#holidayhomestyle Archives - Northern California Style

Need festive food for a gathering or upcoming party? Ready to try something new? Well you came to the right spot! Today I am joining a talented group of bloggers in a holiday appetizer roundup. Everyone is sharing something they love for this time of year. I am sharing my simple way to make pretty cheese board.

I find these boards are so popular that you can rely on them to fill most of your appetizer requirements for a gathering. It’s even better if you have a nice board to display it on.

I recently purchased this one from Crate & Barrel above, but I have my eye on these darling ones from Serena & Lily.. I like the leather straps to tote them and the whale spreaders!

I also like this one from Pottery Barn…

Having a good platter is half the battle.

Cheese boards are fun because you can make them seasonal. There is an easy equation to keep it simple- three cheeses, three fruits, and three kinds of crackers. I arrange those in a free-form fashion and fill in with whatever other nuts or salty treats I have on hand. Another touch that will make your cheese board popular is breaking up one or two dark chocolate bars and adding them in by the fruit. I copied this from an appetizer board at a tennis lunch and it’s been a hit every time I since.

The board on top photo was from my Blogger’s Lunch I hosted and it was in fall, so I used apples, pears, persimmons, walnuts and figs. I try and add three cheeses- one soft like a brie, a gouda or a manchego which are firmer, and a goat cheese which I like to drizzle honey and sprinkle almonds or pecans on. Mini apples are in the store now and look cute as a garnish on a fall board if you find them.

In summer I choose things like berries, peaches and apricots, the same cheeses and a little edible flower or two. Sprigs of fresh mint can look and smell pretty with the berries and the same cheeses and crackers.

In winter I like a pomegranate split on the board and the seeds sprinkled on top of a drizzle of honey on the goat cheese. Fruit is harder to come by so dried figs – the Turkish kind, can look pretty sliced in half, and of course citrus should be on a winter board. Clementines are very cute cut in little wedges or peeled and broken up next to dark chocolate. Candied nuts are a holiday touch you can add on a December board.

My go-to crackers are the unbeatable Rainforest Crisps, Trader Joes Pita Crackers, and any long Italian cracker. I also like to add Mary’s Classic Crackers as they are gluten free.

My formula is pretty simple and if you do these frequently it is easy to stock the basics in the pantry and pull one together on the fly. I worry often about them being neat, but sometimes just mounding them up and letting it all organically kind of fall together can look just as pretty, so don’t overthink it and have fun!

Now for more good ideas please stop by lovely partners in this and see what they have in store for you for holiday appetizers….

This is a link to each person’s blog and after their Instagrams so you can follow them there as well..

Melaine My Sweet Savannah @mysweetsavannah

Sheri Sheri Silver @sherisilver

StefanieBeautiful Living with Stefanie Wall @beautiful_living_wtih_stefanie

Mary Ann Classic Casual Home @classiccasualhome

Cindy Rough Luxe Lifestyle @cindyhattersley

Annie Most Lovely Things @most_lovely_things

I would love for you to share below in comments if you have a favorite appetizer for holiday get-togethers.

Cheers!

Kim

It’s that time of year when many of us are motivated to spruce up the house for guests with the upcoming holidays and a new rug is one of the easiest ways to do that. I just added a Serena & Lily rug to my dining room and I think it makes the space.

This is my new Stella Rug, which I am thrilled about. I love the tones and its graphic design for my house. It just pulled everything together- the neutrals and the greys in here, and I like the modern look. I also love the New Zealand wool it’s made of, which is so soft underfoot.

This Stella rug is hand-tufted so it has an artisan feel as each one is slightly different. It’s also Oeko-Tex certified which means it’s free of harmful chemicals. I love that. It also comes in a gorgeous navy.

This is the one thing I needed to cozy up the open space together and make the dining room feel more elegant. I’m still in love with my Malibu Chandelier! I think that is the best purchase I made for the remodel as it sets the vibe for the house with it’s California look.

Well the cats certainly love the rug.. Not sure if I’m thrilled about that! Up close you can see, the rug is so lovely. It has small dots in a lighter cream, and another kind of weave in the zig-zags. Photos don’t do it justice. It’s literally the nicest rug I’ve ever owned.

A larger shot of the whole space. The Balboa Counter Stools have been great and are wearing beautifully, though in constant use! You can see I still have bare walls.. I am working on that. About one thing a week is getting done..

I recently added this Carson Bench I had my eye on. It fit perfectly in our entry space. I am crazy about the weaving on this bench. Everyone stops here to put their shoes on so it’s been most convenient as well as cute!

I still need to figure the wall space. I hope to wallpaper this entry area, and possibly add a large round mirror above the bench.

The Winter Beach Pillow is nice here. Both have that natural vibe.

My Seaview Runner is still looking spiffy and if you get one thing from the rug sale- this is such a good value with it’s stain and water resistance.

Other chic rugs to take a peek at during this sale ..

This Jute Border Rug..really affordable and durable for a family room area or an entry, or I was thinking it could be cute in one of the boy’s bedrooms. It also comes in an ivory stripe and a denim.

The Casco Wool Rug is heathered and would be a nice option for a family space as it won’t show wear as much. I love this blue, but there is also a beautiful fog color.

The Lakeview Rug is also cool..

The Ryder denim & wool rug is another I’ve had my eye on for a bedroom or a runner. .. I love it in this dining space on the Serena & Lily site.

All of Serena & Lily’s beautiful rug collection can be found here. I can tell you anything you buy from them is exceptional quality. I’ve been so happy to share about this Northern California company and be a partner in design with them.

P.S. I just noticed they added a lot of pretty new pieces to their site that I am drooling over like this Wooster Console..