Beyond the Jar: The Ultimate Father’s Day Grazing Spread
There’s something about the weekend before Father’s Day that always sneaks up on me. One minute it’s the May long weekend and the next thing I know, summer is in full swing and we’re pulling together plans for one of the most bittersweet weekends of the year.
We usually end up at Adam’s family’s place or sometimes we host out at the cottage, and honestly, it’s one of my favourite kinds of gatherings. The kind where the barbecue is going, people are wandering in and out, and nobody is in a rush. That sweet spot between a real meal and just hanging out is exactly where a good grazing spread lives, and this year I wanted to put something together that was easy, impressive, and built around some of our favourite Preserve Company dip mixes.
Because while the main event is sizzling away on the grill, the appy hour is where the good conversations happen.
The Spread That Steals the Show
I actually filmed all four of these for an upcoming Mondays with Marsha segment, so you will be able to watch them come together on our socials too. But here’s the lineup:
Creamy Dill Pickle Dressing made with our Lemon Dill Dip Mix. Drizzle it over a simple salad or use it as a dipping sauce. It is tangy, creamy and completely addictive.
Veggie Cream Cheese Pizza is a total throwback, honestly a circa 1990s favourite that I used to bring to every gathering we were invited to. It’s so easy, a pre-baked crust topped with cream cheese and sour cream mixed with our Roasted Red Pepper Dip Mix, then piled high with your favourite raw chopped vegetables. No cooking required and it always disappears faster than anything else on the table. That has not changed one bit.
Olive Oil Balsamic Dipping Sauce with our Roasted Red Pepper Dip Mix stirred right in, served alongside sliced French bread. Simple, gorgeous, and the kind of thing people ask you about every single time.
Classic Veggie and Chip Dip with our Lemon Dill Dip. Because some things are classics for a reason and this one never misses.
Set it all out while the barbecue does its thing and watch it disappear before the main course even hits the table.
As much as I love putting a spread like this together, Father’s Day always brings up a mix of feelings for me.
(From left to right; Dill Pickle Dressing, Red Pepper Balsamic Bread Dip, Veggie Pizza, Lemon Dill Dip)
For the Dads Who Aren’t Here Anymore
Father’s Day hits differently when your dad is gone. My dad has been gone for eleven years now and somehow it still catches me off guard every June.
He was the kind of man who lit up a room just by walking into it. Always smiling, always ready to make you laugh, and absolutely faithful about one thing above everything else, your birthday. He had an old calendar hanging on the wall with people’s names written on certain days, and without fail he would pick up the phone and call every single one of them. You always knew that call was coming and it always felt like the best kind of reminder that someone was thinking of you.
I think about that a lot actually. How such a simple, consistent act of love can mean so much.
On Father’s Day we always make a point of going to put flowers on his grave. And without fail, on the way home, we stop for ice cream. It started as something that just felt right and now it’s our little ritual, our way of carrying him through the day with us.
If you’re spending this Father’s Day missing someone, I see you. You can hold the grief and the gratitude at the same time. It’s okay for it to feel like both.
And if your dad is still here, call him. Or better yet, show up with a grazing board and let the afternoon stretch out as long as it wants to.
That’s what he would have wanted anyway.
Lots of Love,
Marsha
