DIY Charcuterie Board from Trader Joe’s!

Good Morning! Ok, Thanksgiving is just shy of one week away! Do you guys feel like you’re on the speeding train of life and it won’t slow down until 2019?? I hate how fast these last few weeks of the year fly by, but I LOVE all of the time spent with family and friends so I guess it’s a fair trade. Last week on Instagram I took a content poll and asked if you’d rather see How to Create a Beautiful Charcuterie Board (all from Trader Joe’s) OR sharing one of my favorite Thanksgiving appetizers. Of course the votes were split nearly 50/50, so I decided to do BOTH! I’m bringing on Lexie from A Slice of Sweet to produce some fab recipes for you guys in the coming weeks and I’ll be sharing her delicious (and HEALTHY) Thanksgiving appetizer on Saturday!! Today I’m sharing how to make a show stopping cheese board on a budget! Charcuterie boards are one of my absolute favorite things to put together and I think it’s because I don’t follow any rules or formulas. All I know is that people love cheese, so it will all workout in the end. The one below is hands down my favorite one yet and I even filmed myself assembling it (listed below) so that you can get an idea of how I build it. I hope that you try your own this Holiday season–they are beautiful, great for conversation and always get gobbled up!

DIY Cheese Board:

Plisse Tie Waist Top (also in Black, wearing a small) | High Waisted Coated Jeans (wearing a 27|4)| Statement Earrings

This top is one from the Gibson X Glam line at Nordstrom and I’ve loved wearing it! It’s feminine, beautiful and the champagne color is perfect for the Holidays. The pleats are small and the shimmery fabric reflects the light perfectly. The tie waist is adjustable so that you are really able to give yourself some shape. There’s also a snap at the center so that it’s nursing friendly! I paired it with my go to black jeans for the Holiday season and felt confident and put together yet still comfortable in my clothes!

Charcuterie Board Ingredients (all from Trader Joe’s)

Like I mentioned, I don’t follow a specific formula or any “rules” when creating my charcuterie board. My goal is to make something pretty and with a taste for everyone. I typically choose milder, softer cheeses so that the appeal to more people and your guests aren’t spending time sawing into a log of hard cheese. I like to have an assortment of crackers, meats, nuts, dried fruits and even a few pieces of chocolate on mine. To make this one feel seasonal I added cranberries and sliced pomegranate for some beautiful color. To add a bit of dimension I always have 2-3 small bowls on the board holding things like olives, hummus or fruit. THESE are the ones I used below.

This is only the second charcuterie spread that I’ve put together on this gorgeous cypress board and I’m loving it for so many reasons. My uncle has a business in Louisiana where they reclaim old cypress wood and repurpose it (think gorgeous floors, cabinets, etc). What they do is so incredibly beautiful and it adds character to any space. Well last year for Christmas he surprised me with this board and I about fell over. He hand finishes them and creates boards to any size. Mine is almost 3 feet long and you can tell how old the cypress wood he used to make it is. His prices are crazy reasonable and they start around $60, depending on what you might want. I display mine in my kitchen and they also make amazing gifts! If you are interested in one, you can email him here: dbfontenot315@gmail.com

Here’s the very amateur video that I created about the board. I know that these aren’t perfect but I am having so much fun putting them together. I felt you guys might want a visual of this, so if it’s something you like–let me know!

A few notes:

I always line my board with parchment paper before getting started. Always a good idea regardless of if you’re using a marble board or a wooden one.

I start with the cheese placements, then the meat, then crackers, then fruits, nuts and finally garnish with greens and berries.

Here’s how I put this one together:

 Here’s how it turned out! One quick run to Trader Joe’s, $50 bucks and about 10 minutes of prep time later and you have a total cheese board to wow. This is great to throw together for last minute guests or as an appetizer while serving wine or cocktails. It’s a great place for conversation and that makes me so happy. 

Plisse Tie Waist Top (also in Black, wearing a small) | High Waisted Coated Jeans (wearing a 27|4)| Statement Earrings

Thank you so much for joining me today, this charcuterie board was SO much fun to put together! If you end up making your own, please post it and tag me in your masterpieces! Dying to see your spin on it! Pin the image below to your Pinterest boards so that you can always reference the post!