Yum! I'd hit that. 💕

Looks and sounds delicious!!

Very nice selections and presentation !

A lot of folks are not fans of blue cheeses. Again, I think you hit all the marks.

you put some great snacks out there

Do you use a glaze for the paint? Or is it another medium?

I love cheese

Very cheesey, but in a good way 😊 Love it!

Beautiful! Looks rustic and modern at the same time.

That's so cool!!

Adorable!

This was a fun read, thank you so much. Mostly because it’s so relatable 😂 my first few charcuterie boards were a mess but it def comes with time and practice lol. BUT ALSO a bonus to making charcuterie boards for other people and accidentally going overboard (I do every time), you get all the extra meats and cheese and crackers and fruits to keep making more small boards for yourself. When I have a free $150-$175 or so I love making a board for my bf and me. Also, that salami rose looks great and I hope someone there appreciated it haha

Thank you all for being so encouraging and not laughing (at least publicly, LOL) at my first attempt.

The salami roses garnered the most attention and ooohs and ahhhs, followed by the stupidly, badly carved zig-zag orange - which made me both laugh and groan simultaneously.

We ended up with waaaay too much food, and I was foisting the leftovers on as many people as possible, since we also had catering leftovers, and my fridge is only so big. I was already having to play fridge Tetris with just my boards and didn’t think I could handle another round.

I will give a shoutout to Aldi, as I only paid about $75ish total (my cutesy spring platter not included) for all the ingredients. Got to the dinner with my boards and was immediately stopped by our President. She asked how much I had spent, as I am being reimbursed by the HOA.

She was shocked that I only spent $75; when I asked why, she rolled her eyes and said the board member who was in charge of the beer and wine had spent $85…on four middling-quality bottles of wine and some beer (Michelob Ultra, not even the good stuff from our local craft brewery).

All in all, it was definitely a learning experience. I am looking forward to trying it again to see how better I can do on my second go ‘round.

Thank you so much for learning this the hard way for me, I am saving this post for my next board lol. I think yours turned out great!

The first one is always an eye opener 😂 yours look terrific! !

Also, here's what I finally ended up with on the boards in the photos:

Mozzarella wrapped in salami, pepperoni, and prosciutto

Six-cracker variety selection

Cranberry cinnamon goat cheese

Cubed cheddar

Four-pack cracker cut cheese slices (gouda, havarti, white cheddar, and I forget the last type)

Three or four different types of tomatoes

Red and green grapes

Blackberries

Hummus

Tzatziki

Baby carrots

Cucumber slices

Baguette slices

Kalamata olives

Chocolate-covered almonds

Cashews and plain almonds

Fresh rosemary sprigs and a zig-zag orange as garnishes

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue is a great guide when planning.

For example, an aged gouda (not smoked!) like beemster- look for salt crystals; a newer cheese which is where a really good brie or other very soft, creamy cheese comes in; something interesting for "borrowed"- a good goat like Humboldt fog, or a truffled cheese, or a wensleydale with blueberries, or you could add your smoked Gouda here (I wouldn't- too overpowering in smell and taste for the other cheese); and then a blue- go with Cambazola or St. Auger. For an extra, a burratta served with fresh basil and some nice flaky salt is amazing this time of year.

Also, go with a triple cream brie if you possibly can. Brillat Savarin (better than brie, it's amazing)- is one of my favorites. Get more than you'd think of the soft cheese- it always goes much faster than other cheese.

If you do manage to get an aged gouda, even if it's not your job to, bring some good honey as well. That cheese dipped in honey is fantastic.

Smoked Gouda is very polarizing and the flavor is pretty strong. Personally I wouldn’t put it on a cheese board. (I am a smoked Gouda hater though. If the whole crowd loves it then keep it!)

When picking cheeses, it’s important to focus on textures. Brie and smoked Gouda are both creamy, so I’d add a semi firm cheese to this mix. Something approachable and that is tasty with accompaniments, like an aged Gouda, manchego, or aged cheddar.

Happy to help further if you need!

Piave vecchio or asiago. Very accessible cheeses that are hard (for difference in texture). They go well with fruit, since the juicy sweetness of fruit balances salty/crumbly cheese.

Edit: "very accessible", "crowd pleasers", and "kids love it", are all my preferred ways to say it's a cheese for those beginning to sample cheeses. I wouldn't point OP to get expensive gourmet stuff that needs an acquired taste to enjoy it.

maybe a hard cheese like mimolette or parmigiano reggiano. some type of cheddar is also a solid choice because it is both good and familiar to most people

Definitely manchego, maybe something salty like an aged cheddar or parm (bonus if you have leftover you can cook with it easy) and maybe something spicy like a pepperjack or some other peppery cheese.

I am a lover of smoked Gouda as well so that’s fine on the plate but think about the variety of flavors and textures on your board. Get a soft cheese, a medium firm cheese, and a hard cheese. Something sweet or spicy is also good (like an apple manchego or maybe a mustard flavored cheese) but if you’re gonna do wine I’d lean towards the sweeter or salty side.

If you want non cheese accompaniments pick something that pairs well with what you are having. You have some creamy cheeses picked out so some fruit like strawberries, apple slices, or tangerine slices to go with it. Maybe some assorted crackers or nuts for a little bit of saltiness with the smoky nuttiness of Gouda and cheddar. Dark chocolate is also a good pairing with wine, and bonus, they make chocolate flavored cheeses too!

Last but not least. I see you don’t really like funky tastes as seen by no goat or blue cheese. Maybe give a goat cheese a chance. Just a log of chèvre with some interesting jam or honey poured on top of it to have with crackers. If you don’t want to, you can always use cream cheese and jam or something like mango salsa.

That’s so handy I wonder if they have one for meats as well?

The sliced meat is not optional.

Was everything else strictly kosher ?

Nicely done.

Why would a bot need a cheese board? Yall can't even enjoy food

I've been waiting to try this.

I can't even begin to imagine how much of a joy it would be to make this into a board game. How fresh and easy and fun. Just work your fingers, don't sweat, and go to sleep.

No, they just need the wrong cheese board