Snacking in the Heat

I hope everyone has survived the heat wave this weekend. Wright and I had the most delicious meal sitting in the "back forty" garden of Back Forty, one of our favorite restaurants. The food was fresh and cucumber cocktails delectable, but I can't lie, we were running towards air conditioning by the time we finished (and this was at 10pm!). We woke up early Saturday morning and headed straight for the suburbs and the pool.

I'm a huge snacker, and this weather only adds to it. With the humidity making my stomach turn, a large meal is completely undesirable and I prefer little bites to anything overwhelmingly heavy. One of my recent discoveries for a fresh, easy snack to keep around is a simple herbed goat cheese.

Cheese is one of my favorite foods in the world, but with this heat the thought of a creamy brie or heavy blue is just too much. By whisking goat cheese with freshly chopped herbs, salt and pepper, and lemon juice and zest, this is a light and fresh spread that tastes particularly good on those kashi TLC crackers for some reason. These days I've taken to making a batch every weekend and keeping it in the fridge to dip into when I get home from work each day, alongside a refreshing lemonade.

Stay cool!!

Herbed Goat Cheese Spread

1 pack of goat cheese (usually about 3 oz.)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Set goat cheese out about an hour before, so that it softens. Combine ingredients, with a fork or whisk depending on the softness of your cheese, and taste to add more or less of anything. Refrigerate and spread on crunchy crackers.