Hello beautiful friends! I'm so thrilled you're here! I hope to create a community that loves the lovely in life and celebrates one another's successes. So, thank you for joining me and I hope you stick around!
This year many will be having Thanksgiving away from extended family--introverts rejoice! But for many, it can be hard to break with tradition. That's why I think it's a great year to go BIG with Thanksgiving! Use those rose-colored glasses and have yourself a luxuriously small Thanksgiving with only your very nearest and dearest. Break with tradition by serving your family a beautiful, fall charcuterie board!
I created this board for one of my dearest friends' bridal showers back in October. It was an intimate gathering, which is why it was so fun to go all out for it! The reason I think this would make a fabulous Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering for your family is that you can go as big or as small as you would like while still creating a beautiful yet comfortable setting. Here is my "recipe" for the Thanksgiving charcuterie board of your dreams.
Step One- Build your Menu:
Start with cheese. I suggest having three to four cheeses depending on how many people you are serving.
Soft Cheese (pick 1-3)
Chevre (AKA goat cheese, I suggest one rolled in cranberries to be festive and delicious)
Brie
Coulommiers
Camembert
Hard Pressed Cheese (pick 1-3)
Gruyere
Comte
Edam
Meat (pick 3)
salami
prosciutto
*turkey deli meat (to be officially on point for Thanksgiving)
smoked salmon
or a Rotisserie chicken
Fruit (pick 4-6)
*Dried Cranberries
*small bowl of cranberry sauce
Dried Cherries
*Dried Orange slices
BlackBerries
Raspberries
Blue Berries
Pears
Grapes
Persimmons
*Pomegranate
Vegetables (pick 4-5)
Cornichons Pickles
Black Olives
Kalamata Olives
Green Olives
Fingerling Potatoes
Carrot sticks
Slices colorful bell peppers
Artichoke (served with butter...um, yes please)
*A smallish bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy (if you really want that Thanksgiving feel)
Nuts (pick one)
pistachios
walnuts
cashews
Or whatever nut you're nuts about (oh yeah, I went there)
Separate Bread Basket
Baguette
Crackers
Drinks
I always make a cranberry juice/sprite punch
or
-sliced oranges and cranberries in ice water
or
Cranberry Ginger ale...yum!
OR, like pictured below, you can go crazy at Trader Joe's and buy yummy sparkling drinks.
*indicates that it is uber Thanksgiving worthy
Step Two- Find your Surface:
Next, you need a surface. I found mine at World Market but feel free to just pull out a cutting board or a large serving tray. Here are a few pretty ones I found online if you are looking for something new.
Step Three- Create!
I start by placing my cheeses, then I might put something larger down like a large bunch of grapes and then work our from there to the meats and then the fruit. I treat the nuts and dried fruit as more of a filler/decoration so they go in last. I also enjoy a sprig of rosemary or a few berries on the cheese to really dress up the occasion.
Step Four-Serve!
Create a beautiful table with flowers and candles and then eat your heart out and give thanks you will not have that one crazy relative at Thanksgiving this year! Then video call your Grandma! She misses you.
And voila! A beautiful, unconventional Thanksgiving to remember!
I also have a traditional Thanksgiving menu for small families! So check that out if you are feeling more nostalgic for turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Oh gosh, I'm starving now!
Will you be going luxuriously, unconventionally, BIG this year with a small Thanksgiving or Christmas charcuterie board, or are you feeling more traditional? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Olivia
