If you’re like me, you love hosting holidays in your home. If you’re also like me, you don’t want to use fine china and spend your family time in the kitchen cleaning dishes after the meal or nibbling on finger foods. Today I’m going to share with you how to do just that while having a fun, festive and well-decorated holiday!
I think we can all agree that the first thing that comes to mind when hosting is food. There are 6 ways from Sunday to serve food during the holidays, from a sit down meal to finger foods. We have done both and often do both with different sides of the family. I’m not going to share fancy recipes or big meals in this post, but I will share several of our food ideas when it comes to hosting in a more casual setting and how to set a simple, inexpensive and fun, festive table.
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Finger foods
Finger foods are always a great way to have food during the holidays especially when there are a lot of kids running around. Kids are always hungry and I don’t know about you, but mine are always asking, “Is it almost ready?” when we are cooking a big meal. So finger foods it is!!
One of the easiest ways to have finger foods is—you guessed it—a charcuterie board! I know there are an infinite number of ways to make a charcuterie board, style it and the items you can put on it. So I wanted to break down what things are best on a charcuterie board and even offer up some allergy-friendly options for those who cannot have dairy (we have a dairy allergy in our home so I like to present those options)!
The Basics
Most charcuterie boards include all or some of the following:
- Cheese
- Charcuterie (aka cured and preserved meats)
- Dried and/or fresh fruits
- Nuts
- Olives or other pickled vegetables
- Bread and/or crackers
- Olive oil, honey, jam, mustards or other spreads
Diagram of the perfect charcuterie board
First, choose a board, tray, or platter to be your base. Wood is the most popular choice, but you can use marble as well. If you do not have a board you can use several cutting boards to make several small charcuteries. We have been known to do this! Plus, you can set one out in several places—dining room, kitchen, living/family room so the people mingling about can nibble too.
Cheeses
As a rule of thumb, include three to five cheeses in these basic categories: a hard cheese, a soft cheese, and a bleu cheese. Contrasting flavors and textures diversify the board and give guests a broader range of options to sample. I know many do not care for bleu cheese, so if that is the case just use a popular cheese like cheddar. I like to use aged white cheddar because it tastes better and makes your guests feel like they aren’t just eating a lunchable. 😂
- Vegan cheeses – I love using a few different vegan cheeses to give people options to choose from. Some of my favorites vegan cheese brands are by Boursin, Miyoko’s Creamery, and Chao Field Roast. Both Boursin and Miyoko’s Creamery have softer garlic and herb infused vegan cheeses that are easy to spread on crackers or bread slices. Chao Field Roast also makes great vegan cheddar that I like to serve in cubes on any charcuterie board.
Meats
For meats, you will want a few varieties. You can do just about anything here. Salamis, Prosciutto, ham, turkey, smoked sausages, pepperoni—you name it.
If the charcuterie board is being served as an appetizer, account for 2oz of meat per person. But if the board is the main meal, double that number.
Select a variety of charcuterie based on texture, fat, salt, and spice. For example, consider the creamy texture and buttery flavor of pâté(spreadable meat) compared to hard, salty dry cured salami.
Crackers & Breads
Crackers, breadsticks, breads. You’ll want to include a few starchy sidekicks, especially if your board includes soft, spreadable cheeses and jams. There’s no hard-and-fast rule here, though I recommend offering two types of crackers or breads with different flavor profiles. If someone on your guest list has gluten sensitivity, consider subbing in a gluten-free option.
Select bread and crackers based on the types of cheese and charcuterie you are serving. If soft, spreadable cheeses or pâté are on the menu, include sliced fresh baguette, toasted crostini, or a heavier cracker to act as a base.
Spreads & Jellies
You might also consider serving olive oil, fruit jams, mustards or honey with your charcuterie board. Olive oil is great alongside fresh bread or crostini. Fruit jams are delicious with creamy, tangy cheeses, and salty mild charcuterie. If you have access to honeycomb vs. honey, it is wonderful!
All other items
Olives and certain pickled vegetables provide a salty, tangy bite. Nuts bring a crunchy component to a charcuterie board and a delicious salty bite alongside creamy cheeses. Almonds, Marcona almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, and cashews are all great options.
Dried fruit options include apricots, cherries, cranberries, and figs. And when it comes to fresh fruits, consider apples, grapes, figs, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries.
Now that you have your charcuterie board what else can you serve as easy, quick finger foods?
Crescent Pinwheels with Sausage & Cream cheese
My mom has made these forever and they are amazing. All you use is canned crescent rolls, breakfast sausage, and cream cheese! Just 3 ingredients!
SAUSAGE & CREAM CHEESE CRESCENTS
Author: Plain Chicken
Yield: 32 bites
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Sausage and Cream Cheese Crescents – only 3 ingredients! Sausage, cream cheese, and crescent rolls. Can make filling ahead of time. These are great for breakfast or as an appetizer. Whenever I take these to a party or potluck I never have any leftovers. People go crazy over these things! #breakfast #appetizer #sausage #creamcheese #partyfood #gameday #holidayfingerfoods
Ingredients:
- 1 (1-lb) roll breakfast sausage , cooked and crumbled
- 1 (8-oz) cream cheese , softened
- 2 (8-oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Mix cooked sausage and cream cheese together.
- Separate rolls into triangles. Cut eat triangle in half lengthwise making two triangles. Scoop sausage filling onto each roll and roll up.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Super easy! And also great for those upcoming Super Bowl parties!
Other finger food ideas
And, this goes without saying, but fruit trays, veggie trays and even a big order of Chick-fil-A nuggets are a go-to when we host casually. Now on to bigger things…
Wood charger | Holly plates(similar) | Plaid plate (similar)
Tablescapes
What about when you do have a sit-down meal but you don’t want to use your fine china or even everyday dinnerware because you want it as easy as possible to clean up? I‘m going to confess: I do this every year. We don’t pretend to be fancy. But do you know how cute paper dinnerware is these days? One of my favorite go-to shops for all things partyware and tablescapes is My Mind’s Eye and Target. I got these holly plates and plaid ones two years ago and they were only $2.99 for 20!
How to set up your dinnerware
For a perfect table, invest in some chargers like these faux wood ones I got from Walmart.com. You can use them for years. The reason I love using chargers is because if you aren’t using classic dinnerware or fine china, you can still make your tablescape look great and elegant just by using them. Also, I should note that charger plates should not be used to serve food. Charger plates play a supporting role – catching spills and helping hot dishes retain heat.
Second, add your dinner plate. These are usually 8.5″ or 9″ (while chargers are usually 12″ or 13″). Then, add your appetizer plate on top in a contrasting yet complementary design or pattern. You can place the napkin to the left of the plates or in the center with a fun favor or decor element or a card with their name. The options are endless here! Last year I used a nutcracker theme so I found these adorable nutcracker charms on Etsy and tied them around the napkins. In 2021 I used the little mini snow globes pictured, but they are discontinued. Then I let everyone take theirs home.
Gold Chargers | Nutcracker plates | Nutcracker charms | Striped napkins | Flatware | Star runner
It took me a while to learn the “correct” way to set flatware on a table, but Emily Post is always a good go-to for anything etiquette related! Here is how she says you should set it up. I realize not everyone has all these utensils, and since this is a post about simplicity and not being fancy, I just used the utensils I have and the image as a guide. 😉
And that, my friends is a great way to get a good start on a simple holiday hosting! What are your favorite go-tos that I didn’t mention? I’d love to hear in the comments!
