savory and sweet

Hey guys! Getting ready for the season of drinking and eating until you have to un-notch your belt? Well, lots of charcuterie plates have been popping up in my Pinterest feed, so I finally decided to take the plunge and try it. But first I needed a platter suitable for such a savory spread. I picked this one up from Target. It's no longer available online, but I managed to find a few still in stores. I've also seen a plethora of "tree slice" platters at Home Goods, but any beautiful wooden board would do. :)

So far I've managed to experiment twice with a few different combinations, but this one came out the best.

From the left going clockwise:

• Red grapes
• Green pitted olives (with pimentos)
• Prosciutto
• Toasted slices of bread with olive oil and spices (picked up as a bag for $2 at the Kroger bakery)
• Ritz crackers
• Sliced gourmet pepperoni
• Extra sharp cheddar cheese
• Goat cheese infused with cranberries (this sweet cheese was great with the savory bread slices)
• Garlic and herb Laughing Cow cheese wedges (which were wonderful with the Ritz crackers)

Brandon and I actually had this for dinner last night and struggled to finish the whole thing. I must admit, it's nice to do something like this without the pressure of entertaining. Who wouldn't want to treat themselves  with a big glass of wine and a plate of goodies in front of the tv! Also this is a great practice run for when we actually have guests.

Since making this charcuterie plate was so easy (slice things up, arrange them on a pretty platter) I'm thinking it could be a great addition to Christmas afternoon when we're not quite ready for dinner, but need a filling snack. I could also do it when friends come over for an enticing game of Cards Against Humanity. In the future I'll probably add some mixed nuts and maybe some greenery (like fresh rosemary) to fill in the negative space. All in all, it was short, savory, sweet and I didn't actually have to cook dinner. Win!