How to Make a Charcuterie Board

    The word “charcuterie” (shaar·koo·ter·ee) means cold cooked meat. That’s French, but of course here in the states we’ve taken the idea of “laying out food on a board to look pretty” and run with it. Technically, there must be meat on the board for it to be “charcuterie.”

    Everyone loves them. Charcuterie boards make you feel So Cultured and Fancy. But really they are just glorified Lunchables. They make stunning centerpieces, and are often the star of the show. Which cheeses should I pick? Should I only pick 4?? And there are rules about hard, soft, stinky, mellow? They're colorful, overflowing, and filled things people love to eat, namely cheese, meat, and bread.

Rules for an amazing charcuterie board

1. You need a variety of types of cheese: at least 1 soft, 1 hard, 1 tangy. (2 oz per person) “Something old, something new, something goat and something blue.” 
2. Decide whether the board is gonna be full(no board showing) or minimal.
3. Don't buy anything you think your guests will eat.
4. A choice of fun and interesting jams, sauces, and savory spreads absolutely MAKE a charcuterie board. Don’t skimp in this area.
5. Provide a few different types of crackers and bread. 
6. Choose a variety of ingredients based on texture: crispy, soft, chewy.
7. Have something spicy and something sweet
8. Serve cheese room temperature; it’s more flavorful than cold cheese.
9. Be strategic in your placement, and arrange the crackers or bread in neat piles or rows, making sure they are not touching anything that will make them soggy.
10. Make everything bite sized. Cut everything that is going on the board.

    Cheese, meets, fresh fruit, veggies, crackers, nuts, spreads, sauces!

Example

Everyone loves cheese 8 oz. block cheddar cheese, cubed

Hard cheese ("something old") 6 oz. aged Guyère

Soft cheese ("something new") 6 oz. mozzarella balls

Goat cheese 6 oz. chèvre

Blue cheese 6 oz. Cambazola

6 oz. 

thinly sliced s

oppressata

6 oz. 

summer sausage, sliced

6 oz. ham

1/4 cup 

honey

1/2 cup Roasted red pepper hummus

1/2 cup fig jam

1/4 cup dijon

1/2 cup 

smoked almonds

Fresh fruit such as strawberries, blackberries, grapes, and apple slices

1/4 cup 

dried fruit, such as apricots or Craisins

Bread and crackers, for serving 

Dehydrated Apples 🍎 🍏

 

Apples 

Ingredients: 

Apples 

Spices, if desired 

Directions: 

1. Wash apples 🍎. Peel, if desired, and remove the core. 

2. Cut into slices or rings. Aim for about ¼” thick. 

3. Pretreat with lemon bath (1/4 lemon 🍋 juice then 3/4 water) to prevent browning. Drain well. 

4. Toss in any spices you may be using. 

5. Place on trays. 

6. Dry at 130℉ for 4-6 hours. 

7. Test for doneness, listening for a crisp crack when broken in half. 

8. Condition, then store in an airtight container with an oxygen absorber if in humid environment.

Strawberry 🍓 Fruit Leather

A no sugar added, thick (yet soft and pliable) fruit leather recipe with the addition of a secret ingredient that also has added health benefits! 

Equipment: 

High Powered Blender 

Food Processor Silicone Dehydrator Sheets Parchment Paper (optional) 

Ingredients: 

3.5 lbs strawberries 🍓 washed and hulled 

4 tsp Pomona's Pectin 4 tsp calcium water (comes with Pomona's Pectin) 

2 cups white grape juice concentrate (because this is hard to find these days, I used white grape juice and then boiled it down to 2 cups)

Directions: 

1. Prepare dehydrator trays with silicone mats or parchment paper. 

2. Wash, hull, then puree strawberries 🍓 in a blender. Measure out six cups of puree. 

3. Prepare calcium water according to package instructions, add four teaspoons of calcium water to the berry puree and mix well. 

4. Transfer the fruit mixture to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. 

5. Meanwhile, in a clean blender, add 2 cups of white grape juice concentrate and turn on low speed. 

6. Slowly add the powdered pectin and mix well for about two minutes. 

7. Once the berry puree has been brought to a simmer, keep the heat on, add grape juice concentrate mixture, and stir for a full minute. 

8. Remove from heat and ladle mixture onto the dehydrator trays. 

9. Dehydrate at 115℉ for about 14 hours. Depending on the thickness, this will vary.

10.Test for doneness. Leather should be dry and edible, with no pockets of moisture. Always let the leather cool completely first. 

11. Cut cooled fruit leather into strips (or cute shapes using a cookie cutter), and roll up using parchment paper. 

12. Condition, then store in an airtight container with an oxygen absorber if desired

Apple Butter

 I make this EVERY year. I also send them out as gifts to family with my other canned goods. When you are a canner I think its hard to make recipes small for 2 people and such. Because you are always canning in big quantities, lol. So here we go…

Ingredients

4 1/2 pounds of apples (about 14 medium)

3 cups apple cider or apple juice

2 cups of sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1tsp ground allspice

Cooking

In a 8 to 10 quart heavy kettle add your apples 🍏   that are cut, cored and quartered and cider. Bring up to boiling then reduce the heat. Simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in sugar, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Bring to boiling then reduce heat. Cook uncovered on low heat for 1 1/2 hrs or until very thick and mixture mounds on a spoon. Stir often. 

Canning

Ladle hot apple 🍎 butter into sterilized half pint or your choice canning jars. Leaving a 1/4 in headspace. Wipe jar rims. Put lid on and then the band only finger tight (no more). 

Put in Water canner for 5 minutes. Do not start timer until the water returns too a boil. When done remove jars and cool on cooling racks.

 After and hour check the lid to see if it sealed by taking your lid magnet To see if it pops.  During the next few minutes you will here the lids sealing. Do not remove bands until they have cooled. When they have cooled then remove bands for storing. This protects you from not seeing if it did not cann properly. 

Cinnamon and Orange Cranberry Sauce

 Ingredients

12 oz Cranberries

1 Orange of zest

1/2 cup of Orange juice

1/2 cup of water

1 Cinnamon stick

3/4 cup of Sugar

Pinch of Salt

Instructions

Combine sugar, orange juice and water in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir to combine. Add cranberries, salt, cinnamon stick and zest. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir frequently. Continue cooking, for about 10 minutes, or until most of the cranberries have popped. Let cool for at least 30 minutes to thicken up. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Canning

Ladle the Cranberry sauce into hot sterilized half pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims with a damp towel to make sure they are clean. Put on sterilized lids and then bands. Make sure the band are only put on finger tight. Just were it begins to resist.

Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 5 min. (adjust for your altitude). Make sure the water is 1 to 2 inches above the cans. The timer does not start until the water returns to boiling. Remove the cans when time is up and put on a thick towel or rack to cool. Do not do anything with the bands until it has cooled. Check for the seal. If it has not sealed properly then store in the refrigerator and eat within the next few days. The ones that have sealed store them without the bands on. Do not stack.

Green Smoothie

TOTAL TIME: 5 MIN      

BLENDING: 4-5 MIN      

SERVES: 1

 -Celery, 3 ounces (weight loss)

-Cucumbers, 3 ounces (weight loss)

-Granny Smith Apples, 5 ounces (Regulates blood sugar levels)

Super Greens, 4-5 leaves (reduce risk of cancer and regulates blood sugar levels)

Lemon, 1/3 (Immune system)

Lemon Zest

Water, 1/3 cup

Ice, 2/3 cup 

1. Take out your blender and all of your ingredients.

2. Cut up each of your ingredients so they work well with the blender.

3. Does not matter whether you cut or dice because we are measuring by ounces to make this correct.

4. This should make a 16 ounce smoothie for one person.

5. I recommend putting the apples, celery, cucumbers, lemon, greens and water in the blender first. Blend for 4-5 min. If you blend for less than this you might get a chewy smoothie.

6. After all of it is blended add your ice to make it nice and cold.

Serve and enjoy!!

Cob Salad 🥗

4 servings

 Ingredients

(Diabetic Friendly)

2 Head of Romaine Lettuce 🥬 (Same)

6 Hard boiled Eggs 🥚 (3 Hard Boiled Eggs)

12 slices of Bacon 🥓 (NO Bacon)

2 Avocado 🥑 (1 Avocado)

2 oz of Blue Cheese 🧀 (1 oz of Blue Cheese)

7 oz of Grape Tomatoes 🍅 (6 oz of Grape Tomatoes)

You can make it a meal and add 8 oz of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Healthy dressing home made recipe

1 oz Blue Cheese

1/3 cup of Buttermilk

1/3 cup of Mayonnaise

1/3 cup of Low Fat Sour Cream

1 Tablespoon of White Wine Vinegar 

1/4 teaspoon of Garlic Powder

Instructions

Chop everything up into bight size pieces and layer them how you choose. Mix before serving. 

Strawberry 🍓, Basil 🌿 and Lemon 🍋 Infused Water 💦

 1/2 cup of Strawberries 🍓 (Stress Relief, Energize)

5 large Basil leaves 🌿 (Stress Relief, Anti Inflammatory, Fatigue)

1 Lemon 🍋 (Improves Digestion, Energize, Immune Support, Weight Loss, Skin Health)

Generally, the advice is that you should drink eight glasses of water each day. But with Diabetes the urgency of consuming more water is doubled. The condition has a way of dehydrating you. This is especially true when blood glucose levels are on the rise. Here, drinking water helps flush out extra glucose and nourishes the body so it doesn’t get dehydrated.dehydrate.

As the name implies, detox water is aimed at detoxifying our bodies. Also known as infused water, water detox recipes are steeped with the flavors of various fruit, vegetable, and/or herbs, and since they are infused rather than blended or juiced, you’re able to reap the benefits (and flavor) without packing additional calories into your diet.

The World Health Organisation recommends that a person should not consume more than 6 teaspoons of sugar in a day. A single can of cola contains 35 gram or 7 teaspoons of sugar in each serving.

Steak and Potato Tacos 🌮 with Chimichurri and Queso Fresco

 Ingredients (serves 2)

Chimichurri 2 oz.

Grape Tomatoes 4 oz.

Potatoes 4 oz.

Queso Fresco 1 oz.

Seasoned Salt Blend 1/2 tsp.

Whole Wheat Taco Tortillas 6

Sour Cream 1 oz. 

Steak Strips10 oz.

Directions

Coarsely chop potatoes. Halve tomatoes. Combine tomatoes and chimichurri sauce in a mixing bowl. Separate steak strips into a single layer and pat dry.

Chimichurri sauce

1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems

3-4 garlic cloves

2 Tbsps fresh oregano leaves (can sub 2 teaspoons dried oregano)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix all these ingredients in a food processor.

Place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add tortillas to hot, dry pan and heat through, 30-60 seconds per side. Remove from burner. Wrap heated tortillas in a clean towel or piece of foil to keep warm. Reserve pan; no need to wipe clean. To heat in a microwave instead, wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave until warm, 30-60 seconds.

Return pan used to heat tortillas to medium heat and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add potatoes to hot pan. Stir occasionally until browned and tender. Add steak strips and seasoned salt. Stir often until no pink remains and steak reaches a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees, 4-6 minutes. Remove from burner. Rest, 3 minutes.

Plate dish as pictured on front of card, filling tortillas with filling and topping with cheese, sour cream, and chimichurri tomatoes. 

Bon appétit!

Spicy Chicken with veggies 🌽 🍅 🥑

 

Ingredients

2 Skinless Boneless Chicken 🐓 Breasts (defrosted)

2 corn on the cob 🌽 or 1 can of corn

1 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes 🍅 

1 avocado 🥑 

A few springs of cilantro 🌿 or parsley 🌿 for garnish

Seasonings

1 1/2 tsp of Chili 🌶 Powder

1/4 tsp of Cumin

1/4 tsp of Garlic 🧄 Powder

1/8 tsp of Cayenne

1/4 tsp of Salt

Have everything set aside and ready

Smother the chicken in the mixed seasonings on both sides. Add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to a skillet, or in my case my Le Creuset braiser. About half way through squeeze half the lime on top. Cook until it is 165 degrees in each chicken. Whenever the pan gets to dry add a tbsp of water.

Do not clean the pan. You will be using these yummy spices to season the corn

Mix it up

Add your tomatoes 🍅 cut in half and mix

Let it cook until everything is cooked through and tomatoes are softened.

Plate the corn and tomatoes.....add the chicken on top...the avocado..the cilantro or parsley....squeeze the other half of the lime on top and add some queso fresco if you like.

BON APPETIT!!!!

Pasta with Chicken 🐓 and Broccoli 🥦 Pesto

Tonight’s dinner was the start of us changing our lifestyle. My husband got diagnosed with borderline diabetes and so the change had to happen. As a family we have gotten rid of all tempting foods in the house and went shopping for the healthy alternatives. Such as whole wheat flour and such. My mother is allergic to gluten so you will also see recipes in here for gluten free recipes when she is visiting. Time for our family to eat healthy!

 Ingredients

4 servings

2 cups broccoli florets

2 cups of pasta (I’m using whole wheat penne)

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

5 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed and divided

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz of cooked chicken

1/4 tsp pepper

6 oz fresh baby spinach

1 cup grape tomatoes

Directions

Bring large saucepan of water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook for 3 min or until tender. Remove to a small bowl. Reserve the water.

Cook pasta according to package directions using the reserved water. Drain pasta and cover to keep warm.

Combine broccoli, basil, 3 tbsp of cheese, walnuts, oil, 1 clove and salt in food processor or blender. Process until smooth. In large bowl combine pasta and broccoli until combines. Cover to keep warm.

In skillet, heat over medium heat. Add chicken and pepper. Cook until done. I like to shred my chicken after and put it back on the skillet. Temperature must reach 165 degrees. 

Wilt spinach and cook tomatoes (halved), cook until spinach is wilted and tomatoes begin to soften. 

Add to pasta. Stir gently to combine

Divide pasta mixture evenly among four serving bowls. Top with remaining 2 tbsp of cheese.

BONAPPETIT!!