I just love cheese and crackers and if that cheese is in dip form better yet!’

The tangy sweet combination of this duo is amazing.

Not only is this a great snack and appetizer, but it’s a great accompaniment to a charcuterie board.

Great for parties and can be made at a moment’s notice, this whipped goat cheese will become a staple at your home, as it has mine.

One of the best things about goat cheese is how adaptable it is, there are a million and one ways you can enjoy this cheese. And not only is it versatile in uses, but you can mix it up by experimenting with adding different spices, even making a sweet option like these rum raisin goat cheese bites.

Chevre’ (French for goat) was created in the 8th century A.D when the Moors brought goats to the Loire Valley where French goat cheeses were first made. And so began our love affair with spreading it on crackers, baking it in bread, and using it in new and creative ways like on pizza.

And the addition of cream cheese makes this mouthwatering, but not too rich as lemon cuts through to offer a fresh taste, and garlic gives it a kick, which is great for your sandwich game!

And it’s great on roast beef, a grilled veggie sandwich, or spread on a portobello mushroom burger. Other fantastic ideas include:

•         Dip grilled chicken into it
•         It’s fantastic with beets
•         It’s great with chicken burgers, beef burgers, and meatballs

Or just spread on a bagel or toast in the morning with your coffee for a nice simple breakfast.

Continue reading: Whipped Goat Cheese

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This is one grilled cheese you must make!

I remember as a kid my mom make cream cheese and jelly sandwiches for a snack for us kids

one bit of this sandwich and that was all I could think of, in particular there was one hot summer day and I remember sitting out back with some friends under a big shade tree and we were all laughing and having a great time. I have lots of those types of memories, my mom always tried to make snack time fun, she succeeded. I love reminiscing how great my childhood was, I to hope my kids will look back someday and hopefully have the same types of memories.

This is the epitome of that sandwich I remember, but for grown ups…or kids who like goat cheese.

Continue reading: Grilled Goat Cheese and Avocado Sandwich

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Creamy, lightly smokey, slightly tangy and oh so delicious,

is the only way to describe this guacamole.

It went fast…real fast.

So go ahead and grab yourself some ripe California Avocados, they are in season right NOW, just one more reason to LOVE this time of year.

The go to chip for salsa and guacamole might be corn tortilla chips,

but one bite of fresh flour tortilla chips and this guacamole with goat cheese and bacon and I might be able to change your mind that these are PERFECTLY delicious! Light and crispy and just irresistible.

HOW MANY AVOCADOS DO YOU NEED FOR HOW MANY PEOPLE?

Depending on how many people your guacamole is going to serve, a good rule of thumb is 1/2 an avocado per person when making guacamole for a crowd.

Continue reading: guacamole with goat cheese and bacon

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Why I make pizza? It’s so delicious.

When do I make pizza? Weekly

How do I make pizza? Just look in the fridge for inspiration

It’s so secret that I love pizza. I’ve made many pizza varieties, here, here and even pizza cupcakes .  After making Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken in Lemon Sauce with Capers I had some Prosciutto left over and thought I’d wrap it around Asparagus and make myself a pizza.

I just about ate the whole pizza it was so delicious.

Fresh pizza dough is available at four local stores, I don’t make the dough as much as I used to. It really is a huge time saver.

Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus Pizza with Goat Cheese

1 fresh pizza dough (18 oz)

9 pieces of Prosciutto

9 pieces of Asparagus

1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

3 oz. Goat Cheese

3 Tablespoons olive oil

two cloves garlic crushed

9 fresh basil leaves

ground black pepper

cornmeal (for under pizza dough)

Stretch out the pizza dough with on a floured surface, then pick it up and stretch it in your hands working in a circular motion. Once it’s at the size you need, place in on a cornmeal lined pan so it doesn’t stick. Mix garlic and olive oil. Brush garlic oil on dough and basil leaves. Place shredded Mozzarella Cheese along with slices of goat cheese on dough and arrange Prosciutto wrapped asparagus Top with coarse ground black pepper and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

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These fun heart-shaped pies are filled with spinach and goat cheese…yummy!

I purchased the mold from Williams-Sonoma I liked to it if you want to see what it looks like.

You could use a cookie cutter to make them like I did when I made these

Raspberry filled mini pies

if you don’t have a need to get the mold.

As soon as I saw they had a heart shaped mold, I grabbed it and started imagining what I would fill it with first.

Mini Savory Pies with Spinach and Goat Cheese

In a food processor blend:

one package frozen spinach (thawed)

2 oz. goat cheese

2 scallions

1 clove garlic

salt and pepper

I used refrigerated pie crust, rolled it a bit to stretch it out, then cut it with the mold as directed. I filled each pie with 2 tablespoons of filling, brushed them with an egg wash and baked them for 18 minutes at 400 degrees. They were golden brown and delicious.

I had enough filling to make 5, but the pie crust I used allowed for 4 so I will most likely put the remaining filling in an omelet

I’m looking forward to making more pies soon!

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Make a great little appetizer!

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