Ree Drummond's Creamy, Cheesy Holiday Appetizer Takes Just 10 Minutes to Prep
What's the first thing you think of when you hear "Ree Drummond"? Maybe The Pioneer Woman, life on a ranch, comfort food, cookbooks...but probably not healthy food.
Since we like to lean into loads of seasonal produce mixed with some lean protein and healthy fats the majority of the time, we likely won't be making her most popular recipes like Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy, Pizza Rolls and Salted Caramel Frosted Brownies every night. But we happen to think the food blogger-turned Food Network star strikes the perfect balance of nutrition, flavor and richness for special celebrations—especially the holidays.
Inspired by her new "Home Sweet Home" Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes of The Pioneer Woman she's been releasing each weekend on Food Network, we dove into the recipe developer's archives for some bonus inspiration for our smaller-scale Thanksgiving menu this year.
Drummond's hour-long One-Stop Thanksgiving episode rounds up her best dishes for the big day all in one place. Of course the lineup includes a roasted turkey and sweet potato casserole as well as a cream-free green bean dish studded with tomatoes and bacon. But we were most excited about one recipe in particular that we've already added to our Turkey Day repertoire this year: Festive Goat Cheese.
Related: 31 Healthy Recipes Using Goat Cheese
It's "a super-simple, really delicious munchie to have out while we finish up dinner," Drummond explains while demonstrating how to DIY. She suggests pairing it with a Champagne cocktail to quench your thirst and tame your appetite (according to Drummond, "that's a recipe for a good time!") as you wait on the turkey—or whatever main dish you've chosen this year—to cook through.
It's a breeze to make ahead, takes just 10 minutes to prep, requires 5-ish ingredients—we say "ish" because you can customize the snack with whatever you're craving or the ingredients you already have on-hand. It's a breeze to scale as well; each gussied-up goat cheese log will serve about four people, so multiply or divide accordingly.
"The possibilities are endless," Drummond says, as pretty much any fresh herbs, nuts, and dried fruits would make for delicious add-ons.
If you, too, are inspired to give this a cheesy app a try, snag the Festive Goat Cheese recipe here. (Psst...we also discovered Drummond's new bite-sized version she deems her Best Goat Cheese Balls on her site and we adore the poppable, portion-controlled concept!).