Summer hospitality favorites: The charcuterie board + Italian cream sodas

June 2022

Summer is upon us, friends! Yay!

The bright sunshine and warmer temperatures have arrived in Minnesota. Finally! I am fortunate to live in “the land of 10,000 lakes”, and this is the time of year where the lake is the star of the show. We love spending time on the water- boating, tubing, and coasting around admiring the gorgeous sunsets. My kids spend hours on the sandy beach attempting to build sandcastles. This season is perfect for hosting others and slowing down a bit. I wanted to share a couple “go- to” things that help sweeten our times together.

The Charcuterie Board:

Snacks really are an essential part of hanging out with friends. I mean, let’s be real!

The charcuterie board is a favorite way of displaying tasty snacks, for people of all ages. Huge crowd pleaser! And I love how easy they are to throw together.

Here’s what’s on a typical board at our house:

• cheese: brie, gouda, cheddar, pepper jack

• assorted kinds of crackers

• grapes

• meats: salami, prosciutto, pepperoni

• pickles and olives

• sea salt chocolate

• nuts

• peanut m and m’s

• hummus

I like to keep it easy, but if you’re going for the “whole meal” effect, you can add some chunks of bread and olive oil, veggies and more fruits, and some meat sticks.

I’m going to link a few boards for you to get started:

charcuterie party board (Amazon)

fancier charcuterie board (Amazon)

I’ll link my Pinterest board for this as well:

My Pinterest ideas

The Perfect Italian Cream Soda Recipe:

The next thing I wanted to share with you is the perfect summer beverage. Everyone loves these!

It’s one of the first questions I ask people when they come over to my house. “Can I make you an Italian soda?”

Here’s what you need:

• Torani syrup

• Plain sparkling water or club soda

• Heavy cream

• Whipped topping spray

Instructions:

• pour desired amount of syrup into a glass or cup (see serving suggestion)

• add 12 oz. of plain sparkling water to glass

• pour in a generous amount of cream

• top it off with a beautiful swirl of whipping cream

My current favorite flavor is coconut cream. It’s so tropical and summery. Another one is orange vanilla, and it literally tastes like those orange push up pops you had as a child. Whatever your favorite flavor is, you can find a syrup to match.

I’m linking the Torani store for you to check out:

Torani Syrups

So friends, whatever your summer plans, these are two easy things you can add into any party or get together. Try and soak up these next couple months and make the most of every single moment!