Brown Sugar Baked Brie en Croute

Holiday entertaining always calls for appetizers.

One of my favorite parts of the holidays is spending time with
family and friends.  An easy party we have enjoyed is a mix of
appetizers and desserts.

This recipe comes from my friend Ann and is the best

brie en croute that I have had.  Flaky golden crust,

soft melted cheese and crunchy brown sugar and nut

filling makes an amazing appetizer.

Use a 1 1/2 lb. brie.  (Costco's is perfect and a great

price.)  Remove the rind with a sharp knife and slice it

in half horizontally.

Place the brie on puff pastry rolled into a circle and top

with the brown sugar mix.

Gather pastry up into a purse, tie with kitchen string

and brush with beaten egg.  Decorate with leaves

cut from extra dough.

Sugared pears and grapes make a nice accompaniment.

Mix up powdered egg whites with water according to

package directions.  Brush on clean fruit with a pastry

brush.  Sprinkle on sugar and let dry.

Brown Sugar Baked Brie en Croute

1 1/2 lb. wheel of brie (peeled and split horizontally)

1 pkg. puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

1/2 C. chopped, toasted pecans

3/4 C. brown sugar

3/4 C. dried cherries, craisins or other dried fruit

Let the frozen puff pastry dough thaw on the counter

for about 30 minutes.  Unfold them and use the

egg to help seal the two pieces together. 

Mix the pecans, brown sugar and fruit together.

Flour the counter and roll the pastry out in a circle

so that it is big enough to cover the brie and wrap it

up and around it.  Trim.  Place one piece of brie

in the center of dough. Top with half the brown

sugar mix.  Place the remaining piece of brie on

top and place the remaining brown sugar on.

Brush egg on the dough and brie.  Bring the dough

up and gather into a purse.  Be careful to not tear the

dough or the cheese will melt and flow out.  Twist

the top into a purse.  Seal well.  (I would tie it with a

little kitchen string.)  Use remaining dough to cut

decorations.  Use the egg to secure the decorations.

Brush entire purse with egg.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until brown.  Serve with

crackers and sugared fruit.

I am posting this with Joni (my sister) at

Red Couch Recipes for her

It's a Wonderful Life Party.

It is truly a wonderful life.  Yesterday at church a

woman a few years older than me shared her

Christmas Miracle.  She was found with a tumor

a few weeks ago.  The doctor told her she probably

had 5 to 10 days to live. She got a second opinion

and this doctor agreed. 

She went home and laid in her bed and began

to ponder her future.  She looked at her TV and

thought that she wouldn't be needing that.  She saw

her computer and thought she wouldn't be needing

that either.  She went around the room thinking

the same.  She even thought to herself that she wouldn't

have to deal with a few annoying people that she

knew.  She called her husband up and shared

her insights (trying to be positive about her future).

He began to cry and told her that he didn't want

her to leave.  Later she had a dream and she

saw herself in the backyard by the roses with

her husband and they were smiling.  She decided

she needed to focus on living.  She began praying for the

blessing of life.  The doctor could not

biopsy the tumor for 12 days, so she wondered

if she would even make it to the surgery.

She made it to the surgery and when she woke up

the doctor wanted to know if they had left the country,

if they had tried some Chinese herbs, etc.  When he

was performing the surgery he could no longer find

the tumor!  He now had to explain on the insurance

forms why he had performed this expensive surgery.

She had been blessed with an amazing miracle.

May you experience miracles during the time when

we celebrate the greatest miracle, the birth of

Jesus Christ who came to the earth as a newborn

babe to save us all.

WISE MEN (AND WOMEN) SEEK HIM STILL