Our internet and cable have been out all day, so I’ve been running around town with husband getting some fun new groceries, and sitting outside on my patio in the sunshine catching up on phone calls. NO TIME TO BLOG? The horror.
I’m using this tray to bribe him to watch the Bachelor tonight with me, and it also makes for a nice little “staying in” date night. It would also be really fun to host a viewing party of any show (or a BACHELOR FINALE party next week!) and have your friends over for cheese and drinks.
I wanted to share a few cheese tray tips with you, and a super simple mimosa recipe. They each only took me about five minutes to put together. I’m really excited to spend some time with my husband tonight, testing all the cheeses we found at the store today!
Tips for Assembling your Cheese Tray:
1. More isn’t always better. Did you know that the American Cheese Society (yes, this is a thing) actually recommends only four to five cheeses on your tray? If you’ve ever studied marketing before, you know that too many options can be overwhelming. Shoot for a small number of cheeses, and you’ll have room for some accompanying snacks on the tray.
2. Vary your textures. Make sure you have a combination of soft, medium, and harder cheese with different textures to make the experience more interesting. Having one spreadable cheese is nice, along with some medium cheeses cut into cubes, and even shavings of a hard cheese like parmesan.
3. Include a mild and strong cheese. Brie is a really nice mild cheese that is usually a crowd-pleaser. If you’re feeling adventurous, include a strong, stinky cheese, like bleu cheese or Limburger for your friends who want to expand their palates. I think the BEST way to find cheeses is in stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts, where they sell the “end pieces” or small servings of cheese wrapped in plastic. They’re usually only $2-3 each, and that way you don’t have to spend all your money!
4. Include charcuterie. Add some of your favorite meats – prosciutto, salami, cured ham – even chicken and turkey. Aim for about 2 ounces per person. This adds another layer to the tray and allows for more pairings and experimentation.
5. Have a drink on hand. It’s always fun to create a signature drink along with your cheese tray. Make a mojito, a mimosa, sangria, or something fruity to go along with your tray. If you don’t drink alcohol, cut up some fresh fruits and add them to a pitcher with sparkling water and some pomegranate juice.
6. Add your sides. With whatever room is left, fill it with crackers, dried fruit, fresh fruit, nuts, and chocolate. Most people love making little sandwiches on crackers, so they’re an important part of the process!
7. Get creative. I always love boards that include something a bit surprising, like artichoke hearts or olives. Usually, if you just scrounge in your fridge or cupboard, you’ll find something like this that you can include. I just discovered I have three containers of roasted red pepper, which would be perfect for this tray!
8. Make a dip. Homemade spinach dip or hummus is always a hit. Display it in a round, crusty bread for a nice-looking addition to your tray.
9. Decorate the white space. I like adding fresh flowers, dried flowers, and some herbs or greens just to make the tray look more appealing. Here, I just used pea sprouts that I picked up at the store today. These are really good on salads and sandwiches, but they also look pretty on the tray.
10. Enjoy the party. Now that you’ve created this great appetizer, enjoy your time with your friends and family! If you’re the host or hostess of a party, see if you can assign someone to “refill duty” so you can spend the rest of your time relaxing and interacting with your guests.
I’m linking some of my favorites below – click any picture to read about ingredients or to order! These are all gluten free.
Blood Orange Tangerine Mimosas
It’s a really simple recipe, but you’ll impress your friends with its fancy-sounding name and great taste!
-1 part Califia Farms tangerine juice
-1 part dry champagne
-juice of 1/2 blood orange
If you don’t drink alcohol, you can replace the champagne with sparkling water or your favorite flavor of La Croix. We personally love the cran-raspberry.
Let me know in the comments your FAVORITE cheese, and also your cheese tray go-tos!
-Allie
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and purchase the item, I may receive a very small compensation, which allows me to keep the blog running for you for free (:
YUM! This is an excellent combo. Also love the photography! You make everything look so effortless and delicious.
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Aww thank you so much! I’ve been trying to be better about taking photos. Have fun on in Vietnam and Thailand! (: (:
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This looks great! Those blood orange mimosas are a great idea.
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Thanks, Mindy! It’s so fun to use different fruits and experiment.
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Those blood orange mimosa’s look fantastic
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Thank you! (: I saw blood oranges at the store and had to do something with them.
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Fantastic photos!! And I love the idea!!
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Thank you so much! (:
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What a great spread! I like cheese trays I’m just never sure what to add, this has given me some good suggestions!
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Cheese trays are just so fun and easy! You can’t really go wrong with what you pick, but at least this gives a little starting point (:
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Oh wow! This might sound dumb but I’ve never heard of blood orange mimosas! Now I need them in my life!
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Haha! I actually don’t know if blood orange mimosas are a thing. I wish they weren’t called blood oranges, because that sounds so unappealing… but they’re really tasty! (:
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Girl I loooove a good cheese tray! Those mimosas sound divine as well! Shout out to Sprouts for always having the best cheese selection around!
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Oh yesss I love cheese trays! And Sprouts is my new favorite store! We just moved a month ago and didn’t have one by us then, but it’s really the only place I’ve been going lately… and then Trader Joe’s on occasion because they have really cheap and pretty flowers (:
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I love a good cheese tray, yum! And blood orange is SO good.
XO
Lee Anne
http://www.lifebylee.com
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Great tips! I love mimosas, cheese & the bachelor – we should live near each other lol
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HAHA that is a good group of things you just listed there! (: Where are you from?
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Those are great tips! I love making cheese boards, but sometimes I forget something like to add different textures! I’m keeping this on hand for my next party! Also, this blood orange mimosa looks amazing!
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I love having friends over and making these! And I love themed parties, too! (:
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These look freaking amazing!! I’m def making these sometime soon. Also your pictures are SO good.
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Thank you! I’ve been trying to work on photos lately… still don’t really know what I’m doing most of the time (: haha!
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This looks so good! I’m pretty much obsessed with La Croix so I need to try making these Blood Orange Mimosas!
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La Croix is a must-have at our house. We just found the Passionfruit ones at the store yesterday… which reminds me, I haven’t tried them yet! (: I’m going to go get one.
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I want a cheese plate and some mimosas. I’m celebrating Monday! 🙂
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Cheese trays and a good drink are some of the best things to have on a relaxing weekend. I love your suggestions and will add some of those to our next cheese tray.
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Yesss such an easy and relaxing weekend activity! (: haha thank you!
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Looks like a great spread! I can always go for a cheese board and a cocktail! Cheers!
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OMG these mimosas look amazing! I love that you used a combo of tangerine juice and blood orange juice. I bet it tastes unbelievable. Perfect for Easter brunch!
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This post is making me think I need to invite a few friends over! I love the flavor combinations you’ve chosen, and I’m definitely a big Mimosa fan. Thanks for sharing!
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Wow!!!! I’m definitely going to make those mimosas for the bachelor finale next week!!!!
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Wow these mimosas look incredible! One of my must have cheeses when making a cheese platter is Brie! Great post; thanks for sharing with us all! Xo
http://www.thebbar.org
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I obsessed with cheese so I throughly enjoyed this post! I need to make this mimosas they look &sound delicious!
I’m going to see if I can make these next week! Hehe
Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
http://www.monnolife.com
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This makes me so ready for the weekend!! I love you selection of cheese and sides here 🙂
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This combo looks so delicious! I love a nice bleu cheese or goat cheese on my cheese trays – or both!
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Your tray is beautiful. I love cheese and I also love mimosas. I have never had a blood orange one though, something needs to change!
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This looks wonderful! I love a good cheese tray! This is really useful information for building my own.
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I am such a fan of blood oranges, and I bet they’re wonderful in mimosas. Great cheese tray tips, also! I’d love to sip a mimosa and dig into an awesome cheese board!
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This looks amazing!!!! I’m definitely trying this one out!
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Great tips! I love that you added some pretty greens and flowers to the try! LOVE this cocktail – tangerine juice? Yum!
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Great tips for a cheese tray. It felt good to nod and say I do all those things already as I went through your list. You really made me hungry! I need to go find some cheese!
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Beautiful cheese tray! I need to step up my game!
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You have the most absolute beautiful photos. I love mimosas. I have an addiction to cheese. Gluten free is a freaking win any day. So you’re in so many different levels of awesome right now it’s unreal. I hate your internet was down all that day, most annoying thing. Ever! John and I just read a new drink recipe: champagne, jack, and pineapple juice! More of an awesome bribe for John really lol he loves champagne and his go to is Jac! Don’t know if husband likes it but could be a new drink! 😊❤
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Yum! Love your cheese tray tips, and these mimosas sound amazing!
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