Plateau à fromage

There's no right or wrong way to eat cheese. Or have a birthday party.

Substituting my dinner with a gigantic postmeridian cheeseboard began as a special sort of "quarantine treat-yo-self." It was my 25th birthday, and being about two months into quaranseason, I was feeling absolutely benched. Put me in coach!! I'm ready to PLAAAYYY!!!

Sensing a quarter life crisis in their midst, my cousins came up with the perfect itinerary for a slightly depressed 20-something. Shout out to everyone who has rallied and made quarantine events- birthdays, graduations, whatever- SPECIAL. Somewhat NORMAL. It's just fun to have a reason to celebrate, and people truly appreciate the effort and outside-the- box thinking employed by friends & family.

PAR EXEMPLE, my family and I held a murder mystery party. Nothing shakes up being in your house for three months straight like someone murdering someone else. We had the absolute BEST time, and the mystery game we found was completely free. I highly recommend it for anyone, in quarantine or not.

The link is here: http://www.whodunitmysteries.com/sour.html

You do have to print a lot of pages, but trust me, it's worth it. Crack open a couple of bottles of wine if you're nervous about role playing- it's a lot more fun if you really become your character. And swirling a glass of wine in your hand adds glamour and credence to your accusations. At least, I like to think so.

“As far as I'm concerned, you can't beat a good whodunnit: the twists and turns, the clues and the red herrings and then, finally, the satisfaction of having everything explained to you in a way that makes you kick yourself because you hadn't seen it from the start.”

―Anthony Horowitz

What About the Cheese Board Though

The day after the murder mystery, we were all a little lethargic and it happened to be pouring rain. So we put on Les Miseables (top tier rainy-day movie) and assembled our CB. The best thing about a cheese board is that people can tailor-make each bite a little differently than the last. There is no right way to make a cheese board, but since ours was pretty bomb, I'll fill you in on what we used. We bought everything at ALDI, which has a phenomenal cheese selection and fun seasonal snacks:

Cheeses

• Brie- soft, earthy, nutty, creamy, buttery

• Havarti Dill (personal fav)- mild, buttery, soft, can be somewhat sweet

• Munchego- zesty, crumbly texture, slightly salty

• Goat- tart, earthy (some people really have an abhorrence toward goat cheese, some love it)

• Irish Cheddar- hard texture, seen as a mix of cheddar and Parmesan

• Garden Vegetable and Sweet Basil- tastes like those herbs!

• Smoked Gouda- soft, buttery, sweet and salty... some say it tastes like bacon!

Fruits

• Green & Red Grapes

• Strawberries

• Pears (this is the first time I've used pears and they are reallllyyyy good)

Crackers, Chips, & Dips

• Savoritz Six Cracker Assortment (must have)

• LivegFree Gluten Free Rosemary & Olive Oil Crackers

• Livegfree Gluten Free Sweet Chili Brown Rice Crisps

• Olives

• Guacamole Dip

• Peach Mango Salsa

• Pepper Jack Jelly (MUST have!)

• Honey (Also the first time I'd had honey on a cheese board... now a staple)

Some of the BEST combos we found were pear + honey + brie on a cracker, the sweet chili crisps in the salsa + guac, and the pepper jelly with... everything. Like I said before, there is no right way to make a cheese board and I highly recommend just wandering the aisles of Aldi and throwing whatever catches your eye into the cart! Very satisfying.

Some other suggestions for CB elements include assorted nuts, prosciutto or other cured meats (especially if you tend to go for salty or savory snacking), dried berries and apricots, and, if you want a really good chip/cracker from Aldi, the Specialty Selected Parmesan Cheese Bites are... deadly. Sprigs of fresh rosemary and basil also add some REALLY good flavor! I could literally eat a sprig of rosemary by itself.

Happy building everyone and I hope that you find some amazing flavor combos and that you find some sanity during these times. Shout out to all the grocery store workers, we couldn't do this without you.

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