I often find myself reaching for a stack of saucers and small dishes that I have in the cabinet. At a glance it seems that they are too small to be useful for anything, but it turns out that it’s just not the case.

In fact, many times when I’m looking for one there are none waiting on the shelf. They’re in the dishwasher – dirty, of course. Or in the fridge: one holding a small chunk of cheese that we put out with the salad and bread last night. Another with some marinated mushrooms & stuffed cherry peppers on it, and one more holding a half an avocado.

When I put out some nuts on the coffee table I like to use a few of these dishes to catch the shells. And sometimes an afternoon coffee calls for a couple of cookies and it’s nice to have a small plate to hold them.

And most days there’s an after-nap-snack at our house: some raisins and apple slices; a few crackers with cream cheese and some grapes; a gingersnap (or, more likely, 2) with a pile of blueberries. A small snack, a small child, and a small dish: it’s just right.

So it turns out that my small dishes come in handy… actually in a big way.