
Yup, you read that right. One day, some marvelous comfort food-lovin’ American declared that August was going to be National Goat Cheese Month. And for that, we are forever grateful. We know that tasty flavor can be strong. But fear not! Here are 20 beautiful and balanced ways to start celebrating this glorious month of goat cheese.
1. Watermelon, Fig + Goat Cheese Salad: This watermelon and goat cheese combo is one of the most refreshing salads you’ll ever try. It’s the perfect picnic basket ingredient. (via Cook Shoot Blog)
2. Goat Cheese, Honey + Pistachio Cheesecake With Meyer Lemon Cream: Looking for a rich and delicious dessert to serve at your next dinner party? You’ve found it right here. (via The Kitchn)
3. Marinated Beet Salad With Goat Cheese + Pistachios: Put those white clothes away! This nutrient-rich beet salad is all you’ll want to eat for days. (via Taste Food)
4. Goat Cheese Stuffed Apricots With Honey: Oh man. Juicy apricots filled with creamy goat cheese and topped with sugary, drizzled honey? We’re drooling. (via Domestic Fits)
5. Fresh Fig, Goat Cheese, Honey + Almond Panini: Figs and goat cheese are like the Angie and Brad of fruit and cheese combinations. Their contrasting flavors just go together so well. (via Aggie’s Kitchen)
6. Spinach, Tomato + Goat Cheese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash: Spaghetti squash isn’t something that you hear about all that much, but it’ll definitely be making more appearances in your kitchen after you try this recipe out. We’re suckers for stuffed vegetable dishes. (via BS’ in the Kitchen)
7. Flatbread With Goat Cheese + Caramelized Onions: So simple, yet so tasty. Just the way we like it. (via Garnish with Lemon)
8. Grilled Peach Salad With Prosciutto + Goat Cheese: It’s still summer, folks! Grill it all up while you can. (via Everyday Southwest)
9. Goat Cheese + Strawberry Bruschetta: Goat cheese is apparently a really great binding factor between sweet and savory foods. This strawberry bruschetta is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. (via Driscoll’s)
10. Potato, Squash + Goat Cheese Gratin: We heart all kinds of cheese, but potatoes and squash definitely need a bolder-tasting variety to liven them up. That’s where goat cheese swoops in to save the day! (via The Kitchn)
11. Goat Cheese + Tomato Salad Bruschetta: We’re really excited about trying out that strawberry bruschetta, but we’ve still got a soft spot for the more traditional tomato variety. (via Spoon and Chair)
12. Caramelized Onion, Butternut + Goat Cheese Pizza: This pizza is so gosh darn beautiful. And, as if it could possibly get anymore interesting, the crust is grain-free. (via Natural Noshing)
13. Stuffed Pepper With Goat Cheese + Sage: These stuffed peppers are some of the easiest to make, and are the tastiest hors d’oeuvres you’ll ever come across. You might need to make a lot though, beause these’ll be gobbled up pretty quickly. (via Horses + Heels)
14. Warm Leek + Goat Cheese Dip: We know it’s summer, but we absolutely love dips that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You could even serve this one with some freshly cut veggies to keep it light. (via Ryan Bakes)
15. Kale Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomato + Goat Cheese Pasta: Kale, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese are definitely a new combination to us. We can’t wait to try this out! (via Little Leopard Book)
16. Apple + Goat Cheese Turnovers: Turnovers are always a fun treat to enjoy. They’re like mini handheld pies! (via Treat Bake)
17. Farro, Cranberry + Goat Cheese Salad: Don’t know what farro is? That’s okay — we’ll fill you in! It’s a super nutty tasting grain that you’ll L-O-V-E. (via Life’s Ambrosia)
18. Strawberry + Goat Cheese Guacamole: Strawberries in guacamole?! But it works so well because the sweetness really balances out the saltiness of the goat cheese. Bust out the tortilla chips! (via Two Peas + Their Pod)
19. Roasted Zucchini, Black Bean + Goat Cheese Enchiladas: This vegetarian recipe is full of bright colors, handy protein and good nutrients. Plus it’s finger-lickin’ good. (via Sprouted Kitchen)
20. Beet + Goat Cheese Hummus: You might need to buy those beets in bulk, because this hummus is so pretty. And, you know, it’s delicious, too. (via A Beautiful Mess)
How will you be celebrating National Goat Cheese Month? Drop us a line in the comments below or on Facebook!
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures