3 Stylish Ways to Create Individual Charcuterie Boards

Spicy Uncured Charcuterie Collection

A good charcuterie always starts with the meat, and Trader Joe's is stocked with plenty of options. This premium $9 spicy trio is insanely tasty, provides you with a nice variety, plus, they make really stunning meat roses.

Salame di Parma Mild Salami

I'll also always typically grab a second option for meat, and that second grab tends to be salami since it's super salty and easy to eat with crackers and bits of cheese in the same bite. This $6 pack is described as "well-balanced" and "mild" so everyone will enjoy snacking on the slices.

Double Cream Brie

Brie is where it's at, and it gets even better when you whip up a simple baked brie to pair with the rest of your charcuterie goodies. To make mine, I'll snag this $8.49 block, chop it up and put it in a ramekin, and bake it at a high temp until it's nice and bubbly. It makes the perfect snack to dip crackers in, plus you can easily elevate it with two of my favorite add-ins below...

Spicy Honey Sauce

Yup – hot honey supremacy! Drizzling a bit of this on top of my baked brie truly changes everything. Both the sweet and spicy components of this $5 bottle pair wonderfully with brie – you'll be addicted once you try it, I promise.

Fig Butter

This $3 fig butter also goes absolutely nuts when you use it as a baked brie topper. It's super simple and subtly sweet. If you love complex, elevated flavors, you've gotta try this pick. It also works well on toasts, sammies, and even burgers!

Fig & Olive Crisps

Out of the literal millions of crackers Trader Joe's has to offer, I think these $4 babies are the best money can buy. Each bite is infused with flax, sesame, and sunflower seeds for a yummy crunch, plus, they're made with figs and olives that provide a delectable salty-sweet balance. What I like most about 'em is they have great structural integrity, so they don't break when you use them for dipping or layering between meats and cheeses.

Prosciutto Wrapped Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

This $5 snack has the best of both worlds, so it could be a good grab if you want to set up a snack board quickly without spending over $15 on a full suite of meats and cheeses. They're definitely easy to inhale because they're flavorful as ever!

Garlic & Jalapeño Stuffed Olives

I could go on and on and on and on about these stuffed olives. They're insane. A jar doesn't ever last long in my fridge. Each plump bite is packed with slivers of garlic and jalapeño, though they're not overly spicy. The brine balances everything out wonderfully. I like to serve these in a tiny bowl on top of my charcuterie boards and eat 'em up!

Ciabatta Demi-Baguette

This bread is a must if you're looking to made a baked brie with your charcuterie board: slice it up, toast the pieces for a bit, and you have the perfect vessel for a spoonful of melty brie paired with either the hot honey or fig jam. I tend to buy this "demi" size because I often enjoy my charcuterie boards with one or two other people, but TJ's also sells full-size baguettes to feed bigger crowds!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

These PB cups easily rank in my top 10 favorite Trader Joe's products of all time. Encased in decadent dark chocolate, these bites also hold plenty of creamy peanut butter for a timeless treat – especially one you'll want to unwrap after chowing down on charcuterie!

1. "ABCs" Egg Hunt

First, if you have younger ones, you can turn your Easter egg hunt into a learning experience with an added playful challenge. All you have to do is hide 26 eggs, each of which is labeled with a different letter.

Then, give your kiddo a checklist to mark off each letter as they find it. Not only will this activity help you actually remember how many eggs you hide this year, but it'll reinforce letter recognition in a fun, hands-on way. As an extra bonus, you can even tuck a small prize inside the eggs to match their corresponding letters!

2. Color-Coded Egg Hunt

Now, if you have multiple children who battle to find all the Easter eggs each year, then you know that things can get chaotic and tense. To say goodbye to sibling squabbles, simply assign each kid a specific egg color and matching basket.

If you have two sons, for instance, hide 20 green eggs and 20 blue eggs. They'll know exactly which eggs to search for, and everything will be kept fair since they'll each get to find the same number.

3. Glow In The Dark Hunt

There's obviously more to Easter than just the fun of egg-hunting. Nonetheless, for kids, it's often the most looked-forward-to portion of the day, and once it's over, it can be hard to keep them entertained or invested in the celebration.

But with a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt, you can delay that! Just wait until the sun goes down to host a nighttime version of the tradition with the help of glow-in-the-dark paint or glow sticks inside plastic eggs. Your children will be looking forward to it all day (and probably stay on their best behavior as they wait to participate).

4. Advent Calendar Hunt

To extend the Easter fun even further, remember that you don't have to limit the festivities to just one day. Instead, spread the joy out with an Easter-themed countdown hunt!

Every day during the week leading up to Easter, hide one egg or goody bag that's filled with treats or tiny surprises. It will build anticipation in an adorable way that gets your kiddos super excited.

5. Traditional Egg Hunt: Simon Says Edition

Growing up, your family might've always put little chocolates or coins inside your Easter eggs. To infuse the tradition with some more action, consider including "Simon Says" and call it "Easter Bunny Says!"

Just place a piece of paper inside each egg that contains a fun instruction, such as "hop like a bunny" or "spin in a circle three times." It's a great way to keep the giggles going and expel some extra energy before the sugar craze hits.

6. Scavenger Hunt

For older kids (or even adults), take your Easter egg hunt up a notch by turning it into a scavenger hunt. Depending on where you're planning the hunt, like inside your home or in the backyard, come up with clues and riddles that correspond with hiding spots in that location.

It adds a puzzle-solving element that can be adapted for tweens, teens, and, again, the older folks who still want to get in on the fun.

7. Reward Hunt

Another smart idea to sweeten the whole deal is turning your Easter egg hunt into a mini reward system. Alongside the typical candy, tuck in notes that offer fun perks, like extra bedtime stories, a chore pass, or even a screen time coupon.

8. Easter Egg & Balloon Hunt

Finally, if you have a baby or toddler who isn't quite ready to participate in the conventional Easter egg hunt, all you have to do is incorporate some balloons to make the activity easier.

First, fill up some helium balloons and tie a chocolate egg to the bottom of each string. Then, you can let them bop around your home or backyard, serving as straightforward markers for your little ones to spot. Not to mention, what kid doesn't love a balloon?!

May 2025

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (April 22, 2025)

April 2025

All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett

Considered one of our most-anticipated new books in April, All That Life Can Afford grapples with one young woman's experience with a fast-paced life filled with classism. It begins with an introduction of Anna and her love for the "beautiful" London. Based on glossy images in Library books, she's convinced that's the place she needs to be. But she's sorely disappointed when she arrives to find a gloomy place that mirrors life in her hometown.

Before long, Anna's swept into the luxurious life of the Wilders as their daughter's tutors and begins experiencing the glitz she thought London would give her. From parties to two attractive pursuits, she's living a life that many dream of...until she begins to struggle under the crushing weight of portraying a "rich and famous" lifestyle" that doesn't match her background.

March 2025

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Beth and Frank seem like they have it all on the surface of their marriage, but that's only because they've been avoiding a huge elephant in the room. Bliss seems like a wonderful place to stay, but Frank's brother commits a crime that stirs up the presence of Gabriel Wolfe. He's the man that used to make Beth's heart beat so long ago, but she swore him off after their romance ended in heartbreak. But now he's back with a son named Leo who feels familiar to Beth.

It doesn't take long for Beth and Gabriel to start interacting, but it comes with painful memories that threaten her marriage with Frank. There'll be a reckoning soon enough, forcing Beth to make peace with her past, present and future.

February 2025

Isolaby Allegra Goodman

When readers are first introduced to Marguerite, she's an heiress who has a promising future ahead of her. With barely anything to worry about, she enjoys a sweet childhood until she becomes an orphan under the care of a reckless man. Not only does he seize the inheritance that was intended for her, he also behaves cruelly and leaves her stranded on an island.

Facing perilous weather and other unspeakable things, Marguerite learns how to survive with "faith the size of a mustard seed."

Reese Witherspoon says, "This is easily one of my favorite historical fiction reads yet," (via Instagram).

January 2025

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan (New Release)

It's not until something forces her to make peace with where she comes from that 'Cate Kay' decides it's time to stop running from who she is.

Reese Witherspoon says, "Have you ever felt like you were living more than one life? That’s exactly what Cate Kay is grappling with in our January pick, The Three Lives of Cate Kay by @KateFagan3. She’s a literary sensation, the face behind a blockbuster film trilogy, but her life isn’t what it seems. This story swept me away with its big dreams, love, and unexpected twists," (via Instagram).