How to Make a Quick & Easy Cheese Board

This post is sponsored by Craigs Creamery.

Date nights around here look a lot different than they used to. Bryan and I don’t live close to our family and friends, so it’s tough to get a babysitter unless we plan well in advance. We wind up doing date night at home most weeks, which is A-OK in my book. I like to keep it simple and casual with a bottle of wine, cheese and crackers. By the end of the week, I’m beyond exhausted and want to spend the least amount of time in the kitchen as humanly possible.

I know that many of you are in the same boat whether you have kids or not. I wanted to put together a quick and easy cheese board with items you probably already have in your pantry.

Cheese

First things first is the cheese, which might be the most important (and delicious) part of your cheese board. I like having a few different cheeses available but nothing too complex. I used Mild Cheddar and Sharp Cheddar blocks from my favorite new brand, Craigs Creamery. Founded by eight family-run dairy farms in upstate New York, this brand is committed to producing cheeses made from high-quality milk, all-natural ingredients and no added hormones, making me love them even more! Each day, fresh milk is picked up from the family farms and delivered to the creamery, which is located less than 20 miles from where the cows are milked. 

You can buy Craigs Creamery cheeses at select ShopRite, Giant Landover and Stop & Shop locations in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland.

Crackers

I like to have a few different cracker options! For this particular cheese board, I used a seeded hearty flatbread and a crunchy pita. The cracker variety helps bring out the different cheese flavors. If I’m already at the store, I’ll pick up a baguette and slice that up for the board too. 

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit and cheese are one of my favorite pairings. I’m personally obsessed with dried apricots, so I chose those. They add some sweetness and a pop of color to brighten up your spread. If you’re not an apricot fan, figs, dried pineapple or dried cranberries are other delicious choices.  

A Spread

Vienna loves apple butter so we always have some on hand. Good news is that it pairs great with cheese and crackers. I love apple butter during the fall and winter months because I can find it stocked at every grocery store or farmers market. You could also use a flavored lemon hummus or high-quality honey as other delicious options. 

Grapes

What would a cheese board be without grapes? Not much to say here. Just buy your favorite grapes and call it a day.

Olives

It’s important to balance out all the sweetness with something salty. I added green olives with pimiento which is one of my favorites. I buy a jar of olives in water, drain them, and put them in a small bowl on the board. Nothing fancy. You could also add almonds, walnuts or pickles. I have to be careful with this because I’ll eat the entire pickle jar before they can even make it onto the cheese board.   

Wine

Okay so this isn’t technically ON the cheese board, but obviously a great addition for date night. I go through phases with wine. I normally gravitate towards reds, but every once in a while I want a chilled white. Right now I’m loving pinots – noir and grigio. So if you have any pinot suggestions, let me know!