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Good morning! Today I am so excited because my beautiful friend Michele of the fabulous blog Hello Lovely is guest posting today! I think this post fits perfectly with my homemade Christmas gift theme this week. After all do you know anyone that wouldn’t love a beautifully and artfully arranged Cheese board? Please welcome the wonderfully talented Michele. 

Hello, lovely Pinecones & Acorns friends! I’m Michele of Hello Lovely, and I feel truly blessed and honored to trade places with Elizabeth today on this beautiful blog which has inspired me for years. Whether she is sharing a scrumptious dessert recipe or her love for tartan, I always come away uplifted by Elizabeth and as though I have just visited a friend whose heart has caused my own to glow with warmth. Isn’t that what the best bloggers do?

While I mainly spotlight lovely interior design inspiration and timeless and tranquil home decor on my blog, I also share personal stories from my kitchen and DIY home renovation projects. Today, I’m dishing on my current obsession: easy cheese, charcuterie, and graze boards for simple casual entertaining.

Whether you refer to these as cheese boards, cheese platters, charcuterie boards, or graze boards, it’s all just delicious-speak to me! I mean, what is easier than assembling your favorite cheeses, nibbles, and nuts and serving them casually with wine, cocktails, or alcohol-free punch? Guests love these!

Easy Holiday Appetizer Ideas

Easy Holiday Appetizer Ideas for Holiday Entertaining – Hello Lovely Studio

I assembled the cheese boards you see here for my son’s 26th birthday dinner, and you’ll find a shopping list at the end of the post. The boards are easy to find online, and here’s a lovely one made of olive wood:

Olive Wood Cheese Board

 I couldn’t resist snapping a still life, and you see I didn’t even bother with a fancy floral arrangement. This is a branch from the burning bush just outside the front door.

Easy Holiday Appetizer Ideas for Holiday Entertaining – Hello Lovely Studio

 How to Assemble a Beautiful Cheese Board

1. PLATTER MATTERS. Select a beautiful board or three.

Shop for new wood or marble boards or trays with a smooth surface.

2. CHOOSE THE CHEESE. Decide on a few different varieties of cheese, charcuterie, fruits, nuts, crackers, etc.

In terms of cheese, there are honestly no rules you must abide by beyond simply choosing what you love. If a stinky cheese gives you a headache, do not consider it! I love fruit-studded cheeses, and it doesn’t hurt that they add a great variety of color. As for charcuterie, I love the ease of pre-sliced coppa, proscuitto, and salami.

3. SLICE THE LOVELY. Slice some of the strawberries, pears, charcuterie, and cheese.

If there’s any secret at all, it’s this: leave some of the fruit and cheese whole, and also slice some of it. A few strawberry, fig and pear slices will add interest and beauty to the board. Slice the charcuterie thinly (if it didn’t pre-sliced) and dice some of the cheese into bite-size chunks. Simply style apples and pears on the table around the board for color and added beauty. Prepare the grapes: with kitchen shears, cut the stems for small individual bunches.

4. JOYFULLY ASSEMBLE! Artfully arrange ingredients on the board.

Begin with the largest items (cheese, meats, crackers) and then fill in, paying attention to what pleases your eye as far as color. Have fun with it!

Serving wine with this delish? I like to leave choosing wines to Martha Stewart Wine Co…

Easy Holiday Appetizer Ideas for Holiday Entertaining ; Martha Stewart Wine

Easy Holiday Appetizer Ideas for Holiday Entertaining – Hello Lovely Studio

Easy Holiday Appetizer Ideas for Holiday Entertaining – Hello Lovely Studio

Easy Holiday Appetizer Ideas for Holiday Entertaining – Hello Lovely Studio

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Easy Holiday Appetizer Ideas for Holiday Entertaining – Hello Lovely Studio

Feeling inspired for your next Holiday gathering of friends or dinner party? Love a good cheese board?

I hope you’ll visit Hello Lovely, where Elizabeth is my guest, and thank you so much, Elizabeth for the hospitality!

Peace to you right where you are.

~michele

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* Shopping List *

Wine – Martha Stewart French Rose

Triple creme brie, cow’s milk

Longhorn Colby – cow’s milk

Chèvre – goat milk

Canadian Cheddar – cow’s milk

Parmigiano Reggiano – unpasteurized cow’s milk

Wensleydale with Cranberries – cow’s milk

Peppered Salami, Salami, Coppa, Proscuitto

Kalamata olives, green olives, red and green grapes,
dried cranberries, pears, strawberries, blueberries, figs

Roasted peanuts, Smoked almonds

Assorted gluten-free crackers