No one can resist a good snack board, and this fall charcuterie board is no exception. Filled with fall favorites such as apples, pears, caramel, and pecans.

This content was created using complimentary products from Melissa’s Produce, Narin’s, and Millican Pecan. I was not otherwise compensated and all thoughts/opinions are my own.

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Yesterday I gave you the recipe for an apple cider spiced caramel apple dip and today is the whole fall themed charcuterie to pair with it! The best thing about charcuterie is that you can really make it your own, incorporating your favorite pairs. But first let’s talk tools for assembly.

Charcuterie Board Tools

You don’t need fancy equipment to make a gorgeous spread. You can even serve them directly off a clean kitchen counter. Here are some tools that make displaying and serving easier.

• Serving board – a board with a rim will help contain everything but a cutting board, rimmed baking sheet, or serving platter will work. Or get creative and use a bunch of smaller plates or a clean countertop (I used a marble pastry board).
• Serving utensils – you can use bust out the cheese serving knives and forks or use everyday silverware to serve.
• Small bowls – Ramekins or any small dishes work well for liquid/wet components such as jam, honey, pickled items, etc.

As for the components, you can use the usual suspects but maybe try picking items with nutty, herbal, or spiced flavors and include seasonal fruits. Many of these components transition into the winter months if instead you are looking for a Christmas Charcuterie Board.

What’s on a Fall Charcuterie Board?

• Cheese – Spreadable cheese such as goat cheese, flavored cream cheese, or a cheese ball (I used a cranberry-cinnamon goat cheese), a soft cheese like brie or mozzarella (I used blue cheese to pair with pears), and a hard cheese like sharp white cheddar (I used Manchego cause of its’s nutty flavor and pairs well with fruit and a sharp cheddar).
• Fruit – Seasonal favorites such as apples, pears, and grapes.
• Meat – Hard and soft cured meats such as salami and prosciutto.
• Pickled items – Olives are a popular choice but any pickled items could work.
• Dips or jams – Add dips, sauces, or jams that compliment your other components (I went with caramel dip and pecan butter).
• Crackers – Any type of cracker or toasted bread will do but I’m obsessed with fruit and nut crackers. Don’t have room? Serve them on the side.
• Nuts – Whether they are roasted, raw, or spiced, nuts are a great way to add texture to your pairings and also fill up small spaces.

For my fall charcuterie board, I used fuji apples, bartlett pears, red grapes and fresh rosemary from Melissa’s Produce, Millican pecans and pecan butter, Nairn’s oat crackers, and of course the apple cider caramel dip (made with Dixie Crystals, Republic of Tea, Taylor & Colledge). Paired with those items I added blue cheese, cranberry-cinnamon goat cheese, Manchego, sharp cheddar, fennel salami, prosciutto, and Kalamata olives. Want to make it festive or Halloween? Try adding some (Charcuterie) Skewered Eyeballs.

After your eyes are done feasting on this board, remember there is plenty more where that came from. Scroll down to see the other recipes shared today for #FallFlavors week and be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post.

Check out my other creations including a BBQ pork charcuterie and a dessert peanut butter & chocolate version!

More #FallFlavors Recipes Below:

Appetizers, Cocktails, and Snacks

• Apple Cider Old-Fashioned from Books n’ Cooks
• Sweet And Spicy Pecans from Simple and Savory

Breakfast and Baked Goods

• Apple Cider Pecan Granola from Family Around The Table
• Apple Cinnamon Bread from Life Love and Good Food
• Apple Pecan Scones from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Gluten-Free Apple Cider Doughnuts from Frugal & Fit
• Pecan Cinnamon Sugar Baked Apple Donuts from Jen Around the World

Soups and Salads

• Caramel Apple Pear Salad from Eat Move Make
• Creamy Autumn Squash Soup from Blogghetti

Side Dishes

• Balsamic Glazed Cipollini Onions from West Via Midwest
• Roasted Cipollini Onions With Sherry Vinegar And Thyme from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Vegan Butternut Squash And Chestnut Kebabs from Magical Ingredients

Main Dishes

• Cider Brined Baked Chicken from Palatable Pastime
• Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad from Cheese Curd In Paradise

Desserts

• Air Fryer Apple Fritters from Devour Dinner
• Apple Cider Tea Madeleines from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Apple Crumb Bars from SueBee Homemaker
• Apple Nachos from Take Two Tapas
• Butterscotch Blondies from That Recipe
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes from Fresh April Flours
• Fall Fruit Galette from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Giant Butterscotch Cookies from An Affair from the Heart
• Gluten-Free Apple Pie from The Fresh Cooky
• Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake from Art of Natural Living
• Pear & Butternut Squash Crisp from Savory Moments
• Pecan Pound Cake from Soulfully Made
• Sour Cream Apple Pie from House of Nash Eats
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe from Lemon Blossoms

Three years ago: Buckeye Kolache

Six years ago: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Jalapeno Aioli

Seven years ago: BBQ Chicken Pizza with Cornmeal Crust

Nine years ago: Buckeye Cheesecake

Ten years ago: Rustic Sourdough Bread

FALL CHARCUTERIE BOARD

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Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• Pecan butter
• Caramel dip
• Sharp cheddar
• Cranberry cinnamon coated goat cheese
• Manchego
• Sliced apples
• Sliced pears
• Red grapes
• Kalamata olives
• Blue cheese
• Cured salami
• Prosciutto
• Crackers
• Pecans
• Fresh rosemary, for garnish

Directions

1. Place condiments, either in original containers or in a ramekin, spaced out on the boars.
2. Pre-slice hard cheeses and cut a few wedges into the soft ones. Arrange cheeses around the condiments that pairs well (e.g. apples with caramel dip). 
3. Arrange fruit with condiments/cheeses they pair well with.
4. Nestle olives in a dish.
5. Fold meat in a variety of patterns onto the board. 
6. Arrange crackers in remaining spaces.
7. Cover any holes with pecans and rosemary springs.

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original (but obviously inspired by everywhere)

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

Welcome to #FallFlavors where more than 25 food bloggers are sharing recipes with favorite Fall flavors. Our sponsors, Millican Pecan, Dixie Crystals, Melissa’s Produce, Taylor & Colledge, Nairn’s, and Republic of Tea, have furnished participating bloggers with complimentary product to use in their recipe creations that they will be sharing this week. These same sponsors have generously offered prizes for our giveaway so be sure to enter and share with your friends so they can enter too. Be sure to follow our Fall Flavors Pinterest account for more inspiration.

Prize 1: Texas Pecan Candy Basket from Millican Pecan

The Millican Pecan Texas Pecan Candy Basket is loaded with a variety of pecan gifts. Includes 6 Milk Chocolate Pecan Clusters, 6 Milk Chocolate Caramillicans (similar to Turtles), 6 White Chocolate Caramillicans, 6 Pecan Pralines, and a 1/2 lb. Bag of Flavored Pecans! Every bit DELICIOUS! A $75 value.

Prize 2: Williams Sonoma Cleartouch Nonstick 6-Piece Bakeware Set from Dixie Crystals

Perfect for the occasional baker, our entry-level collection features a sturdy nonstick silicone coating at a great value. Aluminized steel, the material of choice for professional bakers, provides excellent heat transfer for even baking, so food turns out beautifully and releases easily, every time. 6-Piece Set includes: Half-sheet pan, 12-cup muffin pan, round cake pan, square cake pan, rectangular cake pan, loaf pan. An $80 value.

Prize 3: 3 Month Melissa’s Produce Gift Subscription

A stunning selection of the most delicious produce will be delivered once a month for 3 months. At Melissa’s, the produce is selected at their peak of perfection and packed by hand to ensure safe arrival. A $124 value.

Prize 4: A Red Dancing Leaves Teapot and a tin of Hot Apple Cider Tea from The Republic of Tea

Let the aroma of fresh apple and mulled cider spices envelop you as you sip this golden infusion. The crisp, lingering finish will leave you wanting more! A naturally-caffeine free blend of apples, cinnamon cloves and ginger. Reminiscent of apple cider, with the luscious aroma of cinnamon and cloves, make this cup the perfect accompaniment to the colors of the harvest season.

Embossed, windswept leaves whirl across this 20 oz ceramic teapot. Includes a stainless steel infuser. An exclusive design by The Republic of Tea. A $44 value

Prize 5: A selection of six flavors of Oat Crackers from Nairn’s

One winner will receive a box of each Nairn’s Original, Chocolate Chip, Stem Ginger Oat Grahams, Caramelized Onions, Rosemary & Sea Salt Flatbreads, and Oat Cracker. Nairn’s has been baking oats since 1896. They use simple, natural, and wholesome ingredients in their products. Minimum $25 value

Prize 6: A Selection of extracts from Taylor and Colledge.

One winner will receive a selection of extracts to include vanilla bean, almond, lemon, and lavender. In 1897, Taylor & Colledge won its first award for excellence in vanilla. Since then, the Taylor & Colledge commitment for unsurpassed quality has earned its reputation as one of the world’s finest producers of vanilla. Minimum of $25 value

Six (6) winners will be randomly selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. Bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners have 24 hours to respond once notified by email, or they forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be chosen. The #FallFlavors bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members living in the household cannot enter or win the giveaway. Entries will be verified. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter giveaway and the contest is open only to US residents. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #FallFlavors posts or entries. Thank you to our sponsors Millican Pecan Company, Dixie Crystals, Melissa’s Produce, Taylor & Colledge, Republic of Tea, and Nairn’s for providing prizes.

You can’t have a picnic or backyard cookout without an easy pasta salad. Toss your favorite pasta shape with vegetables, cheese, and Italian dressing for the perfect summer side dish.

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Happy National DNA Day! To celebrate I made an easy pasta salad with rotini pasta because it looks DNA double helix. But before I get into the recipe, let’s talk a little science for #ScienceSundays!

What is National DNA Day?

National DNA Day celebrates the discovery of DNA’s double helix by James Watson and Francis Crick using X-ray crystallography created by Rosalind Franklin in 1953 and the completion of the Human Genome Project 50 years later in 2003 ted in 1989). The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of 27 institutes and centers that form the National Institutes of Health (NIH), encourages organizations to host events celebrating National DNA Day from January through May of each year, offering opportunities to learn about the latest advances in genomic research and explore what it may mean for our lives.

I may not be an organization, nor am I hosting an event, but as a classically trained geneticist, I figured it was a great topic to briefly cover and correlate to food in some way.

What is DNA?

DNA is like a recipe with instructions for our body to grow and function. Actually, an even better analogy is comparing DNA to the coding of a computer program but instead of a series of 0s and 1s, it’s made of nucleotides denoted by As, Ts, Gs, and Cs. It’s the language of DNA.

Despite how different humans many appear from one another, we actually are 99.9% identical genetically. A more startling fact is that only 1% of our total DNA actually contains sequences known as genes, which code for those instructions. The regions outside of that 1% regulate what/when/how/how much of that gene and its product is made.

Since DNA is more or less a code, it first must be translated in messenger RNA (or mRNA which is commonly heard term these days with the COVID-19 vaccines) which then is translated into proteins that have various functions.

How is genomics used?

The human genome project and advances in genomics have changed the way we do science. When the project first started in 1989, they were sequencing the entire genome by hand, but now its digital. Heck now you can spit into a tube and 6 weeks later you have results from places such as 23andMe (referral link).

With the help of genomics, we are also learning how life works and disease occurs. Those genes I mentioned? They can have slightly different sequences, or be damaged, which may cause disease, and sequencing can identify and possibly even diagnose rare diseases when classic medicine fails. Of course this work has raised ethical and social considerations which is why experts in these fields have been involved since the beginning.

Another benefit comes at a social level. This information shows that we are more alike than we are different, that we have a more diverse history than many people expected, breaks down the traditional notions of race but instead a beautiful continuum, and promotes conversations about race in a positive way with perspectives of similarities instead of differences.

What to learn more? Here are some great review videos on DNA and the Human Genome Project.

DNA-Shaped Easy Pasta Salad

So what does all that have to do with pasta salad? Mostly just the fact that the DNA double helix resembles the rotini pasta shape. However there is a Science of Macaroni Salad TED talk about how it can be used to explain how everything is made of molecules. But that goes even deeper than DNA.

This pasta salad, unlike understanding genetics, is quite simple and the perfect side to your favorite grilled summer meats like Traeger smoked pork chops. Just mix up cooked rotini (or your favorite pasta shape) with chopped broccoli, red bell pepper, salami, cheddar, olives, and Italian dressing. Of course since it’s more of an assembly rather than a recipe, you can easily change the various components based on your preferences. Want mozzarella instead of cheddar? By all means! I actually used gluten-free chickpea pasta from Barilla.

Three years ago: Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Five years ago: Root Beer Pancakes

Six years ago: DIY Anthopologie Inspired Confetti Tumblers

Seven years ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chess Pie

Eight years ago: Chicken Mango Quesadillas

Nine years ago: Chicken & Spinach Alfredo Pizza

Ten years ago: Cake Batter Fruit Dip

EASY PASTA SALAD

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Yield: 10 servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 lb. rotini pasta (I used Barilla chickpea)
• 1 large head of broccoli, florets trimmed and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 8 oz. cheddar cheese, cubed
• 5 oz. sliced salami, diced
• 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives, drained
• 16 oz. bottle Italian dressing
• Garlic, red pepper, salt and black pepper, to taste.

Directions

1. Cook pasta 2 minutes past al dente. Drain and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the broccoli, pepper, cheese, salami, and olives. Add cooled pasta and dressing and stir until evenly distributed. Season to taste.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

You can change out any ingredient you wish: pepperoni for salami, mozzarella for cheddar, tomatoes for peppers, different shaped pasta, etc.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see!
Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

I have a very bad habit of not planning subsequent meals with leftover ingredients from another, which results in a fridge/freezer full of random things  and unfortunately find their way to the trash before I use them. Thankfully, every now and then I figure out a way to mesh some of them together into something super tasty (and sometimes it’s just “meh” and never shows it’s face on here).

On this occasion I brought together a leftover sheet of puff pastry, deli sliced salami, shredded Mozzarella, and homemade pizza sauce. All rolled together these created what would be an appetizer, but when you eat 10 of them in one sitting I am pretty sure it ends up being classified as dinner. But can you really blame me? Just look at their flaky loveliness!

P.S. Be sure to check out the sneak peak of Steph’s Bite By Bite’s bake sale, going on tomorrow! I am contributing my Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Cookies.

One year ago: Caramelized Honey Dijon Chicken Wrap

PIZZA SWIRLS

Makes 20 pieces

Ingredients:

1/2 of a 17.3 oz. package of puff pasty sheets (1 sheet), thawed

1 egg

1 Tbsp water

1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan, shredded

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

9 slices salami (or use pepperoni)

Pizza sauce, for dipping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
2. Beat egg and water in a small bowl. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the cheeses and seasonings.
3. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Brush with egg mixture. Top with cheese mixture and then overlay the salami slices.
4. Starting with the short side closest to you, roll up like a jelly roll. Cut into 20 quarter-inch pieces and place on baking sheets. Brush with egg mixture and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Serve with pizza sauce.

Source: Adapted from the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets box.

Homemade stromboli is easier than you think. Make this beauty stuffed with salami, ham, and cheese to change up your next pizza night or serve it as an appetizer!

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Pizza and other pizza-like-creations are one of my favorite things to eat. However, as you may have noticed I have yet to post any calzones or strombolis because I’ve never been very good with rolled up pizza dough concoctions. They always turn into a big mess (still delicious just not photogenic) and I never understood why.

But then I saw that Lauren’s posted a great “how to” on making stromboli and I decided to try it out. Her step-by-step photos really help! And I have to say it turned out to be the most beautiful stromboli that’s ever been in my kitchen (brushing the edges with egg was key to seal the edges). Behold!

I barely had enough patience to let it cool down before cutting it up so that I could dive into this marvelous creation. To distract myself I made sure I had plenty of pizza sauce to dip into, but I think next time I want to dip it into a ricotta bake topped with sauce. Next I need to retry making calzones, and will definitely be brushing the edges of that with egg too. It seems to seal it up perfectly, in ways that simple pressing/folding cannot.

Looking for more stromboli recipes? Try my other version including breakfast, buffalo chicken, chipotle turkey club, and spinach artichoke.

One year ago: Grilled Three Cheese Sandwich

HOMEMADE STROMBOLI

Print

Yield: 4 Servings Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb pizza dough (I used half of this recipe)
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce, plus more for dipping
• 1-1/2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
• 6 thin slices hard salami
• 4 thin slices deli honey ham
• 1 egg, beaten
• Dried parsley & Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line large rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Spread pizza dough out on baking sheet to be approximately 10×16. Spread pizza sauce over 2/3′s of the dough lengthwise, leaving a 3×16 rectangle of plain dough along one of the edges. Top sauce with half the grated cheese, salami and ham. Top with remaining cheese.
3. Brush the plain strip of dough with the egg. Fold in the other sides about an inch and brush them with egg. Roll up like a jelly roll* lengthwise starting along the long edge of dough topped with all the fillings and ending with the plain strip of dough on the bottom of the roll.
4. Brush the entire stromboli with egg and gently cut slats in the top of the dough every 1-2 inches. Sprinkle parsley and cheese over top and bake 8-10 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes and slice into pieces. Serve with more pizza sauce.

Notes

*This is where using parchment paper is really handy because you can pick it up to help roll the dough.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see!

Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

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Post updated 12/7/19, the pictures above and below are the originals.