarton Echo
 
“Food stylist Lisa Dawn Bolton revolutionizes party nibbles for the culinary uninclined (and those who don’t want to be tied to the kitchen) with a book of food arrangements that can be set out with minimum effort and have maximum impact.” —Julie Van Rosendaal, Dinner with Julie

From the Publisher