National Charcuterie Day - Charcuterie Board Fun!

It's National Charcuterie Day - A day set aside annually on August 26th to celebrate the art of all things charcuterie.  It's a day dedicated to appreciating and enjoying the creativity and work that goes into a creating a charcuterie board.  In French, "charcuterie" translates literally "pork butcher's shop" or "cooked flesh" and historically the boards were initially made from pork products.  As the art of charcuterie evolved, the boards have expanded to include other types of meats, and in modern times the boards often don't even include meat at all.  Most traditional boards feature a variety of cured meat, cheeses, fruits, nuts and often some kind of honey, mustard, or traditionally: quince paste.  While these are all delicious, and I am a sucker for a "grown-up Lunchable" - I have never been known to copy the norm.  A couple of years ago I purchased a large, but inexpensive board from Amazon, for one event and find myself using it quite often.  Not only do I use it for tailgates, taking to holiday parties and more - I've even used it a few times here at the house just for serving Mr. Devilish Dish and I.  I guess what I am saying is there are no rules when it comes to creating a charcuterie board.  It may not be a true "charcuterie" board by the strict definition, but it is guaranteed to be a hit at your next event.  I thought I'd share some boards I've done in the past, some of them are from so long ago, I only have pictures.  So I'm not including an actual list of ingredients.  I'm just sharing to celebrate the day and hoping I inspire you on some boards of your own!

I called this one a Sweet & Savory Dinner Board
for Mr. DD and I - half was meats, cheeses,
olives, crackers, shrimp cocktail and veggies while
the other half had fruits, sweet dips, cookies and more.  

I can't remember the occasion but I think it was 
some kind of holiday or birthday because I spied a
Prosecco bottle in the background.

I've seen boards like this called "BBQ Grazing Boards"
or "Memphis Grazing Boards" Mr. Devilish Dish
grilled and sliced up several types of smoked sausages,
and we included crackers, cheese, pimento cheese
spread, along with mustards, pickles and pickled
okra.  I've made this board a couple of times for both
a Super Bowl Party, and tailgating. 

I created this board for a dinner party at our house.
I used a combination of store-bought frozen Asian
items like egg rolls and crab rangoons, and then made
my own fresh rolls and dipping sauces.  Fresh
veggies and edamame helped fill in the gaps and add color.

This was so colorful and tasty!

I've made this board more than once for the
4th of July.  In addition to my Fruit & Brownie
Skewers, I added Little Debbie Snack Cakes,
and any kind of red, white or blue candy 
I could find!

I made this board for a breakfast tailgate
that just happened to fall on Halloween. 
It was a hit with all of the kids 
(and grown-ups too)

A Walking Taco Board - Seasoned taco meat in the 
pot in the middle, bowls of onions, salsa, sour cream
cheese, tomatoes etc.. All nestled on a bed of shredded
lettuce and cheese surrounded by small bags of 
chips.

My All-Time Favorite:
For our friend Noah's White Trash Bash Birthday Party!
Mr. Devilish Dish smoked a whole bologna and
diced it up.  (If you're from Oklahoma then you know this is
traditionally a Christmas treat) and I added Easy Cheese
and Crackers, Moon Pies, Fritos and Frito Lay Bean Dip, 
Swiss Cake Rolls, Twinkies, Honey Buns and Pigs in a Blanket.
I am not even joking when I say I came home with a completely empty
board after this party!

I hoped you enjoyed looking at some of my favorites. Leave me a comment if you are inspired to make your own board, or drop a pic on one of my social media accounts.  

Happy National Charcuterie Day,