This family Thanksgiving I was in charge of appetizers! I love an appetizer spread, less pressure than the major Thanksgiving dinner & sides and more flexibility for sure! Coming in from out of town I especially liked running by Trader Joes, packing a cooler and prepping everything on site vs. cooking ahead of time and worrying about spilt dishes or spoiled food ๐ I wasn’t sure what would turn out well so of course I brought too much! We have a group of about ~25 hungry people and still had plenty left over! TJ has so many great options and it was fun to try new things before our traditional meal.
Parmesan Pastry Pups
1 upscale pigs in a blanket, please!
Pastry Bites with Feta Cheese & Caramelized Onions
Feta cheese & caramelized onions are always a winning combination!
Camembert Cheese & Cranberry Sauce Fillo Bites
A crunchy, flaky shell filled with a burst of cranberry sauce & cheese
While the appetizers were heating up in the oven, that gave me time to assemble the charcuterie board… you’ve got to work fast when your dish is appetizers! & Shout out to Trader Joe’s for some many great choices that really made the board a hit!
Fig & Olive Crisps
Cranberry Chevre
Thanksgiving calls for all the cranberries!
Prosciutto slices
Boursin Garlic & Herb Cheese
Charcuterie Pinwheels
Pepperoni & Mozzarella wraps
Original Water Crackers
For those not brave enough to try the fig & olive crisps ๐ but equally as delicious!
Sweet & Salty Snack Mix
One of the best seasonal snack mixes I have had in a while!
Charcuterie boards can be intimidating but the hardest part for me is not overbuying!! I end up having enough supplies for 2+ boards after all?! So I’m working on that… Note to self- 1 package of each item is ENOUGH! I recommend starting small & you can always add more… The basic components of a charcuterie board include: meat, cheese, sweet, salty.
My 2021 Thanksgiving Charcuterie Included:
- FRUIT: red grapes, cranberries, sun dried apricots
- MEAT: prosciutto, peperoni swirls
- CHEESE: Boursin cheese, Spanish cheese Tapas sampler, Cranberry Chevre
- SWEET: yogurt dipped pretzels, sweet & salty snack mix, candied pecans
- SALTY: fig & olive crisps, water crackers
- ACCENTS: rosemary sprigs, small pumpkins
