Marinated Goat Cheese

I was walking through the grocery store the other day and stumbled upon the cheese section ... ok, ok I was hording over the cheese section like a little cheese lord. Let's be honest, I make a bee line for the dang cheese section the moment I walk into the store. My obsession with cheese not withstanding, on this particular day I found a tub of marinated feta cheese. Of course I had to try it and what I found was soft cheese swimming around in this lovely pool of tangy olive oil with the tartness of a mildly sweet vinegar and spices. It was delicious! Crumbled on salads, over pastas, spread on crackers....or if you are like me, with a fork standing with the frig wide open. Love at first bite. I make all my own salad dressings so I figured, really, how hard can this be. I opted to take a stab at marinating goat cheese because I buy these massive logs of it at Costco and quite frankly, I'm swimming in goat cheese right now but you could absolutely make it with feta (truth be told I also marinated feta I bought at my farmers market...swoon!!) This is a great party hosting trick too!

Marinated Goat Cheese (or Feta!)

A Girl and Her Kitchen

1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c apple cider vinegar (could sub white balsamic)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp whole black pepper corns
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
4-8 oz of cheese (goat or feta will do) - keep cold until right before adding to marinade

In a small but deep resealable container, whisk the olive oil, vinegar and spices together (just like you would a salad dressing) so that it emulsifies and becomes slightly thicker and well combined. Gently add the cheese, either in one big log or very big chunks (too small and it melts a bit). Very gently toss some marinade over the top of the cheese that is not submerged and place in the frig for 30 mins before first use. Can store for up to a week (or two, though to be honest, I haven't tested two yet because cheese never lasts that long with me around).

Use on salads, side dishes, pasta and cheese plates.