make a simple meat & cheese board
A charcuterie board is always a crowd pleaser. We started doing these years ago as a way to treat guests while we waited on the meal. Many times we would fill up on this - which resulted in sometimes just doing charcuterie for dinner.
As this has become more and more popular, the boards have also become more elaborate. There are so many ways you can take charcuterie. I've seen the beautiful tables and counters full of all the many kinds of eats. But for smaller gatherings, I love this simple set up and it takes very little time (oh, and I can get everything from my local grocery store).
What you will need:
- a tray or cutting board. My cutting board is from Target. You can find a similar one here.
- Crackers (we prefer Ritz and a GF options)
- Palmetto Cheese Spread (this is our favorite brand)
- Assorted meats.- I usually go with something like this and this
- sweet pepper jelly (just spoon over goat cheese)
- and a hard cheese if you like... I went with a gouda here
The trick is to use a couple of small bowls at different heights and then I create sections (see middle picture). The bowls create height and separation. I actually like a little more structure to my boards - filling in with fruit (if you like) or nuts and crackers - as I did above. It literally takes minutes and always feels festive and fun. Enjoy!