Baked Brie with Apricots

Baked Brie with Apricots

Are you having people over for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Do you need a last-minute appetizer or snack? Baked Brie with Apricots is delicious, truly beautiful and so, so very easy.

I used bacon crumbles that are available in the salad dressing aisle, just to speed things up. However, when I am cooking bacon, I cook 2 extra slices. I then wrap those slices tightly in aluminum foil and place them in a Ziploc freezer bag. I use that bacon for recipes as needed.

Servings: 8 ounces of brie 10-12 bites (make two)

Hardware: A cutting board and knives, a small skillet, a microwave safe bowl (I used a glass measuring cup for easy pouring), a silicone spatula, a baking sheet, parchment paper, a serving platter and cheese spreaders or butter knives for serving

Time:  Active time 6 minutes; Cook: 13 minutes, brie in about 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8-ounce wheel of brie
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoon butter
• 2 slices of crumbled bacon
• 2 ounces of dried apricots
• ¼ cup apricot preserves
• Slices of baguette or crackers

1. Measure everything and set aside. Roughly chop the apricots
2. Cut a square of parchment that is 11”x11”. Preheat the oven to 350˚. Place the parchment paper on the baking sheet. Place the brie wheel in the center of the parchment paper. Place in the oven for 8 minutes.
3. While the brie is baking, melt the butter in the skillet over medium. Add the chopped pecans and toast until just golden. This should take about 1-2 minutes. Stir the whole time. Add in the bacon, stir and remove from the heat.
4. After the brie has baked for 8 minutes, sprinkle the chopped bacon, pecans and apricots on the cheese and return it to the oven for another 3 minutes.
5. While the brie is finishing, warm the preserves in the microwave safe dish until easy to pour. I microwaved mine for 1 minute on 50% power. Microwave at 15 second intervals after that until it is the proper consistency.
6. The cheese is very soft now, so be gentle. Carefully, using the parchment paper, slide the brie onto the serving platter. Use the silicone spatula to scoop up any wayward toppings and return them. Pour the warmed preserves over the brie and serve right away. Offer your guests slices of baguette or crackers.

Parmesan Rosemary Almonds

Parmesan Rosemary Almonds are another quick, last minute snack. If you have a nice jar, these also make a nice hostess gift for any parties you might attend. If you are making the nuts into a hostess gift, add a sprig of fresh rosemary to the jar as a decoration.

Parmesan Rosemary Almonds

Servings: 10 ounces of almonds

Hardware: 2 baking sheets, parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, a silicone spatula, a microwave safe mixing bowl, measuring spoons and cups, an airtight container, paper towels

Time:  Active time 6 minutes; Cook: 5-7 minutes, nuts in about ½ hour

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces of whole almonds
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon large granule salt (maybe more)
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Melt the butter in the microwave safe mixing bowl. Toss the nuts and the tablespoon of rosemary until coated.
2. Cover one of the baking sheets in parchment paper or the baking mat. Line the other in 3 layers of paper towels.
3. Spread the nuts out in a single layer on the sheet lined with parchment and place in the oven. After 5 minutes, stir so that the outer nuts are moved to the center and the inner nuts are moved out. Return them to the oven but monitor them closely. As soon as most of the nuts are browned, remove them and spread them out in a single layer on the paper towel lined sheet. Immediately, sprinkle on the salt and remaining rosemary.
4. Allow the nuts to cool for about 20 minutes. Place them and the cheese in the air tight container and shake like crazy to coat. Taste and adjust the salt. Serve at room temperature.

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Every year, I try to make food gifts for my friends. Last year I made Cheese and Bacon Crackers and Beef Jerky. Both very well received. In fact, someone stole my friend’s Beef Jerky from his job!

This year has been very busy, and I wanted to do something thoughtful, but easy. Hot Cocoa mix is always popular and how hard can that be? Right? Wrong! I have mixed and remixed and mixed again. Getting a mix that is creamy, chocolatey, sweet (but not too sweet) and that also dissolves was no easy task.

You are lucky I have taken all the work out of making this great gift. I purchased ½ pint mason jars for gifting. This is inexpensive and very easy.

Servings: 9 (ish) cups (That is actual measuring cups. It makes almost 70 cups of chocolate)

Hardware:  Measuring cups and spoons, a gallon storage bag, a food processor, a funnel (optional) 9-½ pint mason jars

Time: Active time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups Dutch processed Cocoa
• 3 cups powdered milk
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1-5.9-ounce box of instant chocolate pudding
• 6 ounces of chocolate chips
• ½ tablespoon corn starch
• 1.5 teaspoons salt

1. Using the food processor, grind the chocolate chips as small as you can get them.
2. Mix the ground chips and all the other ingredients together in the bag.
3. Shake like crazy to mix.
4. Place ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons into each mason jar. Each jar makes about 5 cups of cocoa.

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You can personalize each jar by mixing in ONE of these:

• 2 tablespoons instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper 

You can include a gift bag with each jar that includes any or all of these: a tiny bag of mini marshmallows, a mini bottle of peppermint schnapps or Kahlua, miniature candy canes, a tiny bag of crushed butterscotch or a tiny bag of crushed peppermints. Go all out and add in a mug and you have a great gift for anyone on your list.

To make the hot cocoa, shake the jar like crazy before each use. Add 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water to a mug. Then stir in 2 heaping tablespoons  of Hot Cocoa Mix. Stir until all the mix is dissolved. Top the dissolved mix with 6 ounces of hot water or steaming milk. Stir again. Then add in any of the mix-ins or top with mini marshmallows or whipped cream. Then relax and enjoy