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THE STUFF<\/span><\/h6>\n

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1. Base<\/strong>– Choose a platter, cutting board, cheese board, butcher paper or craft paper to serve as your base. I love using white platters because it allows the colors from your foods to pop. To make for easy cleanup, you can even create a runner or \u201cboard\u201d from brown butcher paper or black craft paper. Black craft paper works great with chalk or a metallic sharpie to label your items.<\/span><\/li>\n
2. Cheese<\/strong>– Select a few kinds of cheese. Your local deli counter can help you in selecting your cheeses but I recommend having a soft cheese, an aged cheese, a firm cheese <\/span>and a blue cheese.<\/span><\/li>\n
3. Labels<\/strong>– You can use cheese markers or write on your butcher paper. This is optional but it\u2019s especially nice to label your cheeses.<\/span><\/li>\n
4. Meats-<\/strong> Decide on a few types of cured meats. Think salami, prosciutto, pepperoni or sausage.<\/span><\/li>\n
5. Fruits-<\/strong> I like the option of having a few fresh and dried fruit options. Fresh as in pears, apples, figs, olives, berries, grapes or melons. For dried, you can use apricots, raisins, cranberries or banana chips.<\/span><\/li>\n
6. Nuts-<\/strong> I like including something savory such as almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans or walnuts.<\/span><\/li>\n
7. Crackers or bread-<\/strong> There are a lot of options here. You can use pretzel chips, pita chips, slices of naan bread, crackers, a baguette loaf, or thin breadsticks.<\/span><\/li>\n
8. Spread-<\/strong> To accompany your crackers or bread, it\u2019s nice to have honey, hummus, jam, olive oil or a dip of some kind.<\/span><\/li>\n
9. Serving<\/strong>– It’s nice to have small spoons, food picks, and small spreader knives<\/span><\/li>\n
10. Garnish-<\/strong> Again this is totally optional but a sprig of rosemary, mint, basil or thyme looks so pretty tucked in among your spread. If it\u2019s a holiday platter, you can even add some non-edible decorative garnishes like gourds, pine cones, or evergreen clippings for a festive look.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    Once you have selected a few items from each category, there\u2019s no right or wrong way to assemble your board. Just make sure you slice meats, cheeses, and fruits into bite-size pieces and then start arranging them on your board or platter. You can use small condiment size bowls to serve things like honey and jams or dollop them right onto your board with a small spreader or spoon for serving. Now that you\u2019ve got the key items for your board, here are a few more tips.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    If I\u2019m assembling a platter for entertaining, I like to have everything pre-sliced beforehand so it\u2019s ready to arrange when it\u2019s party time.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Depending on what cheeses you select, plan to take them out of the refrigerator and allow one hour at room temp before serving.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Have some baggies or food storage containers ready for leftovers. If your guests like charcuterie boards as much as we do, there may not be leftovers but it\u2019s nice to have them ready and it makes cleanup a breeze. Remember, I am all about keeping things easy!<\/span><\/p>\n

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    LET’S TALK SERVING PIECES<\/span><\/h6>\n

    Since we are talking about charcuterie, I couldn\u2019t help but touch on serving pieces. Tj Maxx and Marshall\u2019s are great places to find cheese boards and white serving pieces and you can find some great bargains. I also came across these fun pieces<\/span>….<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Mud Pie has some really cute options for serving. How cute is this olive bowl!<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    A slate cheese board like this<\/a> one would work great too and you can use chalk on them.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Love the edges on this one<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

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    This one’s<\/a> currently on sale and I think I may need to have it!<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    There are tons of options for cheese markers. I love that you can use chalk on these.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Or these<\/a>\u00a0engraved silver markers<\/p><\/div>\n

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    I love these<\/a> food picks!<\/p><\/div>\n

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    VISUAL INSPIRATION<\/span><\/h6>\n

    Here are some charcuterie boards that have me totally inspired!<\/span><\/p>\n

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    This one<\/a> from Reluctant Entertainer would be perfect for Cinco De Mayo or a Fiesta!<\/p><\/div>\n

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    This fruit charcuterie from Taste of Home<\/a> would be fun for a kids party.<\/p><\/div>\n

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    I never thought about making one for a breakfast or brunch like this<\/a> from Gathered Living<\/p><\/div>\n

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    You can always save the charcuterie board for desserts, like this one<\/a> from Cookies and Cups<\/p><\/div>\n

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    There you have it! Charcuterie boards made simple. Whether you are feeding your family or a crowd, you can whip up something that\u2019s as easy as it is pretty. Be sure to grab my charcuterie made simple<\/em> cheat sheet so you\u2019re ready to throw one together in no time.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    Save<\/span>Save<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you have read some of my other posts, you probably realize that I love things that have a pretty presentation BUT I am also all about keeping things simple. \u00a0I love pretty tablescapes, drinks in pretty glasses, snacks that are packaged in fun ways, and food served on pretty platters. \u00a0Let\u2019s be real, all […]<\/p>\nVIEW MORE<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":724,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[105,108,107,106],"yoast_head":"\n