A couple of weeks ago I hosted a "Going Away" party for some great friends. I wanted to keep it simple, as this was a last minute thing (I made invites online on Monday and texted them to everyone right away for a Friday night party).

Although perfectly acceptable, I didn't love the idea of asking everyone to bring an appetizer. So instead, I had everyone bring a bottle of wine and I provided the one and only appetizer for our 7pm Wine and Cheese Party. I started searching Pinterest for "Charcuterie Board" and "Cheese Platter". Based on research from a combination of several pinners, here is what I learned:

You can make your own enormous wood board for about $20. My husband picked me up a 12" x 6' untreated piece of wood at Lowe's for $12. I used a hand sander with 3 different grades of sandpaper to smooth it out and round all the edges before treating the board with several coats of food grade mineral oil (for butcher blocks). I got mine here on amazon.com. I put felt feet on the bottom to prevent sliding or scratching.
Plan on purchasing about 2-3 meat options. If you are an OC resident, I highly recommend shopping at Mission Ranch Market. They have incredible prices on Boars Head meat! I chose a Peppered Salami, Prosciutto and Beef Salami and had them all sliced as thin as possible. I also got tapenades and olives from their deli counter (and dates, dried apricots, honeycomb and nuts from the store, too).
Choose a variety of cheeses from soft to hard. 2-3 options is plenty. I selected a brie (soft), Dubliner and Manchego for medium/oily and a Cage Aged Cheddar for a hard cheese.
Add olives, cornichons, dried fruits (apricots, dates) and nuts (marcona almonds, cashews) and spreads (fig jam, honeycomb, mustard). If figs were in season I would have had them, too.
For crackers and bread, I chose gluten free Mary's Crackers and thinly sliced and toasted french baguettes.
Garnish with small bunches of grapes and fresh herbs.
Overflowing and Abundant is the look you want to achieve.
A little goes a long way- I suggest about 3 pounds of meat and 4 pounds of cheese, and anticipate spending a minimum of $125 for 24 people.

I started with taping down brown paper, and made a decorative border with some left over craft tape. Next I placed my Wood board in the center of the table.

Next, I collected all of the small glass bowls I had and filled them with anything that would get wet or messy. A lot of people choose to put everything directly on the wood board, But since this was an exceptionally large board serving a lot of peo… — Next, I collected all of the small glass bowls I had and filled them with anything that would get wet or messy. A lot of people choose to put everything directly on the wood board, But since this was an exceptionally large board serving a lot of people, I wanted to make sure it stayed presentable throughout the evening and I feel the bowls helped with that.

Next I placed all the meat and cheese. I decided to pre-cut all of my cheese- for a tidy presentation and so guests could quickly fill their plates. I filled in all the holes with bread, crackers, grapes, rosemary and candles. The idea is for the bo… — Next I placed all the meat and cheese. I decided to pre-cut all of my cheese- for a tidy presentation and so guests could quickly fill their plates. I filled in all the holes with bread, crackers, grapes, rosemary and candles. The idea is for the board to appear abundant and overflowing.

Lastly, I used a sharpie to write down everything on the board. Some were more obvious than others.  :) — Lastly, I used a sharpie to write down everything on the board. Some were more obvious than others. :)

Enjoy!!