If you’re anything like me, you love paging through all of the wonderful catalogs geared to foodies that come, seemingly daily, in the mail. Williams-Sonoma, Artisan Table, Sur la Table, Napa Style, Chefs…I could go on and on. My husband refers to these catalogs as having “stuff you almost want.” Despite this admonition, however, he often does find things he not only wants, but buys.
He surprised me a couple of weeks ago with this sectional tray. When it arrived I just looked at it. The first thing I thought of was how great it would be for Taco Night -- taco meat in the center, all of the add-ons in the sections along the side. “No,” my son said, “Make a mashed potato bar. Pile up mashed potatoes in the middle, and all of the toppings around the outside – cheese, bacon, chopped onions, sour cream, more bacon, more cheese.” Hmmm. Interesting.
Our dessert-loving friend, Lennie, had still another idea, “Use it for ice cream,” he said, although quickly added that “the center section isn’t big enough for all of the ice cream you’re going to need. Then put all of the toppings in the spaces: nuts, cherries, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, marshmallow sauce, bananas, strawberries…” The way he was going I thought we were going to need a few more sections.
It was interesting, I thought, just how many diverse ideas came out of this one dish. Interestingly enough, my husband bought it, or so he claimed, for the sole purpose of using it for chutneys and raita when we have Indian food.
Have we used it? Yes, we have, but for none of the purposes mentioned above. Want to know how? Come back tomorrow and see.
What would you use a sectional dish such as this one for? Leave me a comment and let me know.
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