Hey friends! Sorry I missed last month’s fine dining at home post – we went on vacay and it threw everything off!

For this month’s post, I decided to attempt to do something I’ve always wanted to make, but was a little scared to because I thought it was pretty fancy – a charcuterie board! Turns out, it’s one of those dishes that looks super hard but is actually really easy to make. #Win. And I also made sangria for the first time because it’s the perfect summer drink and it’s so pretty! I made both for a housewarming party we had after I finally got a table big enough to seat more than four people.

Classic Spanish Sangria

From: Allrecipes.com

Time: 45 minutes

This was one of those recipes where it’s helpful to read the comments of others who have made it to make the recipe even better! I decided to not put in as much rum as the recipe called for and added a few apples, which made it look pretty. But real talk, it was HARD cutting up all the fruit into even slices. I let the fruit soak in the rum and sugar overnight, then added orange juice in the morning, and added the wine before the party started. Sadly I didn’t have a bowl or pitcher big enough to hold it all as I made a double batch, so I had to use both. But I think it turned out really well!

Charcuterie Board

From: Spend with pennies

Time: 30 minutes

I LOVE ordering cheese and charcuterie boards when I go out to eat, but for a long time wasn’t confident enough to make one at home! However I decided that to be a real hostess I needed to have this under my belt, so I decided to give it a try. Spend with pennies had really great instructions for everything that was needed – from what kinds of cheese to get, to the different dips and fruits that would work well. Another helpful resources was skinnytaste.com, as it had a bit more detail of things you could add to the board. Here is what I ended up buying, all of which I ordered from Walmart!

The only thing I had to do was cut the cheese and toast the baguettes, and everything else was pretty straightforward! I started by making piles of cheese spread out across the board, then adding meats, then crackers, and finally the fruit. I was going to add bowls for the jam, dip, and nuts, but there wasn’t enough room, so I put them on the side. I ended up using two wood boards and a platter to hold it all! I really like how it turned out and I definitely think it’s an impressive yet simple dish for any party.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my housewarming party goodies! I would love to know if you try either of the recipes and how they turned out for you.