The time after Christmas right before the end of the year is usually one of the quietest I experience. Unlike summer or spring break when I tend to be very active and do a lot of traveling, this time of the year finds me enjoying the tranquility and uneventfulness of the seasonal vacation.
As I’m lying nonchalantly on the sofa, my eye half blinded by a poignant ray of sun, I’m pensively contemplating my unusually placid neighborhood through the window blinds.
It is amazingly pacific out there, especially for a time when the kids are out of school and you’d expect to see many of them streaking the sidewalks with their shiny scooters and devilish skateboards.
Maybe their Christmas presents this year were of the kind that keeps their body pinned to a sofa, eyes glued to a screen, and thumbs fidgeting in right and left, up and down motions.
It’s quiet inside the house too. After company left yesterday and the spirit of the holiday with all its hustle and bustle is starting to fade away and feel like a thing of the past, everything is getting back to normal. I have made quite a few dishes over the last couple of days that I’ll be sharing right here in this young, aspiring blog throughout this week.
I have leftovers to last me for days. I have time this week. Time to spend with family. Time to read a good book. Time to go out for a brisk walk on the (child-free) streets. Time to stop and smell the roses. This is the most wonderful time of the year!
This is a recipe from my cookbook and the first of many appetizers I’ll be sharing this week. It is made with delicate goat cheese combined with bold spices and thyme. When I talked about having leftovers, this was certainly not one of them. It’s an appetizer I can’t make last very long. It is amazingly delicious!
Spiced and Herbed Goat Cheese
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 ounces fresh goat cheese
- Crackers or bread
Directions:
Step 1: Place the black pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ground cloves, cayenne pepper, and thyme on a large plate. Stir with a spoon until well mixed. Spread into a thin layer.
Step 2: Shape the goat cheese into a log. Roll the log in the spice-herb mix until the cheese is completely covered.
Step 3: Wrap the goat cheese tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 4: Serve with crackers or bread and fresh fruit. The cheese is also delicious drizzled with a little honey.
