4 Summer Charcuterie Boards

It's HOT in the Midwest at this point in the Summer.

This means I'm trying my hardest to plan meals that do not involve the oven and meals that are fast to put together.  I really enjoy shopping for these boards, planning for them and coming up with a colorful snack type dinner that fills everyone up.

We've been enjoying Charcuterie Boards for months and they've proven to be a great Summer dinner, too!  They are easy to put together, easy to clean up and my whole family enjoys them.

I have 4 Summer boards to share with you today.  Hope you find some new ideas and inspiration to make a board of your own.

// 1 //
We tried out some new herb seasoned crackers, Prima Della deli turkey (family favorite) and a mix of 5 cheeses.  I try to put spicy or smokey cheeses in a bowl so that the kids know they are cheeses that they don't like.  Kevin loves spicy/smokey cheeses so his cheese is always in the bowl.  They know they can try it, but that it isn't their favorite cheese.  This technique tends to save the cheese for Kevin and keep them from accidentally getting something they don't like.

The peeled clementines were a fun addition to this board.  Sweet pickles are also an adult favorite!

6 salty snacks
5 cheeses
3 meats
fruits and veggies

 // 2 //
I made this board for Kevin's birthday!  Everyone loved it.  I try to stock up on all these supplies at Aldi because prices are almost always cheaper there.  We tried some new things (smokey sliced cheese, Parmesan crackers, 12 grain chips) and had lots of favorites.

8 salty crackers
6 cheeses
4 meats
Nuts
Fruits and veggies

The whole family enjoys these snack dinners.  We've eaten them a ton and established our regular rules - eat a variety of things, only 1-2 things at a time, take what you touch and if you don't like something it stays on your plate.  We did throw away plates for a really easy dinner clean up that night!

// 3 //
Smaller snack board for lunch.  I added some new things like sliced pears, Triscuts and Herb crackers.  A little something for everyone!

// 4 //
A big dinner charcuterie board.

The peaches were the star of the show of this board.  We all loved them.

The Parmesan cheese crackers had such a strong flavor.  I love cheese, but probably wouldn't buy them again.  We did enjoy three different sliced cheeses for the board this time.  They were really easy to cut up into bite sized pieces and the flavor was just as good as the block cheese that I usually slice myself.  We really love those pretzel chips!

Our 6 favorite cheeses all from Aldi:
Extra Sharp Cheddar
Pepper jack slices
Smoked White Cheddar slices
Mozzarella cheese stick
Sliced Sharp Cheddar
Aged White Cheddar

4 Meats:
Hormel Turkey Pepperoni
Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage
Aldi Proscuitto
Aldi Mini Hard Salami
 

Which board looks best to you??

#4 was our favorite.  And as I'm working on this post, Fletcher just asked to have it again for dinner tonight :)