This post is sponsored by Mondelez, and all opinions are my own.
Spooky season is upon us and I, for one, am so ready!! Getting to theme out food or snacks is one of my favorite things and Halloween is a chance to go ALL OUT!
Here’s the thing I love the most about making a grazing board. It is solely up to the maker the types of treats that go onto the board making it the ultimate customizable snack! Love dips? Make it all different dips and spreads! Hate olives? Then don’t add them! The limits are endless and that’s what makes grazing boards so versatile. Here are a few of my tips and tricks on how to make it spook-tacular!
*Find a color theme you want to go with. This is the easiest way to tie in a theme without having to go out and buy décor that you don’t really need. For Halloween, I love orange (note the orange bell peppers are my dip holders), greens, and darker reds/purples. For dips, I again went with Green (guacamole) and Orange (Pimento Cheese).
*Cookie cutters are not just for cookies! Use cookie cutters to cut designs into cheeses and/or meats. In my photo, I used a bat cookie cutter for the cheese and used blueberries to fill the space. I also used letters to spell out “BOO” in turkey!
*Don’t be afraid to add in props! My skeleton hand is easily my favorite Halloween prop, it makes me laugh every time I use it. I also love the addition of the eyes. Just make sure that if you’re using something to hold the food that it is food safe or line it with something before you put your food on or in it.
*Play around with textures! If you’re adding a variety or different meats and cheeses, change up how you slice or display them. It adds a level of texture and gives your grazing board height and its aesthetically pleasing.
*Lastly! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GOOD STURDY DIPPERS! There is nothing worse than building up a perfect bite on a cracker, only for it to fall apart or break under the pressure. Seriously, it’s a travesty! This is where Wheat Thins and Triscuits come into the picture. They can withstand a hearty dip or a stacked snack, and I can appreciate that! I love to have a few crackers on the board itself, just because it adds a different texture but I also make sure to have a platter filled with extras because if there is one thing I know – you can never have enough crackers!
Ingredients:
- 2 Orange Bell Peppers
- Pimento Cheese
- Guacamole
- Green Grapes
- An assortment of hard and soft cheeses (here is where it gets personal, because use whatever varieties you like and know you will get eaten)
- goat cheese
- brie (this is one of the easiest cheeses to use if you want to use a cookie cutter – see bat)
- Colby Jack Cubes
- Muenster (almost like Monster hahah! Okay I’ll stop)
- Gouda
- Assortment of meats
- salami (dry, aged, spicy)
- smoked turkey breast (I’ve found that if you’re making a board that kids will be snacking on, it’s good to add a deli style meat that everyone likes – it is also what I used to spell BOO)
- Pickled okra (Pickles or Olives would be great here too)
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Blackberries
- Strawberries
- Dried Apricots
- Nuts
- Herbs for Garnish
- Sturdy Crackers, such as Wheat Thins or Triscuit
Arrange the ingredients on your board, keeping in mind that if you use anything pickled, such as okra, try to keep it away from your fruits so that the taste doesn’t bleed over! Add in any extra props you have and you’re ready to dig into your Char-Boo-Terie Board!!
Whipped Feta Dip with Olive Spiders
Serves 6-8
- 12 oz feta cheese block 8 oz cream cheese block
- juice of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- red pepper flakes
- black pepper
- olive oil
- black olives
In a food processor blend feta and cream cheese together until smooth. Stream in olive oil as needed until combined and smooth. Add in lemon juice and spices and pulse until fully incorporated. Top with olive oil, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste. Now to the fun part – the olive spiders! I cut the olive in half lengthwise and used one half for the spiders “body” then used the remaining half to cut into tiny slivers for the “legs” and a small part for the “head”. Arrange the siders onto the top of the dip then cover and pop in the fridge for a couple hours to chill! Serve with crackers or veggies!
Mini Halloween Treats To Go!
First, I love these bamboo boats for individual treats. They are the perfect size, handheld, and isn’t food that’s in a small/mini form always the cutest?
For theses I wanted to add a different variety of treats but also keep it with a Halloween theme so I started with my Nutter Butter Mummies.
These are super easy to make – you only need 3 things…Nutter Butters, White Chocolate, Mini Decorative Eyes. Dip the Nutter Butters in the melted white chocolate and add the eyes then place on parchment paper to set. Once they are set, drizzle more white chocolate over them to create the mummy look. Let set again and you’re good to go!
Next I added Halloween OREO cookies. Since they already have a decorative design on the cookie and have orange filling they are already ready to go.
Then I filled in the remaining space with a variety of SOUR PATCH KIDS and Swedish Fish.
And there you have it, treats for everyone across the board – you have chocolate, peanut butter, sweet candy, sour candy! What more could you need? These can easily be wrapped and given as Halloween gifts to friends and family or to have at home while watching a Halloween movie!
Monster Treats!
Monster Treats! This is such a fun way to get kids involved in the kitchen. It’s colorful, easy, can be a bit messy, and it’s guaranteed to get a few laughs! These are perfect little treats that would be a great halloween gift to friends and family. Everything you need can be purchased at Walmart for online pickup or home delivery!
What you’ll need
- Chips Ahoy! (I used the Chewy Chips Ahoy! Originals)
- OREO cookies
- White Chocolate
- Your favorite vanilla frosting filling (homemade or store bought)
- Food coloring
- Monster Eyes big & small
- Pipings Bags or Food storage bags
I started by melting my white chocolate and separating into different bowls. Then I added the food coloring to each bowl until I got the desired color.
Then I dipped my OREO cookies in the white chocolate and placed them on parchment paper, added the monster eyes and left to set. I did the same thing with my vanilla frosting filling – separated into different bowls and added food coloring until I got my desired colors. Then I added the filling to the piping bags and snipped the tip of the bag off. I am in no way a master icing decorator and this is what I love about making these is, they don’t have to be perfect! They can be messy and still look cute! I added the frosting to the flat side of one cookie then placed another cookie on top slightly pressing down on one end to give myself room to add the eyes. Put them on a platter to set up, or don’t, and dig in immediately!!
Head to https://www.creepitrealhalloween.com/ for more ideas!
The Blonde Kitchen 
Love these ideas. Where did you find those bamboo boats? so cute!
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They are from Amazon! Just search “Bamboo Wooden Boat”
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