Eat, Drink and Just Try to Stay Merry

As a caterer who lost their job to the horrors of the COVID-19 pandemic, I often find myself looking through new recipes to try my best at wowing my family since I no longer have an audience to impress. I find that now has been a great time for trying these new things or coming up with new favorites (or resurrecting old ones). While cooking huge meals for groups of people or even my family has been the biggest part of my life, one of the big things I will always enjoy for myself is a stiff drink and a good appetizer spread. I think it’s the mother of two in me that tends to find myself ‘snacking on the run’ throughout the day rather than taking the time to eat a full meal. Have you ever tried loading a washer with a fork full of green beans? And god forbid the extra dishes! After cooking food for my household if I end up with time to sit down, I want it to be a peaceful quiet moment with my drink and simple food I can eat with my hands. One of the best combos I’ve come to find in this specific situation is an Apple Pie drink and a beautifully displayed charcuterie board with all my favorite items. Their both simple and can be relatively inexpensive. Oh! And NO COOKING!!!

Let’s start at the most important part, the Apple Pie cocktail. This drink is one of my favorites because it gives me an excuse to buy high-quality apple cider and one of my favorite whiskeys, Fireball. I know I know, “fireball as a favorite?... Gross!” Hey! I get it! But to my credit, my all-time favorite drink is makers and coke but your girl tends to be on a budget ok? Plus this drink is so surprisingly comforting you won’t be disappointed. The recipe is simple: One shot of fireball, a half shot of Crown Royal Apple (not necessary but I find it brings a certain something to the drink), and your favorite apple cider! It’s a recipe for a stiff drink that masks the harshness of the fireball and amps up the taste of your apple cider. And it tastes like an alcoholic apple pie which is my kind of apple pie. So now that we’re having a delightful time, getting tipsy, and starting to crave some snacks let’s talk about how to build a simple but delicious charcuterie board.

Most people would think building yourself a charcuterie board is overkill but the beauty of them is, you can have whatever your craving, have one dish to wash and you can make them as large or small as you want. Most of us know the kids and the significant other is going to steal half anyway. As a self-proclaimed appetizer queen, I feel I have perfected my art of charcuterie. My suggestion is always at least four cheeses somewhat thinly sliced or cubed (i buy the bricks to be able to customize how large or small I want my pieces), ritz crackers to eat the cheese with, some kind of dip with at least two choices of bread cut into bite-size pieces (its also a good chance to throw in some veggies like carrots or peppers to use with the dip but I use bread just because it fills you up), grapes and two types of meat. The longest part of the process will be simply putting it together. It goes so wonderfully with a sippable drink and some great conversation.

My list to pair with my apple pie drink of choice for the evening is as follows:

Cheeses- medium cheddar, pepper jack, colby jack, and horseradish cheddar

Dill dip with Jewish rye bread and sourdough bread -you can buy both of these already cut into bite-size pieces just like most bread (or veggies in place of bread)

Red grapes

Meats- hard salami and prosciutto

Again my appreciation for charcuterie boards is in the customization but there are some basic rules I always suggest people follow when putting theirs together. For the cheeses, I make it a point to grab two harsher kinds of cheese (pepper jack and horseradish cheddar) and two milder kinds of cheese (medium cheddar and colby jack). These cheeses work so well together with some Ritz crackers or any buttery, lightly salted cracker so that the cracker doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the cheese. It was recently I decided to add the dill dip with my two choices of bread simply because I feel it makes me feel like I’m switching it up from the typical charcuterie board. When it comes to the bread choices I make it the same way I make my cheese choices, one harsher option, and one ‘plain’ option. The dill dip will tend to cut the harshness of the rye and the sourdough allows you to taste the almost sweet flavor of the dip. It’s a simple dip to make but for the sake of the evening laziness, we all feel I buy Marzetti brand veggie dip. Feel free to use any dip but ensure you change your choice of bread or veggies to match with the dip you choose. Red grapes are also a must for any board. We all know what a beautiful pair of cheese and grapes! And finally, my boyfriend’s favorite part, the meat! In this department, I always go for salty. Just make sure they are meats with lots of flavors. My family can eat massive amounts of hard salami and I getting grossly excited when I see prosciutto laying out on any charcuterie board every time. Of course, another beauty of this pairing is you can put anything on it that you want and pick any drink to match. It’s completely customizable! The only thing you need to consider is what tastes good with what and keeping a balance of flavors but it’s all opinion-based in that case. The presentation may be key in every case with food but again, it’s your ‘snack board’ (as my kids like to call it) so you get to decide what presentation means to you! I’ve even done a candy charcuterie board too! It was for a kid’s birthday party I worked and it was a full display of different types of chocolate and salty pretzels. It was all about a balance of salty and sweet that made it such a huge hit.

In conclusion, pairing a ‘spicy’ drink with a good mix of cheese and crackers, salty meats, fresh bread, a delicious dip, and sweet grapes while still giving your self a break from the cooking and demands throughout your day, is an amazing way to pamper yourself in a small span of time. In a new world where we are limited on the times where we aren’t stressed out, we need to remember how pleasurable the little things can be. I encourage you to get creative with what drink you choose and what you display on your charcuterie board but you’ll be amazed how easy (and typically inexpensive if you’re careful) it is and how the pairings just never end! You will find new things to try and it’s a simple enough task that the girls (or guys) can put their boards together, grab a choice drink, jump on a group video call, and enjoy together! Make it a date night, make for just you, make it because your craving more than one thing and don’t want to cook or just want a snack. It’s always the right time for a cold one and some snackin’!