Since Charcuterie boards are all the buzz these days, I decided I wanted to make one.  I planned on creating a charcuterie board for our Christmas open house, but had so many other menu choices and limited time so it never happened. Since I had already purchased several things to make a charcuterie board, I threw one together for dinner one night last week to serve with our butter bean soup. 

A charcuterie board is really just a fancy meat and cheese board.  This is a simpler board created for our family of 6 (2 adults and 4 children).  You can find images of epic charcuterie boards online that are huge and overflowing with goodies.  I made this one with kids in mind.  I left some space between things on this board so that little hands could more easily reach for things without touching everything else.  I also included things I knew the kids would love like ordinary (sliced which is easier) cheddar cheese, blueberries, and yellow tomatoes.  The kids actually tried and like most things on this board, but I wanted to make sure to include some favorite foods. 

I started by putting my large cheese selections on the board to anchor everything else around.  I used small dishes for some items to keep them from rolling off the board.  Charcuterie boards can get expensive, but I purchased most of what you see here at Aldi.  The nuts were on clearance at Walmart after Christmas.  

Here is the breakdown of what's on my simple, kid-friendly charcuterie board.  Cherry-size yellow tomatoes, cheddar cheese, whole grain club style (Kroger brand) crackers, almond nut-thins, double creme brie, mascarpone cheese, and blueberries

The other side: cashews, parmesan wedge, prosciutto, garlic stuffed olives, hard salami, and kalamata olives

In this picture you get a behind the scenes look at how I stage and photograph food.  I photograph in our sunroom because it has the most light of any room in our house.  I usually shoot closer to the windows, but when I photograph in the afternoon, I get shadows near the windows so I shot these pics on our dining table.  This white board is one of my photo boards which I bought at a resale store years ago and painted.  I can move it closer to window light or further away as needed to get the best shot.  

I prefer to shoot in the daytime for better light, but I have a light that makes nighttime photo shoots possible.  I will post an amazon link below.  It is expensive, but I have used mine for years and it works great for quick and easy night shots. 

This is always on my sidebar because it is such a great resource for anyone interested in food photography.  Tasty Food Photography by Lindsey from Pinch of Yum is the best resource I have found for improving food photography.  

There are endless possibilities when it comes to creating a fabulous charcuterie board.  You can make it simple or more complex, just be sure to include some things you know your family and guests will enjoy.  Some more ideas I did not include are dried fruits, a small pot of honey or jam, and some fresh vegetables like sugar snap peas or sliced cucumber. 

Pin on Pinterest

Disclosure:  This post contains sponsored content and may contain affiliate links.

This has to be the simplest candy to make, but it will really wow your guests.  Planning something fun like Mom's Night In or to cheer on your favorite team?  You can make this simple cranberry and pistachio bark in no time and enjoy all of it’s yummy goodness.

Sweet cranberries and salted pistachios in sweet almond bark make a delicious sweet and salty snack good enough for any occasion. Or just because...no reason needed to enjoy this delicious treat.

All you need to make this is almond bark, dried cranberries and pistachios. Three simple ingredients! If you want it a little saltier to counteract the sweet almond bark, simply add some fresh ground salt on top. 

You line a sided baking sheet, like this one from Amazon, with parchment paper then spread the melted almond bark in the pan.  Top with chopped dried cranberries, pistachios, and fresh ground salt if desired.  Chill then cut into pieces. 

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Almond bark
1/2 to 1 cup chopped dried cranberries (you can buy them chopped)
1/2 to 1 cup chopped pistachios (you can buy them shelled and they are easy to chop)
Fresh ground salt (optional)

Equipment:
Parchment paper
Jelly Roll pan

1. In a microwave safe bowl, melt almond bark following package instructions.  This is so easy to do in the microwave.
2.  Spread melted almond bark in a parchment lined sided baking pan.
3.  Top with chopped cranberries and pistachios.  Then add fresh ground salt if desired. 
4.  Set pan in the fridge to harden, then lift bark out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board to cut into pieces. It comes out easily with the parchment paper. 

​