Fun fact: My cousin, Shelby, is an artist when it comes to creating charcuterie boards.
This week, I wanted to shine a light on Shelby with a featured post to highlight her unique and amazing talent for piecing together these delicious boards.
To give some background, Shelby is recent graduate from Penn State University and is aspiring to break into the event production industry. Over the past year or so she has realized her obsession with charcuterie boards and making them for just about any event possible; whether that is for a family party or a girls night on the couch while watching Vanderpump Rules. With her creative eye, she's been able to style fabulous boards and small dinner parties with all of the right details.
The below post is written by Shelby and is filled with tips and tricks, so let's give her a warm welcome!
Oh! And be sure to check her out online!
Instagram: @shelbrie_charcuterie
Website: www.shelbriecharcuterie.wixsite.com
Hello, hello!
I am so excited to jump on Looped In to chat about all things charcuterie!
Kimmy recently asked me for some pointers when it came to putting together the perfect charcuterie board, so I wanted to share with you our fun night creating a spread together.
We decided that we wanted to keep our spread simple, abundant, and affordable, so we immediately thought of Trader Joe's. Before heading out we looked through our kitchen at home and made a list of the ingredients we wanted from the store. As we went through TJ's, it was easy enough to check items off of our list and add in any last minute additions as we were shopping.
Our grocery list:
Basil ($3.99)
Baguette ($1.99)
Prosciutto ($3.99)
Uncut Salami ($5.00)
Tomatoes ($2.49)
Balsamic Glaze ($3.99)
Fig & Olive Crisps ($3.99)
Sour Cream Spinach Dip ($3.49)
Manchego ($5.00)
Triple Brie ($7.89)
Rosemary goat cheese ($2.99)
Mozzarella ($4.99)
Our home ingredients:
Cocktail sauce + shrimp
Gluten-free crackers
Blueberries
Almonds
Grapes
Wine!
Total Cost= $49.80 (divide this by 2 people and it's a great price!)
Because we were making a spread for about 4 of us, we wanted to make sure there was enough for everyone, so we ended up buying double the amount of certain items!
I really wanted to teach Kimmy the basics and let her do her own thing from there, so we started by defrosting the shrimp and washing all of the fruits and vegetables. Once we were prepped we took out our boards and started piecing all of our goodies together.
My main piece of advice:
Just have fun with it! Start from the corners of the board and work your way in, while adding the smaller ingredients last to fill in the empty spaces. Also, make sure you have a decent amount of ingredients so that you don't run out half-way through the meal, or at all! A mountain of food looks way more appetizing and fun than a sad, small bunch in the corner of the board. Fill it up!
I think it’s super important to have a wide variety of cute, eccentric bowls, boards, plates, etc., especially during the summer. It brightens the way the food looks and always makes your guests even more excited to sit down for pickings. Remember to take your time with the process and maybe have a buddy join you. Kimmy and I enjoyed chatting while we set up together -- it is a great way to catch up and relax with others!
And, finally, make sure to have a bunch of variety for all guests. Some people may be gluten-free, vegetarian, dairy-free, etc. so it’s important to have many little things for everyone to pick on regardless of what their specific diet may be.
Remember: Just have fun with it! Practicing with new foods and designs each time makes the experience even more fun and interesting. If you put love into it, it will show!
Have any specific questions for Shelbrie? Let us know!
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