Easy Summer Dinner Ideas - Perfect for 2!
Hey friends! I hope you all have been enjoying the summer sunshine and colorful sunsets that grace us during these warm summer months. We’ve been eating dinner outside a ton just to get some fresh air after working indoors all day. To me, everyday dinners in the summer should be quick, fruit-forward, and colorful! When I want to plus up my dinner and create something a little more inspiring for date nights in or having a few friends over, a yummy dinner board or platter is definitely my go-to choice. Dinner platters automatically create an eye-catching centerpiece for your dinner table and make clean up easy by minimizing the serving plates you’ll use. My favorite summer menu: grilled burgers, sweet corn, and a ton of summer fruit like cherries and watermelon. YUM!
I pulled together my top 5 #summerdinner board and platter tips for building dinner platters:
Get a large, colorful serving platter or food board to use as your base. I love this blue and white one. As you and your guests munch away at the dinner board, you’ll still have an aesthetically pleasing platter as the centerpiece of the table.
Consider adding a variety of bowls in sizes and shapes to add dimension to the board. I used a small white bowl for cherries, which definitely could have been placed on the board, but the bowl adds nice visual interest. You can use a bowl for fresh mango salsa or a dip depending on what you put on your board as well.
When you’re at the grocery store, grab a unique fruit - something you can barely pronounce (haha) and probably rarely buy. Cut it and show off the unique color or texture that the fruit has to offer. This will add an element of fun and surprise to your dinner board. Try it out with your dinner buddy or friends and see if you’ve found a new fav!
Add some fresh flowers or greenery to pull in the summer elements for a decorative touch. I love the look of big, bright sunflowers, but peonies or roses work well too. I like a flower that has structured petals (as opposed to a flower like a hydrangea), and looks nice from a flat lay view so it stands out on the board.
Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to think about variety of texture and color in your menu of dinner items. I was very intentional about getting my favorites that fell into the red (watermelon), blue (blueberries), and yellow (sweet corn) categories to create great pops of color!
Pro Tip: Prep the food items on the board as much as possible so they are easy to grab and eat. For instance, instead of grilling the corn in the husk, I cleaned it and prepped it so it was ready to bite into. It makes the food experience for your date or guests that much better!
Whether you’re on your patio, deck, or rooftop - I hope you have a summer full of dinners with a sunset view :)