Whipped Thyme Goat Cheese

Goat Cheese may not be a typical ingredient in every day cooking. But it SHOULD be! Goat Cheese is incredibly versatile, it's tangy, creamy and can be served hot or cold (or whipped!). The recipe below can be expanded on in so many ways, add garlic, onion powder, Rosemary, or Tarragon for a different taste. 

I definitely recommend this particular version as a creamy base on Crostini or Bruschetta, also wonderful to use as a dip. Basically, if you're looking for a new appetizer to serve, this is where you should start. 

What You'll Need: 

- 8 oz Goat Cheese 

- 3 oz Cream Cheese 

- 1 tbs milk (for added creaminess, optional)

- 3 tbs thyme (chopped) 

What To Do: 

- Combine room temperature Goat Cheese, Cream Cheese, Milk and chopped Thyme in a bowl. 

- Whip together with a hand mixer, or throw into the food processor until creamy and whipped to your liking. 

- Spread on crusty bread, use as a dip or just grab a spoon and have at it! 

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Blueberry Muffins

Now there's a muffin top everyone can appreciate. 

It's very appealing to reach for boxed muffin mix. It's cheap, easy and quick. But it is so unnecessary when you have a recipe this simple, and ten times more delicious than the boxed stuff! Two main points to this recipe, use fresh blueberries and avoiding over mixing once they're in (more on that below). 

What You'll Need for 18 Cupcake Size Muffins: 

- 1/2 cup of room temperature butter

- 1 cup and 1 tbs (for the topping) of sugar 

- 2 large eggs

- 1 tsp vanilla 

- 2 cups All Purpose Flour, sifted or whisked

- 1/2 cup of milk

- 1/2 tsp salt  

- 2 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries 

What To Do: 

- Preheat your over to 375F. 

- Spray or grease 18 muffin cups.

- In a mixing bowl, cream butter, add sugar and beat until pale and slightly fluffy. 

- Continue beating, adding one egg at a time.

- Add vanilla, salt and baking powder, fold in. 

- Fold in by hand, or beat on slow, half of the flour until fully incorporated.

- Add second half and repeat. 

This is the color and consistency your batter should be.

- Carefully fold in blueberries, taking care not to break them up too much. 

Don't the fresh blueberries just look SO much better than any frozen ones could? 

- Use an ice cream scoop (about 1.5 scoops, depending on your muffin pan) to spoon in the dough. 

- I don't like using paper cups, I think all the grease allows the dough to pull away from the pan. It's a personal preference, so do what works for you! 

- Sprinkle with sugar, bake for 15-20 min and allow to rest for a few minutes. 

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Basil Polenta with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Polenta - (Polente or Poleinte in France) is cornmeal boiled into a porridge,[1] and eaten directly or baked, fried or grilled.

I discovered Polenta a few years back, in its fried form. Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant to try "fried cornmeal", (because how appetizing does THAT sound, really), but turned out to be creamy and delicious. This particular way of serving Polenta acts as a perfect side to most meats and fish.

What You'll Need to Comfortably Serve 2: 

- 1/4 cup of Instant Polenta 

- 3/4 cup of Milk 

- 1tbs butter 

- 1/2 Tomato (use Ugly Ripe, they're delicious) 

- About 1.5 oz of goat cheese 

- 1 tbs of Chiffonade basil

- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

What To Do:

- Instant Polenta cooks VERY quickly, so have everything prepared before you begin to cook.
- Begin by whisking your milk over a medium heat, let it get hot enough to see steam. Do not let your milk boil.
- Add in Polenta and whisk until thickened to about double the original size.
- Quickly add in butter and half of your parmesan. Whisk until fully mixed together.
- Take off the heat and add your basil, stir in.
- Pour into a bowl, top the hot Polenta with goat cheese, tomatoes and leftover Parmesan.
- Serve while hot! If leaving for leftovers, reheat on the stove with a bit of milk/water.

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