There are a handful of dinners that ALL FIVE of us can agree on and Charcuterie night is definitely one of them! So you can guess that we have this often!!
Now, “charcuterie” is French ((of course)) and technically means “cooked flesh.” M’kayyy….well….this is what charcuterie means in my house:
char·cu·te·rie [ˌSHärˈko͞odərē]
noun
A plate/board of lots of little, yummy things we love. Preferably includes meats, cheese and served with wine.
Charcuterie can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be! When I make it at home for my family, I tend to keep it simple because let’s face it, my kids don’t do **fancy**.
Staple items I usually include
- Cheese: hard cheese, soft cheese, mild, sharp, whatever!
- Meats: Salami, ham, pepperoni
- Crackers
- Good crusty bread or baguette
- Fruit/Veggies: grapes, strawberries, baby carrots, tomatoes
- Dips/spreads: the kids love ranch!
- Nuts
- Olives
Don’t stress about choosing so many different things, just choose whatever your family likes! If your family loves American cheese–throw down some of those cut into cute squares! Ranch dressing lovers? Pour some into a small bowl and start dipping (mine is on the top left of the pic!)! My kids love regular old ham, so I cut some slices in half and rolled them up! Nothing fancy!
Trader Joes is the perfect place to load up on charcuterie items–their cheeses are super affordable and they have so many different crackers, dips and spreads! Here are some of my family’s current faves:
Supreme Soft Cheese: This is basically a super creamy, delicious brie.
It paired PERFECTLY with these crackers…
and this spread..
This is literally the most perfect fall bite!!! DIVINE!!!
We all love super sharp cheddar at my house and this one is so good and you can’t beat the price:
We also love the creaminess of this Fontina:
I have a few large wooden cutting boards that I use for Charcuterie night. Obviously, it’s not required but I just think it looks festive and nice! I have one bamboo one like this one.You can also go a little fancier with a “real” charcuterie board like this one. I like that one because it comes with the little knives and serving utensils built in. Or you can just throw everything on a big white platter or tiered tray like this one.
Just keep it simple for an easy family-friendly dinner idea! What’s on your charcuterie board??
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