Fast Food

I am not known to exercise much culinary skill or adventure on Saturday nights.  After a long week, I get either busy or lazy and often find weekend dinners an afterthought.  This means that to make its way to my table on these nights, food must be quick, easy, and tidy.  Let me argue, however, that convenience does not have to equate frozen, boxed, or frozen and boxed.  Case in point: I made a tasty dinner last night in less time than it would have taken me to heat a frozen pizza.  The secret?  A Saturday morning Farmers Market.  Amongst other delectables, yesterday's take-home was a tub of herbed goat cheese lovingly made by a family right here in North Alabama.

Now if the mention of anything goat triggers your gag reflex, keep in mind that if the cheese is fresh, it is buttery, delicious, and non-goaty.  Really.  Because I am still sensing a collective eyebrow raise from the lot of you, I encourage you to taste for yourself.  Farmers love to give out samples, so if you can tear yourself away from the little old lady and her jars of jams and jellies at next week's market, find yourself a goat farmer with a tub of cheese.  I think you'll be surprised.

Here is last night's convenience food:

Boil a pasta of your choice according to package directions.  Drain, reserving a little of the water.  Add a tub of flavored goat cheese and enough of the pasta water to make it perfectly creamy.  Top with chopped fresh chives and enjoy!

My youngest politely declined, but the rest of us agreed.... not baaaaaad.

Oh, come on.  You saw it coming.