Cheese Plate on the Fly
Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 1:00AM 
All this week, Special Fork bloggers will be sharing recipes for vacation cooking. And to celebrate summer vacations, Special Fork is giving away a beautiful, English-style picnic basket fitted with service for four by Picnic Time. It’s easy to enter the sweepstakes.
We love going on vacation, though we can typically only steal away for a couple of days here and there. Ten minutes west is Santa Monica and an hour up 101 is Santa Barbara. Both quintessential California beach towns are vacation destinations for travelers around the world. Since we don’t have to buy plane tickets or even much gas to vacation in these locales, we justify our splurging on nice hotel rooms and delicious local food.
The other great thing about vacationing close by is friends can pop in for an afternoon play date or even to spend the night. We know where all the great food shops are in each town for picnics and snacks. My favorite snack by far is a casual cheese plate; a variety of soft and hard cheese, olives and fresh fruit all on a quick and easy platter – leave your design aesthetic at home, the goal here is assemblage not presentation.