Dinner Party on a Budget (+ Our Nightly Routine Vlog)

Happy Wednesday!! I hope you all liked watching how Alec and I go about our nightly routine! Routine doesn’t have to be boring! I actually love having a routine and having things to look forward to and be prepared for every day.

SO awhile back we threw a little appetizer/ egg roll/ wine party with our friends (hey Jen & Michael) and I wanted to share some of my tips for throwing a great little dinner party on somewhat of a budget especially a charcuterie board!

Throwing a fun dinner party is so simple and is so much fun and can really be done on a budget. We got all of our ingredients at Trader Joe’s and I think it was about $30 which is amazing since it fed four people. Have your guests bring a bottle of wine (or two lol) or get yourself a Groupon for the Martha Stewart wine club and she will send you six haha! Having some cute napkins makes a huge difference (I got these for $1 at Target) and having some fresh flowers and lit candles really ups your hostess game. We also got some egg rolls from Trader Joe’s that we cooked later in the evening and I made a blueberry cobbler (SO EASY) for dessert. BUT for the main event…charcuterie board!

So charcuterie is basically a fancy way of saying cheese platter aka the best and also potentially most impressive part of a party. There are a few rules I have when creating charcuterie platters and they are as follows:

1. COLOR!!! Do you know what a plate of just cheese and salami looks like? DRAB. That’s what it looks like. Some charcuterie staples that can add some beautiful colors are grapes, both green and purple, carrots, cucumbers, and yellow bell peppers. What can also add color are….
2. Herbs. Herbs can be so beautiful and fragrant and really make you look like you are an adult who knows what they’re doing (even if you really don’t). Rosemary springs and basil leaves placed around the edges of the platter are one of my go-to’s as well as some basil leaves on top of the cheese to give it an extra zing. (Also, little details like the basil leaves on the cheese and adding a little olive oil and cracked pepper to your hummus make a big difference in overall appearance).
3. Fun crackers. Do you know who wants to eat water crackers at a party? Nobody. Do you know what it costs to buy some fun crackers at Trader Joe’s instead? Basically the same price. For this platter, I got some large rosemary crackers that I broke up to give a bit of a *rustic* look as well as the super fun spiral cheddar twists. These types of details add soooo much to the overall look and impressive-ness of your board.
4. As far as the actual meats and cheeses go, this is totally your preference. We just got some salami (since they don’t eat meat) for Alec and I and then three different types of cheese. You want a firmer cheese, like gouda, a soft cheese like brie (omg gimme all the triple creme brie), and then we got an herb flavor Boursin cheese spread which is just….I mean…if you know you know and if you don’t know, go buy some and report back. Don’t bother buying pretty cheeses that nobody is going to eat, just get what you know and what you know your guests will enjoy.
5. Spread it out. You want your board to look really full of all your yummy goodies. You don’t want to use too small of a platter but also, don’t over do it. Honestly, all this stuff takes up a lot of room already but if you’re still lacking, add a couple pretty bowls on it like I did with hummus and olives. Have the herbs hang off the sides to give the illusion that the plate is really full and you will have one heck of an impressive party dish!