Aahh...

Goat Cheese...

My very first taste of goat cheese was in an appetizer. When Michael was on a month-long rotation at Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, we had some fabulous weekends there together. One of them changed my life - at least food wise.

We ate a Barcelona - a tapas restaurant - and had "Queso de Cabra al Horno" - baked goat cheese in tomato sauce with garlic bread.

from Barcelona's website

So, we loved it so much - and it seemed so simple - so we made it at home. The hardest part for us was finding the goat cheese... which was not hard at all. We call it the "Goat Cheese Stuff" - but think Barcelona's a little better.

Goat Cheese Stuff

4 oz. log of goat cheese or chevre as it is sometimes labeled

16 oz. jar of your favorite tomato sauce - we like the spicy ones

1 sprinkle of crushed red pepper (sprinkle is an exact measurement and this is optional)

1 Loaf of crusty bread

Put the sauce in an oven safe dish and plop the cheese right in the middle. Sprinkle with the crushed red pepper. Bake in a 350-400 degree oven until hot and bubbly. This take about 20-30 minutes. I toss the bread in the last 5 minutes so it is warm as well.

Slice the bread into pieces - so that you can get as much of it covered in a dunk as you can. Serve hot. Refrigerate the leftovers for a snack the next day.

Sorry for the range of temperatures - but I make this a lot when we have people over for dinner. So I heat it on what ever the oven is set on for the main course. It doesn't matter much - just keep an eye on it. We have never made the bread into garlic bread, but I bet it tastes great that way as well.

If you go HERE, you can sign up and get a coupon for a FREE log of goat cheese!

Also, I have grabbed the Herb and Garlic variety and it tastes great in the recipe and on crackers too.