How to Make a Holiday Charcuterie Board

Hi friends and happy Tuesday!  Can you believe Christmas is only 15 days away?  I hope I didn’t just ruin your day… I may have just ruined my own. 😉  Don’t get me wrong; this girl loves Christmas, but I still have SO MUCH TO DO. You know what’s fun to do when you are overwhelmed?  If you’re like me, you just answered, “Open the fridge or pantry and see what I can put in my mouth to kill time and distract myself from tasks.”  That’s basically what I did with this super easy holiday charcuterie board I am going to show you.  Today I am part of a group of 20 bloggers sharing all sorts of fun, festive, and delicious holiday appetizers.  If you are headed to or hosting any parties this season, we’ve got you covered with loads of ideas for snacks you can serve or bring with you.  Thanks so much to Krista at The Happy Housie for organizing this appetizer hop today. I am going to share with you the easiest appetizer ever, a Christmas tree shaped charcuterie board, or as I like to call it, my charcutertree.  All you need are some items from your fridge or pantry, and it’s pretty much anything goes! I did buy a few extra items to make it a little more festive, but you really can do it however you want.  Are you ready to check it out?

Is it perfect?  Oh heck no!  But it’s cute, and a fun appetizer, and so easy to put together.  I basically gathered a bunch of veggies from my fridge and pantry some crackers and cheese, and bought pomegranate and rosemary to make it look a little more festive.

Here you can see all of the supplies I gathered. As usual, my eyes are bigger than my stomach, or in this case, than my board. If you look at my board above compared to this gathering of goods, you’ll see I ran out of room for artichokes and salami (to be honest, that was for Chris and Emmy anyhow because I don’t eat meat.).

Before I started my board, I roasted my red peppers because I love roasted red peppers!  I simple laid them out on a baking sheet, and drizzled them with olive oil. If you look closely at this photo, you will see the toy on the floor.  I uploaded it, and was like what is that colorful thing?  Oh, right.

I broiled them on high for about 15 minutes until they were just starting to blacken, removed them, and allowed them to cool on the pan.

While those were cooling, I started my board!  Rather than take you step by step, I thought I would share with you this GIF that shows you each step as it was added on.

• First I cut small pieces of celery stalk for the tree trunk.  I cut them smaller and stacked them because I wanted them to be easy finger food sized for multiple people.
• Second, I layered the crackers, because let’s be honest… we all know carbs like that are going to be more popular than the celery or tomatoes!  They needed to have a larger presence on the board.
• Next, I sliced radishes and added those above the crackers.  I happen to love radishes which is why there are so m any, but you really can do this any way your heart desires.
• After such a tart and bitter food, I decided to add figs because this board needed some sweetness.
• Once the figs were in place, I chopped some colby jack cheese and layered a couple of rows of that on top of what I already had in place.
• Next came the grapes!  I added these here because they needed a lot of room and I was already getting close to the top.
• After the grapes, it was time for more cheese, this time cheddar.  Emmy loves cheddar cheese, so I needed a good amount.
• Now that the peppers were cooled off, it was time to add a string of those for some color.  I love roasted peppers so much, and I felt like the bottom of the tree was missing something, so I created a “tree skirt” with roasted peppers as well.
• For the top section of the tree, I added a favorite of mine and Chris’, kalamata olives.  YUM!
• Now came time to “decorate” the tree, and I started with cherry tomatoes, placed here and there to mimic ornaments.
• Next, I framed the tree with almonds.
• To give the tree a little “evergreen” look, I then reframed it with rosemary, and added a little at the bottom as well.
• For a little more holiday spirit, I sprinkled some pomegranate here and there, which to me mimic tree lights because they almost look like little bulbs.
• Lastly, I added a little cheese star what I cut out with a cookie cutter.

After all of that slicing, layering, (and snacking while I worked if I am being honest), it was ready to enjoy!

Although this is technically an appetizer, my family sat down this past weekend and feasted on it for Sunday lunch.    When we were finished, there was something like three pieces of celery left and a stray pomegranate seed.  You really could just make it as a quick and easy festive family meal or prepare it as an appetizer for guests.  Just as there is no rhyme or reason in creating a charcuterie board, there are no rules to how you eat it or how many people you share it with.  I won’t judge you if you hide in the bathroom and eat it alone.  Heck, I will bring you a bottle of wine to go with it. 😉

Now that you’ve checked out my appetizer, be sure to visit the rest of the links below.

And today I’m joining some of my blogging friends who are also sharing their Holiday Appetizer recipes with you! Just click on the links below the pictures to be taken to their full recipe.

Baked Brie, Fig, and Walnut Phyllo Cups at The Happy Housie
Classic Cheese Ball Recipe at A Pretty Life
Cheesy Butternut Squash Bites at Jenna Kate at Home
Fresh Cranberry Salsa at We’re the Joneses

Easy Holiday Party Appetizer at a Rooms FOR Rent
Baked Goat Cheese Bites at Modern Glam
Smoked Turkey with Cranberry Orange Muffins at My 100 Year Old Home
Caprese Salad Skewers at Cherished Bliss

Easy Cranberry Brie Tarts at The DIY Mommy
Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board at Cassie Bustamante
Carmelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts at Life is a Party
Swiss Cheese Bacon and Beer Dip at Clean & Scentsible

Snowman White Cheese Ball at Tatertots and Jello
3 Ingredient Stuffed Mushrooms at My Sweet Savannah
Easy Christmas Pinwheels Festive Holiday Appetizer at This is Our Bliss
Festive Bacon Wrapped Chestnut Holiday Appetizer at Kim Power Style
Red Pepper Jelly and Cream Cheese Appetizer at She Gave it a Go