Valentine’s / Winter Charcuterie Board

Hey guys! Jacqueline here. With Valentine’s Day next week, I couldn’t help but think of something delicious and festive I could throw together to commemorate the (sometimes dreaded) holiday. I actually find it to be a fun opportunity to celebrate those you love in an otherwise dreary season. You already know how I feel about winter. Are you the go out and celebrate type? Maybe the stay home and get cozy type? Or maybe you don’t observe Valentines at all… which is totally ok- and in that case, take this as the perfect winter entertaining snack. I’ll take any excuse to eat comfort food. My husband and I usually go out, but this year we’re planning to stay in with the little guy and go out a few days later to celebrate just the two of us. Whether you plan to stay in to go out, this festive and beautiful Valentine’s Day charcuterie board is a must try! Click through to see how I assembled it.

Growing up, my mom always made Valentine’s Day very unique and special for us. I am the oldest of five children, and after having only one child, I don’t know how my mom did it. Ha! Anyways, every year on Valentine’s Day she would pick up each child’s favorite meal from their favorite restaurant, which was a big deal because we rarely ate out (also because hello…doing that for five different kids seems exhausting). After dinner we went on a scavenger hunt around the house (that my mom had also planned and made herself) to find our Valentine’s presents from my parents. She would leave little clues on paper and at the end, we would eventually find our gifts. One year I remember they were in the shower in one of the bathrooms. All that to say- she went out of her way to make sure each of us felt extra loved that day. It’s obviously something I have very happy memories of, and is probably a big reason why I’m a fan of the holiday.

I first got the idea for this charcuterie board when I stumbled upon these heart shaped crackers…I mean, how adorable?! You hear about heart shaped pizzas all the time…not that I have anything against them, I just wanted to try something different this year. I started searching for some inspiration on Pinterest and stumbled across prosciutto roses- I was sold! I’ve actually never put together a charcuterie board (I know…crazy, right?) and have been dying to make one since the holidays. Side-note: I found most of these ingredients at our local Trader Joes. Sarah actually shared her charcuterie board go-to items from TJ’s in this post, if you’re interested. Here’s what you’ll need for this valentine themed board…

INGREDIENTS

After you’ve collected all of your ingredients, arrange the items on a beautiful tray or board (shop my favorites below), separating similar items and colors (as seen below). Pour a glass of wine and enjoy with your significant other or girlfriends for a “galentine” get together. My friend Erin also posted DIY marble tasting plates for holiday entertaining, which would also work great for individual mini charcuterie settings.

I know Sarah is in charge of charcuterie for all of her friends parties, and after assembling my first board- it’s easy to see why these are always a hit. They make a beautiful presentation, but taste as good as they look. There is something for everyone, which makes them an instant crowd pleaser.

Back to staying in versus going out- tell me your plans for Valentine’s Day in the comments below! I love hearing about other people’s holiday traditions and getting new ideas for years to come.