FRIDAY NIGHT APÉRITIF — KID STYLE
Happy Friday! In our house this often means: Friday Night Apéritif — kid style,tonight. Would you welcome a little “Oh, la, la” in your house tonight, too? This Friday tradition has broadened the children’s taste buds unimaginably and is just plain festive fun.
Today, I wanted to just plant an idea (and share proportions — two-third veggies to one-third snack rule); sharing this idea through a fresh, quick and simple sampler (above). However, some Fridays, can be much more elaborate and; some, have turned into a casual Friday night meal which have included vast ranges from: indonesian chicken kabobs, Lebanese meze dishes, to mini pizzas, etc. In fact, some Fridays … are, actually, Saturdays — but, the principle is always the same. If you’ve ever wondered how to get your children to try new foods, eat more vegetables or to encourage family table side conversation, this concept ignites all of this. (And, if you’ve been to willowday before, of course, I say: let there be something hand written: do it yourself or encourage your kids, with a simple hand written menu, place cards or folded pocket napkins to add that something extra.)
In this Friday Night series, I’ll share some of our favorite go-to recipes, in posts to come. I’m even thrilled that a few friends have shared recipes and interviews with me about what they could add from their region of the world. I can’t wait to share these with you, too.
learned to patiently pluck and looked at this spread with such anticipation that they hopped right over the fact that they were maybe eating their chips and crackers, with a side of endive, carrot sticks and dried apples. I think think adventuresome appetites were opened with the shared festivity of the ambiance, small portion sizes, and a vast array of foods — I think these elements worked together as an invitation to taste: taste a chip… taste a cracker… taste a cracker with pâté … and on to: local chevré, caviar, tapenade, olives from their garden, magret de canard, fresh almonds, raw mini artichokes to bull sausage from the Camargue, etc. without pressure — the list goes on and on. An idea was born.
When we returned home to Sweden, under the guise of thinking of Papy and Mami in France, I announced that “tonight I’d serve a special Friday night Apéritif” and poured our toddlers apple juice in stemmed glasses alongside a table set with my first home version — a new tradition began. It was half: hats off to family culture and tradition and half: food exploration. This is my formula:
1/3 = Chips, Crackers, Pretzels, etc
2/3 = Veggie or Real food
NOTE: If you’re not 100% certain what Apéritif* and Amuse-bouche** are, I’m sure you’re not alone — see below. If you’re not familiar with me and why, in the world, I have anything to say about France or in French, my mother-in-law is French and my in-laws live under the Procencal sun in the south of France. *”Apéritif” is a French word derived from the Latin verb aperire, which means “to open.”
**”Amuse-bouche” is a French term that literally translated means “mouth amuser” and s a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre typically crackers, cheese, pâté or olives
Make Vegetable Mandalas (not pictured below)
#2: Friday Night: Aperatif Mexican Style: (not pictured, click here)
Bunny Toast (not pictured below)
Veggie Wheels (not pictured)For the full ” kitchen” list, click here:
