How To Make An Amazing Cheese Board in 3 Steps

Cheese boards are one of the best ways to please all your guests. They look gorgeous with a variety of colors and textures – and can often double as a centerpiece. And the options are limitless, so appealing to different palates and preferences. There are so many delicious combinations!

Bonus: “No cooking required” means you have more time to enjoy the company of your guests (or tend to other kitchen tasks).

But if you don’t know a lot about cheese or charcuterie boards – it can be intimidating (or expensive if you try to buy every kind of cheese and cracker in the store!). So I’m sharing 3 easy steps to make an amazing and impressive Cheese Board featuring Real California cheeses – that means real food from real people! 

3 Steps to Make an Amazing Cheese Board

1. Cheese – choose 3 different types of Real California Cheese.

This is usually where it can get intimidating because there are so many different types of cheese! And that’s a good thing when you love cheese!! But it’s not great if you aren’t sure what types of cheese work on a board and want to make it a quick trip to the grocery store.

The first step is to make sure you have 1 of each type of cheese. They’re often categorized by firmness and texture so if you want to keep it simple, get one firm / semi-firm cheese, one soft / spreadable cheese and one blue veined cheese.

Feel free to get more than this! But at minimum you should start with these varieties and add any others that look good.

1 – hard cheese

1 – soft cheese

1 – strong cheese

1 – bonus: your favorite cheese

Tip:  Aim for 2-3 servings of each cheese per person.

Try this: If you’re serving with wine – cut out the middleman and serve a wine-soaked cheddar, which is not only delicious but also adds a fun color and conversation piece to the board.

Remember to look for the Real California Milk seal when buying cheese for your spread to ensure it is made with 100% Real California Milk from Real California Dairy families. You can also get information on Cheese 101 (storage, nutrition and their cheese makers) on the Real California Milk – Cheese section.

2. Crackers, Bread or other vehicles for enjoying the cheese

Choose 2 carb options for the board. Ideally, at least one should be crunchy – think crackers or mini toasts. The second pick can also be crunchy or you can do bread – think pita or sliced baguette.

Keep in mind the cheese you got and get something that will complement it. You might want to get a mild cracker if you chose very strong, flavorful cheese. If you went with mild cheeses, a seeded or cracker with fruit and nuts might work well.

1 – crunchy or salty

1 – soft or sweet

The possibilities of textures and flavors are practically endless in this area. You can do crackers or bread – or both! Just make sure the flavors complement the cheese. If you chose very strong cheese flavors – go with mild crackers that won’t compete with the flavors.

3. The Extras (that complement the flavors)

Fresh Fruits & Vegetables– choose 1 of each (ideally different colors).

This category serves double duty on the cheese board because they’re tasty and add some great color. The best fruits and veggies are the ones that are in season. Shop for produce that’s at the peak of season for the best flavors. And fruits and veggies are often cheaper when they’re plentiful.

1 – fresh fruit

1 – fresh veggie 

Sweet – choose 1 sweet treat to complement a strong cheese.

1 – jam, honey or spread

You can use honey or jam that you already have – just serve it in a nice bowl or cup. And make it easy for guests to serve themselves with a small spoon nearby.

Salty – choose 1 sweet treat to complement a milder cheese.

Examples: nuts, pickles, hummus, olives, etc.

Tip: Sprinkling nuts in any bare areas of your cheese board make it look more plentiful too.

Read the breakdown of each category and screenshot this checklist (or print it out) and take it to the store with you. Enjoy!

*Look for the Real California Milk seal when you’re shopping for dairy. The seal means it’s made with Real California Milk – from dairy farms all around the state.

Check out more >>> Tips & the delicious cheese board I made when I met with some of the Real California Milk team in San Francisco here!

Do you have a favorite cheese & cracker combo?

I love cheddar and whole grain crackers with a dab of honey. Sooooo good!

This post is in partnership with Real California Milk. All opinions are my own. #SavortheSeason #Holidairy #CADairy #sponsored

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New Running Survey and Mailing List

New Running Survey and Mailing List for this year. Hello! I’m working on new training plans, meal plans and updates for all your running needs for next year. But I want to make sure it’s relevant and helpful so… I need your feedback.

Fill out this form to share your goals and what types of posts, podcasts and videos you want to see next year. And this is the mailing list for this year’s holiday cards – so if you want to be on the list (it’s completely optional) fill out your address. (You can just put in n/a if you want to pass on it.)

This is your chance to tell me exactly what you want to see on new posts. Plus you can chime in with any running, food, behind the scenes, life stuff… questions. Thank you!

**Mailing List Closes December 5**

(Feedback form and mailing list open to all but will be limited to the US for physical mailer purposes.)

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4 Ingredient Baked Brie Recipe–Easy Appetizer

Try this easy 4-ingredient Baked Brie recipe made with Real California Milk cheese. It’s a crowd favorite and a host favorite because it’s so quick! You can swap out the toppings with your favorite nuts and fruit but the combination of cranberries and pecans on this one makes it perfect for holiday parties. Plus, the Real California Milk seal means the product is made with 100% Real California Milk and supports local farm families in California.

This easy baked brie recipe just changed my life. It’s so easy and so delicious – trust me, try this and your guests will be impressed. Okay, it might not even be considered a recipe because it’s so simple and only takes 4 ingredients.

4-Ingredient Baked Real California Brie Recipe

Ingredients:

• Real California Milk Brie Cheese (wedge or wheel – both work)
• honey
• cranberries
• chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully remove the top rind of brie.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Generously cover brie with honey and place in oven for 6 to 10 minutes or until warm throughout.

Carefully remove brie from oven and top with cranberries and chopped nuts.

Serve immediately with bread or crackers.

Notes:

Keep the bottom and side rinds on the cheese to prevent it from falling apart. (The rind on brie is edible!)

Parchment paper will help prevent the cheese or honey from sticking to the pan.

Go ahead and prepare your serving platter and sides (bread, crackers, fruit, etc.) while brie is warming.

Honey may melt off and make a mess – be very careful when you remove it from the oven.

The amount of toppings depend on how much brie you have – get more than enough so it’s covered.

Carefully transfer brie from baking sheet to serving dish and serve warm.

This isn’t a dish you can make ahead of time – it’s best fresh from the oven. Just remind guests it’s HOT!

Question: What’s your favorite appetizer?

This post is in partnership with Real California Milk. All opinions are my own.

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Hydration Challenge Update

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Splenda. The opinions and text are all mine.

Hello! It’s time for an update on my Hydration Challenge! For a lil refresher… I set a goal to switch up my drinking habits a lil bit. Although I drink a lot of water – I was drinking A LOT of seltzer and extra vitamin drinks and other random sips.

My main goal was to get control of my seltzer addiction. My other goals were to make fancy iced tea – which I figured would be great in case I ever made a friend and they came over. Then, I could keep this hypothetical friend with the promise of more delicious tea.

I made a delicious Strawberry Iced Tea with fresh strawberries, green tea and SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener. I really liked it! And it was super easy so that’s a double win.

I also tried different fruit and tea combos. I used frozen peaches and blueberries for different variations on it.

Since I first made this challenge for myself the weather has gotten cooler (at least it’s cool for me – but not cold relative to places with actual seasons). Even though it’s not full on crisp Fall weather and beautiful orange leaves everywhere – I still really love Fall! It’s my favorite! It’s the best running weather! And I love warm Fall flavors like cinnamon, pumpkin spice and chai tea.

So I’m starting to transition my tea habit from iced tea to hot tea. And I love it.

Lately I’ve been making a vanilla tea or pumpkin spice tea with SPLENDA® Naturals and a good amount of milk. It’s sweet, creamy and I like it pretty hot. So comfy!

Let’s review my hydration goals and see how I did…

Hydration Challenge Goals:

1. Drink my entire water bottle before drinking other ‘fun’ beverages. After coffee since I drink that before running. This includes low calorie drinks and seltzer. >>> Update: I did this about 80% of the time. Which is good enough for me – so I’m good with that.
2. Limit myself to 2 seltzers a day. >>> Update: I just realized I’ve started to drink more now that it’s getting cooler and I’m slacking on making iced tea. But I was doing well with this one for the month of the challenge.
3. Make a batch of iced tea every other day. (One batch lasts about 2 to 3 days when it’s just me drinking it.) >>> Update: I bought a special pitcher for iced tea and made it really easy for myself to make it. I think that’s a good way to ensure you stick with something – set yourself up for success!

Overall: I think I did really well with the hydration challenge. I did discover new iced tea combinations I like! And I was drinking more water.

I’ll continue to update my latest tea and iced coffee obsessions on Instagram and Insta Stories so follow @RunEatRepeat to keep up!

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Best Gifts for Runners Head to Toe

Best Gifts for Runners Head to Toe – list of the must have presents for your favorite runner (or yourself) this season! Plus Cyber Monday deals and other promos!

Check out this list of the best gift ideas for runners. From head to toe here’s all gear your runner (or you) want to wear! And if you’re a runner looking for gift ideas – make sure you are specific with size, color and style when you’re sharing your wish list.

Ponytail Hat with Ear Cover – Hats, beanies and visors are a great gift idea because you don’t need to know their size. And there are some super cute and fun designs!

This hat is awesome because it also works to cover your ears. This eliminates the need for both a hat and ear cover in cold weather.

Beanie for Runners – For some reason runners seem to get new clothes and shoes but use the same old beanie they got from an expo at their first race. Now it’s faded and smelly… oh, just me? Nope.

If you run in super cold weather – you need a new beanie.

Low Profile Head Lamp for Runners – Safety first! And this makes safety easier since it’s light weight and an actual light to help keep you visible while out on the roads.

Runner Head Light –  Another headlight option for running in low light.

Air Pods aka Ear Pods – I’ve heard great things about these ear buds. Runners who usually say other ear buds break or slip out say these are awesome even in the sweatiest conditions.

Jabra Ear Pods

Aftershokz Wireless Bone Conducting Ear Phones

Running Sunglasses with polarized lenses

Ear Warmer Head Band – cold ears are no bueno when running. I love a simple warm head band that’s wide enough to cover your ears.

Reflective Neck Gaiter – add a layer of warmth and a layer of safety with this neck gaiter that is bright and has a reflective stripe.

Multi-Use Wrap Neck Gaiter – I’m newly obsessed with neck gaiters that can also double as a head wrap. And this one has a picture of 12 different ways to wear it!

Long Sleeve Running Tee for Men (that’s cute and can double as a ‘normal’ shirt)

Long Sleeve Night Life Running Tee for Women

Shop Now and receive a FREE Holiday Tech Tee with any order of $120 or more!

Under Armour Men’s Gloves

Trail Heads Running Gloves

Gift Card for a Running Shoe Store or Sporting Gear Store – If you’re not sure what size or style of running capris/pants/shorts or shoes they wear – get a gift card.

Compression Socks – I love Pro Compression Socks. You can find discounts and offers from them all the time when you check out their site or mailing list.

And if you want Holiday Running Shoes… Brooks Ugly Sweater Shoes are the most fun festive running shoes I’ve ever seen!

They just sent me this pair and I cannot wait to wear them to all the holiday things!

If you need running shoes check out the Brooks Shoe Finder : Find the perfect shoe for YOU with the BrooksRunning.com Shoe Finder

What’s on your Holiday Wish List?

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Want Need Wear Read Christmas Wish List–Free Printable Minimal List Template

Hello! I have a great round up of sales for runners and fitness enthusiasts coming next. But before the gifts we should make a wish list, right?

Right! But I’m a Monic-alist (like minimalist but Monica) and my Love Language isn’t gifts so I like to keep my wish list simple. So when I heard about the Want Need Wear Read gift list for kids – I thought it was so smart! And it’s a great idea for adults too!

If you’re not familiar… this simple Christmas list is meant to keep us from overdoing it with lil ones and limit it to 4 presents. Each present has a purpose too! So it’s a smart way to get more than one present for your favorite person but keep it to stuff they’ll really love.

The 4 gifts are:

Something they WANT

Something they NEED

Something to WEAR

Something to READ

I love it! It’s such a simple way to get ideas on what you should get them too!

So I have a Christmas Wish List Template you can print out and have them fill out. Or you can screen shot it and fill in the answers on Instagram Stories. (I have the Samsung Galaxy Note – it has a pen so I can write it in but you can use the app and add text.)

* Get this 4 gift category free Printable Christmas Wish List Template here. *

But if you want a lil more inspiration…

I also made a minimalist Christmas Wish List with a few more options. I still call it a minimal list because the additional options are things you can EAT (which don’t stay around long) or things you can DO (I like experiences or spending time with my loved ones as gifts).

So this list is: Want, Need, Do, Read, Wear, Sweet…

* Get the free Printable Christmas Wish List Template here. *

 

Race Discount Code for Cyber Monday

And before I come back with all the awesome gift ideas and sales… head’s up that the Riverside Half Marathon, 5K has a Cyber Monday Sale ONE DAY ONLY!

Use code: RER20

And get 20% off half marathon registration or 5K registration for the Lace Up Riverside Race Dec 2nd. It’s a fun holiday run – and a lot of people dress up, plus Santa’s there!

Register here: Reindeer Run Riverside Dec 2

Question: What do you want for Christmas?

Do you make a wish list?

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