After a busy weekend and week last week, I was more than ready for a laid back, chill out weekend this weekend.  In fact, I committed myself to laying low and even declined attending a birthday party because honestly, I just didn’t feel like going.  I was however, very much up for a girls night in, and that is exactly what happened on Saturday night.  Since Marc was working all night, I took advantage of the empty house I had a couple of girlfriends over for appetizers, cocktails, and some much needed girl chat.

I had originally planned to have them over for a full dinner, but after thinking about it, appetizers are so much more fun and casual, so I went with that.  First up: baked goat cheese and marinara dip.  It’s really no secret my obsession with goat cheese, and when I saw something similar to this on the menu of a restaurant, I knew I had to try to make it at home. Because really, what is better than cheese and bread?  Not much.

This appetizer turned out not only delicious, but pretty easy too.  While you could definitely go all Sandra Lee and semi-homemake it with a jar of store-bought marinara, I opted to make my own.  Try it – it’s not that hard!  It’s a fairly basic marinara sauce, with the typical onion, garlic, and crushed tomatoes, but then I added a bunch of dried spices and a splash of red wine to deepen the flavor even more.  I loved the combination of the marinara sauce with the tangy goat cheese, especially with the buttered and toasted baguettes.

This was perfect for our girls night in and I think it would also work well for any dinner party appetizer or football party. Or in my case tonight, eating the leftovers for dinner!