Baked Brie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large sheet of puff pastry dough or 1 tube of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1 round or wedge of Brie cheese (do not remove rind)
• Raspberry Jam, or other sweet jam
• Brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 On a stick-free cookie sheet, lay out the puff pastry or the crescent rolls flat; put brie round or wedge on top.

2 Spread jam on brie, fold dough over top, cutting off excess dough. Drizzle maple syrup and place a handful of brown sugar on top.

3 Bake at 350º for 20 minutes, pastry should be golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with crackers and apple slices.

Peanut Butter Balls

*This recipe is courtesy of my friend Megan Walpole*

Ingredients: **Caution: The full recipe will make over 100 balls. Adjust recipe for quantity needed**

4 sticks unsalted butter softened  
2 boxes powdered sugar 
1 32oz container crunch peanut butter  
2½ - 6 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate drops 
1 block paraffin 


Directions:

1. Mix first 3 ingredients and roll into balls 1 inch in diameter. My KitchenAid Mixer was a god-send to do this
2. Chill until firm
3. Melt chocolate drops and paraffin in double boiler
4. Insert toothpick into ball and dip into chocolate. Leave over hot water while dipping
5. Place covered ball onto tray to dry. Remove toothpick
6. Once batch is done, cover toothpick hole with small amount of chocolate (not needed)
7. Place in fridge overnight to harden

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients

       12 flour tortillas (6 inches)

       2 cans (one 28 ounces, one 16 ounces) refried beans cooked

       3 jars (16 ounces each) enchilada sauce (Old El Paso)

       3 large green peppers, chopped

       3 cans (3.8 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained

       6 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mixed Mexican Blend cheese (Cheddar and Monterrey Jack Mix)

       2 Large Onions chopped

      

Directions

1. 1.   In each of two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes arrange 2 tortillas tortillas. I find it’s easiest to cut each tortilla in half and align the straight edge of tortilla with edge around the pan to form a flat layer
2. Layer each with 2/3 cup refried beans, 1/2 cup green pepper, 1/2 cup onions, about 1/3 cup olives, 1/2 cup Shredded cheese.
3. Cover Layer with 1 cup enchilada sauce 
4. Repeat layers once more starting with tortilla halves
5. Once last layer is done, cover with last layer of tortilla halves (so that you have used 6 tortillas total)
6. Cover with Enchilada Sauce so last tortilla layer is smothered
7. Sprinkle generously with cheese on top
8. Cover and bake at 350° for 15 minutes
9. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
10. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

1 Yield: 2 casseroles (12 servings each).

Jalapeño Creamed Corn

*This recipe is courtesy of a friend, Reena Patel. She brought it to our Holiday Potluck dinner and people went CRAZY!*

Ingredients 

1/2 cup butter 

1 8oz package cream cheese 

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1 cup milk 

10 slices pickled jalapeno pepper, finely chopped. Can purchase Diced instead

4 10oz cans white shoepeg corn, drained. Can use frozen instead

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Melt the butter and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat
3. Stir in the flour, milk, and jalapeños
4. Cook until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency
5. Pour the corn into a 2-quart casserole dish
6. Pour the cheese mixture over the corn
7. Cover with aluminum foil
8. Bake in the preheated oven 30 to 45 minutes

Pepperoni Crescent Pinwheels

Ingredients:

1 8oz can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (I've found Pillsbury brand works best)

32 slices pepperoni (I prefer Hormel Pre-Sliced Pepperoni)

1 8oz package of plain cream cheese softened

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1 bottle pickled diced Jalapeños 

Directions:

1.    In a bowl, mix softened cream cheese with ½ package of Ranch Dressing Mix (my handheld mixer was a blessing)

2.    On a flat surface, separate dough into 2 large squares. Seal perforations in dough by pinching edges together

3.    Dust some flour onto rolling pin and lightly roll out crescent dough

4.    Spread 2-3 tablespoons of Cream cheese mixture onto dough

5.    Sprinkle pickled jalapenos over cream cheese mixture (according to how spicy you want it)

6.    Layer pepperoni over jalapenos (I found 4 rows of 4 pepperoni each = 16 worked best)

7.    Roll up dough making sure all perforations are sealed

8.    Cover with saran wrap and seal edges by twisting edges of saran wrap (the edges of the roll will seal as well when you're twisting saran wrap edges)

9. Place in freezer for 24 hours

10. PreHeat oven to 375 F

11. Remove rolls from freezer and place in fridge for 20-30 minutes. Rolls should still be firm but soft enough to cut slices    **If roll gets too soft, all the inside mixture will spill out when you are cutting**

12. Cut each roll in 6-7 pieces (total of 14 pinwheels per container of Crescent Roll)

13. Place on greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart

14. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients

• 12 Crushed candy canes 
• 2 pounds white chocolate
• 1 block Paraffin wax

Directions

1. Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller
2. Melt the chocolate and Paraffin wax in a double boiler
3. Combine candy cane chunks with melted chocolate
4. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm
5. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces. Easiest to do with a hammer
6. Serve and Enjoy! Delicious with Egg Nog!