Who doesn’t love a Charcuterie Board with its cured Italian meats, cheeses (the funkier, the better 😋), pickled goodness, fresh fruit/veggies with an accompanying tasty dip and bread and/or crackers. This is one of our go-tos on a Friday night or while entertaining because it hits all the taste buds and there’s something for everyone!

These food items typically appear on a charcuterie board:

• Cured meats – yum 😋
• Cheese – hard, soft, mild, funky, spreadable; make sure you have some variety
• Pickled goodness – olives and/or tasty veggies
• Nuts
• Fruit – fresh or dried
• Relish/Mustard/Jam/Pâté – something extra to make the board special
• Bread and/or crackers – variety is best

On a Friday night, I’ll usually get inspired to create a charcuterie board after a visit to the grocery store if I find fresh bread or visit their Mediterranean Bar. Typically, it’s a lazy board without all the fixings, but delicious and satisfying nonetheless 😋

As I’ve mentioned in other posts (i.e. July 4th Eats & Treats) and on Instagram, Charcuterie is perfect for entertaining and has something for everyone, even the puppies 🐾❤. This board was created for our Christmas celebration with the family and I even made a sundried tomato cheese spread, to fit with the festivities 😋

Heading into this July 4th, I decided to visit Pinterest for inspiration because I knew I’d be feeding a crowd and came across Patriotic Charcuterie Boards, which immediately beckoned me. Red, white and blue food items was a challenge made for Jackie’s Eats & Treats 😉

As usual, I began my planning:

• Red Food
  • Pepperoni
  • Salami
  • Radishes
  • Red Peppers, fresh, pickled or relish
  • Tomatoes, fresh or a dip
  • Strawberries, fresh or jam spread
  • Watermelon, fresh or pickled
  • Cherries
  • Red Apple Slices, keep those skins on
• White Food
  • Cucumbers, just remove the green skin and you have white
  • Cheeses, of course
  • Cauliflower, fresh or pickled
  • White Asparagus, fresh or pickled
  • Turnip, fresh or pickled
• Blue Food
  • Blue cheese, one of my absolute favorites
  • Blueberries, fresh or jam spread
  • Berry jam or chutney

Now with my inspirational food items in my Buy Me a Pie! app, it was time to head to the store. I’m much more of a savory fan when it comes to charcuterie and that was the direction I was heading in, so blue was a challenge for me, but I think I did well in the end.

I attempted to create an American Flag, thanks Pinterest, for the inspiration. Keep strolling to read about the yumminess I included.

Ingredients included in my Patriotic Charcuterie Board:

• For the Stars
  • Blue cheese, I know it’s a stretch, but one of my favorite cheeses
  • Black Kalamata Olives, I know again a stretch, but you need olives on a charcuterie board, in my opinion ❤
• For the Stripes
  • Red
    • Radish, halved
    • Red pepper, slices
    • Cherubs Snacking Cherry Tomatoes – Super cute and love the rinse container
    • Margherita Pepperoni – Always a crowd-pleaser
  • White
    • Hidden Valley Ranch Dip – You need a yummy dip for your veggies and always a crowd-pleaser
    • Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese – This is a go-to in our household; super creamy and delicious
    • Cucumber, skins removed and sliced for dipping
  • Red/White Combined
    • Daniele’s Charcuterie Panino: Hot Samale Rolled with Mozzerala Cheese – Another crowd-pleaser, with some zip. Note: It didn’t keep with the perfection of of my stripes, but well worth it 😋
• The foundation to all good bites
  • Keebler’s Toasteds Buttercrisp Crackers – Perfectly simple with their buttery crisp
  • Firehook Baked Sea Salt Crackers – A delicious Mediterranean cracker for cheese or dipping

I hope this post will inspire your next Patriotic or entertaining festivities, cheers 🍻