If there is one thing I thoroughly enjoy, it's entertaining! Whether I go all out or it's a simple gathering with our closest friends, I love getting people together to socialize and snack on yummy treats.  My go-to for big or small gatherings is a simple charcuterie board. You'll feel like such an entertaining star with this DIY that will satisfy all your guests!

*Although we aren't gathering the way we traditionally have, pre-COVID-19, I love to have a girlfriend date over Zoom, social distance on the back porch, and make a fun appetizer for date night in with Stephen. 

A few pros for a charcuterie board for me are that I can gather all ingredients at the store in one trip, it's magical how easy and simple it is to arrange, and there's no right way to do it so it's stressfree. I can prepare the boards ahead of time, so I can enjoy the company without running around serving everyone.

When it comes to your charcuterie board, always remember VARIETY!  Variety of meats, cheeses, and "fillers" (I'll get into some of my favorites below).

The beauty of these "boards" is that you can keep it super simple (how I like to do it) or you can go all out with a huge spread to pack a punch. It's all up to you!  For a few close friends or date nights, I use my small marble cheese board, which is the ideal size for a small group.

Step-By-Step to your Simple Charcuterie Board

Meats for your Charcuterie Board

Hopefully, you can get these locally at your grocery store.  Don't forget to grab a variety!  Here are some top choices:

• Proscuitto 
• Ham
• Cured Sausages
• Genoa Salami
• and so many more options! 

Cheeses for your Charcuterie Board

Cheeses are a whole world all on their own, there are so many types to choose from, but to make sure you're adding variety to your board, pick a cheese from each of the categories if you'd like!  This category can feel very overwhelming for me, so I go with what I like and try to grab something new each time. *I love the variety of cheeses available at our local Costco. It also makes it easy to pick because each has a card that gives you a description of taste, hardness, and best wine pairings.

Soft Cheeses

• Brie
• Blue
• Feta
• Fresh Mozzarella

Semi/Soft and Medium Cheeses

• Gouda
• Munster
• Havarti

Semi/Hard and Hard Cheeses

• Cheddar
• Parmesan
• Colby
• Monterrey Jack

Fillers for your Charcuterie Board

This is my favorite part! It's so fun to shop for and it's like adding all the accessories that make the outfit feel spot on. There so many options that you can't go wrong, but it's fun to play around with different additions to your board.

Starches

Who doesn't love bread? Here are some of my favorite options!

• Crisps and crackers
• Baguette
• Croissants
• Breadsticks

Sweet & Salty Fresh Additions

• Nuts- almonds, pistachios, etc
• Fruits- grapes, strawberries, etc
• Pickles
• Olives
• Dried Fruits- used mango on mine pictured!
• Carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, etc

Oils, Jellies, & Sauces

Pull out your favorite ramekins to hold the dips and break up your board.  This is the cherry on top and keeps your board fun and inviting!

• Jellies- Hot Peppered Jelly on warm brie is my favorite!
• Oils- Extra Virgin Olive Oil and other oil seasonings
• Bruschetta
• Honey

Here is my simple charcuterie board that I like to build for home. This is on my small marble cheese board that is so handy to pull out and use for a date night.  I'll assemble and then layout on the island so Stephen and I can snack on it while he's grilling or we're hanging out in our sitting area.  It's the small, special touches that I love for making everyday moments feel extra fancy, so I always pull out our monogrammed cocktail napkins for fun!

For our board above, I picked 2 of our favorite cheeses- one was soft and the other was semi-soft. Crackers to scoop up our cheese, dried mango and grapes, along with salted almonds!

Now, tell me!  Do you love charcuterie boards as much as I do?  What are your favorite ingredients to add to your boards?