Marinated Goat Cheese

With Brad out of town this weekend working at the Bike Around the Bay ride, I decided to take advantage of the empty house and have some friends over for a girls night in. With the help of my friend Keslie, we decided on a theme of "Cupcakes and Cocktails." We threw around various ideas for our shindig such as "Let Them Eat Cake" a Marie Antoinette theme complete with every desert possible and champagne and "Cheerio at the English Pub" with English pub food including fish and chips, steak and ale pie, and beer. We ultimately chose "Cupcakes and Cocktails" because Keslie is an aspiring Martha Stewart with her baking habit and cupcakes are one item she loves to make.

(I cheated and bought my selection of cupcakes from Crave. I'm not Martha Stewart like Keslie)

To counteract the sweetness of the cupcakes, I picked a handful of side dishes to snack on. I made a Mexican Pot Sticker, Bruschetta on french baguette, and Marinated Goat Cheese. I decided not to make the baguette this time as I wanted to make sure it came out right so I bought a loaf at the farmers market this morning. I'm still working on my bread making skills, but I promise when I get baguettes figured out I'll show you on here. The marinated goat cheese on baguette was delicious. There is something about goat cheese that I love. It's tangy, smooth, and is wonderful on bread. This appetizer is super easy to make and something that can be easily thrown together if you are in a rush before a get together. 

Marinated Goat Cheese
(adapted from Umami Girl) 


1 log of goat cheese (~8 oz)
1/4 cup of EVOO
Fresh thyme springs
Pinch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 clove of garlic, minced


Place goat cheese in a small dish. Pour olive oil over the log and then sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Cover and let rest in refrigerator or at least 1 hour and up to a couple of days. Prior to enjoying, remove from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow cheese to soften for easy spreading. 


Spread onto french baguette or crackers.