There is nothing better than a beautifully curated cheese board. I love finding different things at the store that will add texture and flavor. Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite resources. They are known for their nuts, dried fruit, cheese, and fun, seasonal treats such as crackers and cookies. For this board I went sweet and savory. My boys love the sweet treats and my husband and I prefer the savory. Here is my formula for pulling it together and making it look pretty.

Start with a ramekin or two for dips and spreads, snack mix, olives or other small items.

Next add your cheeses. I typically us 2-3 different kinds – a soft cheese (brie, goat, or chèvre), a semi-soft cheese (manchego, tallegio, or blue) and a hard cheese (parmesan, gouda, or cheddar).

Add in your crackers next, layering them so they look nice. When selecting crackers or bread slices I try to choose between 2 and 3 that are different sizes, textures, and flavor.

I always like to include sliced seasonal fruit, apples and figs work for the fall. Veggies are nice too, especially if I do a dip such as hummus.

Next fill in the gaps and corners with smaller items like dried fruit, nuts, meats (I scrunch mine so they take up less room), and bite sized cookies or chocolate almonds.

And lastly I tuck in breadsticks and herbs and any other items skinny items I have on hand.

Here is a list of what I used below: chex mix, dried mandarins, walnuts, apples, figs, carrots, prosciutto, vanilla wafer cookies, spiced pumpkin batons, apricot stilton, cranberry chèvre, cheddar, rosemary, triscuits, and two other crackers, and a couple mini pumpkins.