OK, yes- a charcuterie board, trendy here of late but so dang pretty! I made one for the first time a few months ago and I'm officially obsessed with making them. They are so easy, versatile, and fun to design. I've enjoyed looking for different foods to use while making them. You can tailor it to work for whatever mood you're in or event that you're invited too. It can be served as an appetizer for a crowd (the perfect conversation piece) or a meal for a handful of people. You can experiment with the mixing of flavors and textures. For instance, my strawberry balsamic black pepper jam has been a delicious accompanying element because it tastes divine topped on sharp white cheddar, crackers, and cream cheese. 

Step One:

 Locate a platter that you love, either from your own cupboard, a thrift store or treat yourself to a new one. I saw one on the Magnolia website and I really wanted it but couldn't see spending the price tag that accompanied it. So I asked a handy friend of ours to make me one out of old barn wood. The end result has been amazing! Let me tell you-- friends with special talents can be the biggest blessing.  You can see pictures of it at the end of the post. 

Step Two:

Find three small bowls, glass, wood, ceramic, whatever you have around! I love to use the small latte bowls from Anthropologie and I've also have used small mason jars leftover in my cupboard from making jam. Place them randomly about the board (odd numbers are always more appealing to the eye when it comes to design, or so they say). You'll use these bowls for things like oils, spreads, nuts, dips--or things that may have some 'juice' to them like olives or pickles.

Step Three:

Think of your theme and what flavors work well together. Start with your meats, cured, uncured or a mixture of both? We enjoy hard salami, prosciutto, and pepperoni. Then move on to your cheeses, either pick one cheese or do a combination of cheeses that offer soft or hard textures, and mild, sharp, or strong flavors. I love to use various sharp cheddars, gouda, havarti and Yancy's champagne or dill flavored cheese. (You can find them at most grocery stores.)

Step Four:

Now, your accent pieces-- think, olives, fresh cucumber or pickles, carrots, bell pepper, nuts, seasonal fresh fruit such as melon, apples, grapes, or berries. And then add carbs like baguette slices and crostini crackers, dried fruit, sliced figs, mustard's, Jam, preserves, and/or chutney, hummus or other bean dips. 

Step Five:

Arrange it! Think layers and packed tightly together. Think of it as an art project, mix color and texture, create a story. And leave no space unoccupied! 

Step Six:

Now, let's talk beverage selection. As for beer, think- ales or porters since they can cut through the fat of the meats and playoff other characteristics of the food. When it comes to wines, consider full-body reds, sparkling Proseccos or dry Rieslings which reset the palate. And if you prefer a non-alcoholic selection try sparkling water and mineral water, especially with a slice of lime or lemon, that is always a refreshing choice. I love to use my monthly Winc selections.


Here is the finished piece. I was inspired by the Magnolia Market serving plank and cheese board, thanks Robbin for bringing my vision to life!

Last year as Kindergarten came to an end and we approached summer break I went into it with the attitude 'let the kids be kids'-- we extended bedtime from 7-7:30 to 8-8:30 and I let them sleep in unless we had somewhere to be. We wore PJs until noon or later during our indoor days and on nice days they played outside until lunch and then again after rest time until dinner. We went to parks, we took swim lessons, we went with the flow and relaxed.

We were free range all summer and then we started off first grade and Ava was immediately behind reading level-- my heart sank. I had wanted them to be kids all summer, free play and not worry about a regimented schedule or school work. And it's not that I didn't read to them over summer-- I try and read every night before bed. But I didn't put as much of an emphasis on keeping her mind fresh with all of the new things that she learned throughout the school year. Hey, you live summer and you learn.

So, as we quickly approach the upcoming summer break (less than 30 days to go--pray for me) there are a few things that I plan to try and do differently. I still strongly believe that kids should have the summer to just be kids because they only get seventeen to eighteen carefree summers at home and then that's it-- it's hello part time jobs, college or the real world! But on the other side of the coin I'm also learning that school is moving them along so fast and for me, personally, I need to set aside the time to keep school their skills sharp so we're not always finding ourselves playing catch up at the beginning of a new school year.

Once I came to this realization and made a promise to myself off to google and Pinterest I went-- searching and looking up ways to add little bits of school to our summer rhythm. First, I came up with a schedule of how I wanted to attack our weeks and then I went on a search for materials and websites that offer printable materials for us to use. Lastly, summer is summer this is not carved in stone but routines and schedules have always worked for us.

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