Hi Babes! I posted this cheese board over on my feed during the Christmas holiday and thought I would share the details on my blog in case you’re looking to create one of your own! All of these goodies came from Trader Joe’s which makes it convenient and cost-effective for a crowd. And I thought it would be a great addition to upcoming events like award season watch parties, Bachelor nights, Superbowl, or Galentine’s / Valentine’s celebrations.
It’s one of my favorite appetizers to make because there’s something for everyone and can be modified for your guests’ preferences, dietary restrictions, allergies, etc! The extra goodies on mine (blackberries, cheese crisps, and sweets were all a hit with the kiddos too!) And you can also adjust the size based on the number of people you’re hosting, plus it takes less than 15-minutes to put together! Win-win!
I’m including a shopping list at the very bottom of the post with everything I included!
I made this one for my in-laws’ Christmas Eve party and it was one of several appetizers we were sharing among roughly 20 people (including kids). I chose 4 kinds of cheeses and 3 meats, but you can modify based on the number of people you’re serving.
The process for putting it together is relatively simple. I have some loose steps I follow (listing them below), but you really can’t screw it up when you’re putting all of this deliciousness on one plate 🙂
- First, I start with my serving plate/board (mine’s old but I’m still loving this one from my gift guide last month!)
- Cheeses are up next… I usually face any wedges inward, and I like to pre-slice any block cheeses for easy grab-and-go. If it’s a soft cheese that people will be digging into, I make sure to leave enough room between those and other cheeses for cutting/spreading.
- Then come the meats, I like to place them right against the cheeses. Don’t be afraid to pack them tightly next to each other, people will still dig-in and I love when the plate is full/covered and there are no gaps.
- Then come the rest of the goodies, which I pile-on to fill in any remaining space on the plate. For this one I used fresh blackberries, oven baked cheese bites, plus a few seasonal goodies — frosted gingerbread men and dark chocolate stars — but you could sub out for any other in-season goodies or your favorite sweets! Check out a few suggestions for mixing it up below!
- Garnish with some fresh sprigs of rosemary, and voila!
Mix it up! I love the idea of adding chocolate covered strawberries/cherries or truffles for Valentine’s festivities. And I also like dried fruit and/or nuts (we specifically went nut-free on this one for my nephew’s allergy).
