Kid-Friendly Charcuterie Board

First off…did you see our new YouTube channel yet?? If not, you SHOULD!! We have TONS of new content planned for the summer, so don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss it!! This week has brought us temps over 100, and my desire to cook (and will to live) have both left the building. It is just TOO DANG HOT!! At the grocery store, I was at a TOTAL loss. What the heck could I make for dinner that was A. simple enough for my 5 month quarantine self to pull off and B. didn’t require turning on the oven?!?! As I wandered through the cool aisles of the grocery store, I spotted some yummy sliced cheeses and BOOM…I had it!! I decided to FINALLY join 2019 (not 2020 because we all know 2020 can suck it) and jump on the charcuterie board bandwagon. But instead of creating something that was SUPER pretty but not practical for my kiddos, I created a kid-friendly charcuterie board that was a HUGE success!!

First off, what the heck is a charcuterie board??

It is essentially a really yummy combo platter of meats, cheeses, and other savory and sweet finger foods to nibble. Basically it is SUPER fancy lunchable…haha. BUT if you check out Pinterest or #charcuterie, you will see that for many people these boards are a pure art form. I created an entire Pinterest board if you want to check out some other fun combos and pretty displays. Some of the boards over there in Pinterest Land are GORGEOUS!!! The problem I have always had when wanting to make a charcuterie board is that my kids are not adventurous eaters, so lots of soft cheeses, dips, and fancy olives were out of the question…plus that stuff can all add up. Soooo I went very simple and chose kid friendly, budget conscious options to create a fun, BUT NOT OVERLY fancy dinner for summer.

SOOOO what do you put on a charcuterie board??

The best part about a meal like this is that you can LITERALLY use whatever you have on hand. Meat, cheese, and crackers is the easiest place to start. I used a couple types of cheese, 3 crackers, and some sliced salami, but you could use some lunch-meat, string cheese, and Ritz to keep it simple. Next, I added a few fruits and veggies to up the healthiness factor a bit. I used sweet peppers, carrots, grapes, and olives (black for the kids and Kalamata for me…yummm!!!). And last, I added some mixed nuts, pretzels and OF COURSE some ranch for dippng. I wanted to keep a good combo of sweet, savory, salty, and crisp…but also make it very filling. I HATE feeding my family dinner and then catching them in the fridge an hour later looking for a snack. Since this was not just an appetizer, I wanted them to EAT UP!!! This was a TOTAL success. The kids (and hubby) were super impressed and excited to try something new. PLUS I made it ahead of time, so they didn’t have to wait on dinner. I just pulled it out and VOILA!!

What else could you add to a kid-friendly charcuterie??

Having such a simple dinner was a fun change of pace for us and SOOOO perfect for the hot summer nights. Now I have been brainstorming what other kid-friendly options I might add next time. Here are a few ideas…

• Goldfish crackers/Cheese-its/oyster crackers
• raisens/craisens/dried apricots
• pretzel chips/veggie straws
• cherry tomatoes
• apple slices/orange slices
• strawberries/blueberries
• cucumbers
• mini pickles
• Babybel cheese
• hummus
• trail mix
• boiled eggs
• snap peas
• cut french bread
• bar mix/cheese balls
• celery and peanutbutter
• fruit dip
• animal crackers

The sky is the limit!! I have even seen straight CANDY boards over on Pinterest…NOW THAT is a board my family would enjoy!!!

How to make it look pretty?

I thought this would be the tough part, but it was actually super simple. I just used the largest/flattest serving tray I had on hand for the base…nothing fancy. But you could totally use one of THESE adorable cheese boards from Amazon or one of THESE amazing cutting boards!!! First, I used a small bowl for dip and added that RIGHT in the middle. Next, I used cupcake liners for the olives and nuts and placed them around the dip. Next time, I want to get THESE re-usable liners…what a cute idea…plus less waste!! Then, I added the meats and cheeses, trying to separate them out around the board. Then I just tucked the veggies and fruits in to fill in any gaps. One of the kids wandered in while I was putting our board together and asked “who is coming over?”….so I guess that means it looked worthy of guests:)

Why this kid-friendly charcuterie board is the perfect summer/quick dinner?

EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of my family found something they loved on the charcuterie board. That in itself equals dinner success. BUT on top of that, there was minimal effort, NO cooking time, and ZERO clean-up!!! I brought out plates, but everybody just nibbled off the tray, so NO DISHES!!! Besides all that, we had MORE than half leftover and NOBODY complained about eating it a second day. 2 meals in one…that is a MOM DREAM!!! I guarantee that we will have some version of this kid-friendly charcuterie board on the menu ALL SUMMER LONG. What are your GO-TO dinners for these hot summer nights?? I would love to hear’em!! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram to see LOTS more kid friendly food ideas. ANDDDD subscribe over on my brand new YouTube channel…I have some AMAZING stuff coming to the channel soon…including some guest posters who will be teaching us EVEN MORE about how to make a charcuterie board!!! ANDDDD last but not least…sign up down below for my newsletter. I send out new recipes, all of my favorite finds each week, and TONS of holiday inspiration. Let’s chat soon. JESS

****You can find more kid friendly recipes HERE, HERE and HERE!!!

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