A Thanksgiving cheese board

Okay, I KNOW I just told you alllll about cheese boards a few months ago. But it's Thanksgiving! We need another cheese board!!

I'm a huge huge fan of appetizers on Thanksgiving. I think it's insane to make everyone wait all day to eat just because there is a turkey in the oven. Thanksgiving should be a party and all parties start with snacks! I love a cheese board on Thanksgiving because you can set it up in advance, and then let your guests go crazy.

I do love to add a few special touches to a holiday cheese board, but all of the tips from my other post still stand, so if you're looking for a little blueprint on building a cheese board definitely go check that out.

Okay, so a couple of things that make this cheese board a Thanksgiving cheese board:

Sharper cheese: I don't necessarily believe in summer cheese vs. fall cheese or anything like that, but I do love the idea of a sharper cheddar, or a wine-soaked Toscano on this board. Parmesan and/or Pecorino is also a non-negotiable because....well, because they are little crumbles of salty goodness. ALSO BLUE CHEESE. I know only like 15% of the population loves a funky cheese, but it's our time, OKAY?!

Caramelized onions: Yea, you heard me. Caramelize some onions and throw them on the board. I swear people will go insane. You can either keep them in a bowl (or, um, pile?) by themselves or do what I did here and use them to top some creamy ricotta.

Candied pecans: Guys, I'm allergic to nuts but these felt important. I love the idea of candied and/or spiced nuts, especially this time of year. You don't need a ton, but they are a great way to fill up some space on the board.

Cranberry sauce: Oh yes, I did that. I used my own chipotle rosemary cranberry sauce recipe here, and since you only need a spoonful or two it's easy to steal some from your main meal, but you could actually use any store-bought jam type product. Use it to top some goat cheese or brie and you'll be golden.

Marinated olives: These are a given on any one of my cheese board, but these are special because I marinated them myself! Just combine olives, olive oil, a few orange peels, garlic cloves and rosemary and bring to a simmer. DONE!

And there you have it! A cheese board with total holiday vibes. So much fun!