New Year’s Eve is always one of my favorite times of the year. It’s a chance to set new goals, expectations and overall just be excited about new beginnings. This may be the most exciting New Year’s of all as I think everyone is likely ready to say goodbye to the year of 2020! 2020 had some hidden gems but overall, not really anything to write home about.
Unfortunately, the normal celebrations for New Year’s Eve just aren’t possible this year so in order to still ring in the new year with some fun, why not have a fun date-night at home?
For this Stay-Home-Saturday, I made a classic Charcuterie and paired it with 3 different bottles of wine (my husband was so excited for this idea, you guys!). We went with all sparkling wine options but you could choose whatever you’d like! I love an idea of doing a steal and splurge option and then guessing which bottle is which with a blind taste test! Either way, you can’t go wrong!
If classic Charcuterie isn’t your thing and you’d rather have a fondue night, that is another fun option with details linked on my blog here.
I grabbed all of the supplies for our board at Aldi and Walmart, mainly because they do grocery pickup and it’s just so much easier for me with kids. Side note, if you haven’t made the switch to grocery pickup, try it once and I promise you’ll be hooked!
For a basic board, you’ll want a few variations of cheese, meat, crackers and dips along with some fresh fruit like apples, oranges, grapes, pears and additions like cranberries and pomegranates for a pop of color! Then add some more interesting options like stuffed olives or mini pickle spears.
Start by slicing all of your fruits, cheeses and meats. I halved the pomegranates and placed them in two corners of the board with a garnish of greenery. I also sliced the oranges into thin slivers to mainly use as a garnish for color.
I found the easiest way to assemble was by placing all of my dips and large fruit on the board first and then working around those pieces. For the dips, we had a french onion dip, a stone ground mustard and a cheese spread. Other popular options are jellies, olive tamponades, chutneys and honeys!
Another fun, but easy tip for your board is a salami rose. When I first saw these, I was intimidated but they are incredibly easy!
How to make a Salami Rose:
- Take your starting piece, fold it in half and begin to roll it into a cone.
- With your next piece, fold it in half, and roll it around the first piece starting where the first piece ended.
- Repeat this process until you have the size rose desired!
To assemble the rest of the board, place piles of crackers scattered in different areas, use your apples to create borders around your dip bowls and garnish with your accents in places that need filler. Try to separate similarly colored items.
After making my first board, I can easily see how people are able to create those magical charcuterie board that fill an entire dining room table! One tip if you are using a smaller tray like mine for a date night- use small bowls that you can continue to refill with your dips, this will allow more space for the other treats!
I placed our wine options in a bowl of ice and we made ourselves cozy on the couch and finished watching our recent favorite show- The Undoing on HBO. If you haven’t watched yet and love suspense, it’s really good! I also love that it’s a mini series and easy to binge-watch over a long weekend!
Along with the ice, I added some greenery and cranberries for a pop of color!
I hope you have as much fun as we did with this creative date night-in!
Follow me on Instagram @ThePeddlingPA or visit my blog at ThePeddlingPA.com for more Stay-Home-Saturday ideas!
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