Remember the joy you felt when you opened your lunchbox and found a Lunchable inside? Something about stacking and arranging the ingredients to create those little bites made lunchtime so fun! Bring that joy back to your family’s lunchtime routine with a modern, healthier twist on the Lunchable: a kid-friendly cheese board filled with ingredients for the kids to mix and match as they build their own bites and explore new flavor combinations.
Building the board is half the fun so let everyone play along as you choose your ingredients and decide how to arrange them for a beautiful, colorful board!
How to Make a Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- Cheeses: Cheddar cheese, Colby Jack cheese slices and mozzarella string cheese
- Meats: Genoa salami, turkey breast
- Fruit: Strawberries, blackberries, grapes and clementines
- Crunch: Pretzels, crackers, animal crackers and something sweet like yogurt-covered pretzels
- Miscellaneous: Trail mix, peanut butter or almond butter for dipping
Supplies
- Cheese board, platter or tray
- Small bowls or ramekins
- Small cookie cutter
Prep
- Wash and dry the berries and grapes. Slice in half if desired. Peel the clementines and separate the pieces.
- Create variety by slicing the cheddar into cubes, cutting the string cheese in half, and using a small cookie cutter to cut shapes from the Colby Jack slices and Genoa salami.
- Build some ready-to-eat bites. 1. Build toothpick skewers with a blackberry, a slice of turkey breast, and a cheddar cheese cube. 2. Cut slices of Genoa salami in half and wrap the pieces around the string cheese halves.
- Fill the bowls with the nut butter and trail mix (or jam, hummus, nuts or seeds).
Build
- Build the foundation of the board with the cheeses/pre-made bites and bowls.
- Create piles of fruit throughout the board. Have the kids decide where to place the pops of color for a playful, colorful arrangement.
- Add some crunch! In the open spaces left on the board, arrange your crackers, cookies, pretzels, etc. Tip: Place 1-2 of these items near the bowl of nut butter for easy dipping.
- Fill in any gaps with more fruit, extra nuts or trail mix, etc. and you’re done! Serve and enjoy your fun, interactive and delicious lunch — bonus points if you pair it with a CapriSun.
Where to Buy a Charcuterie Board
If you don’t have the time — or patience — to make your own, check out these Chicagoland spots for pre-made/made-to-order cheese and charcuterie boards:
Beautiful Rind
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- Address: 2211 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
L&M Fine Foods
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- Address: 4363 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
Board to Door
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- Delivery service
Charcute Chicago
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- Delivery service
Emily Delaney is Chicago’s wildly creative Cheese Board Queen who seeks to inspire others for how to create their own amazing charcuterie boards.
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This article was featured in Chicago Parent’s March/April 2021 magazine.
