Hey Hey Momdotters! Happy  Late Thursday! on Sunday!! This weeks Tasty Thursday is going to focus on appetizers! With the holidays approaching so fast (omg its already November 16th can you believe it?!) your bound to be either hosting or attending a Holiday event in which these yummy recipes may come in handy!

Recently I tried President Brie and it was SO SO SO tasty. It was perfectly creamy and the right amount of tart for a nice plain cracker. It was so soft and I have been catching myself slicing a piece off and just eating it as a snack lately. ( Brie, originally from France and traditionally unpasteurized, is a soft cheese with a rich, creamy texture. Made with cow milk, it is best served at room temperature or even slightly warmer. The cheese itself is pale with a slight greyish shade and enclosed within a white edible rind. Brie can be heated (often baked) and is sometimes surrounded by flaky crust or jam.) With the holidays coming, there is nothing that says Cheese/Fruit tray more then Thanksgiving and Christmas and everyone likes something different. In our house, we pretty much love ALL cheeses. But I am especially a big fan of Goat cheese, Brie cheese, and Fondue cheeses. When your getting ready your holiday snacks this season, we wanted to remind you to not leave out the cheese!  Want to know where to find find cheeses? Heather has put together an amazing sort of recipes to get the brie out of the fridge and onto the tray. Dont forget to pair up with some truffles and champagne for a really tasty treat.

~Trisha

CHEESE, who doesn’t love it, am I right? The most decadent cheese for centuries is Brie. Brie cheese  appetizers are not only mouthwatering, but they are so versatile. I swear the food gods made up Brie just to tempt us with it’s creamy, wonderful taste. It’s amazing what you can do with a round of Brie cheese. Here are a few yummy Brie recipes for you to try!

If your feeling fancy give this Brie fondue a try!

What you will need:
- 1 1/2 tsp of olive oil
- 4 oz of fresh shiitake mushrooms (stemmed with caps diced)
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
- 1 1/2 tbsp of all-purpose flour
- 12 oz chilled 60% (double creme) Brie cheese (don’t use triple creme)
- 2 oz of Roquefort cheese (chilled)
- 1 c of dry white wine

1) First, heat the oil in a medium-size heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
2) add the mushrooms, shallot, and thyme and saute until the mushrooms begin to soften (about 2 minutes).
3) place the flour in a large bowl. Cut the rind from your Brie and discard it. Cut the Brie into cubes and drop into the flour. Toss the cubes to coat, separating the cheese cubes.
4) Crumble the Roquefort into the same bowl and also toss to coat.
5) Pour the wine into a medium-size heavy pan and bring to a slow simmer over medium heat. At this point, add the cheese by handfuls, slowly, and stirring all the while until each addition of cheese is melted. Keep stirring until the Brie fondue mixture is smooth.
6) stir in the mushroom mixture into the fondue. Season with generous amount of pepper and transfer it all to a fondue pot.
Set the fondue pot over a candle or a canned heat burner. Or if you have an electric fondue pot, make sure you are familiar with the settings before using it. Serve with bread and vegetables (see below). makes about 6 to 8 servings.

Dippers
Have ready 1 (13-ounce) loaf crusty white bread that you cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes. You’ll also need vegetables such as, carrot sticks, cauliflower and broccoli flowerets to dip into the warm cheese fondue.
You can also serve fondue with small boiled potatoes as a side dish.(You can cook up the potatoes and cut the vegetables ahead of time and store until ready to use. Just heat the potatoes enough to be warm for eating, but not too much that they become overcooked.

Yummy Stuffed Brie:

- 2.2 pound wheel of Brie
- 1 package (17.5 ounce) puff pastry (thaw both sheets)
- 1 egg (beat lightly)

For stuffed filling:
- 8 oz mushrooms (sliced)
- 2 tsp thyme (fresh)
- 2 tbsp Vermouth (dry)
- 6 oz goat cheese (crumbled)
- nutmeg (freshly ground)

For the filling:
1) spray a nonstick skillet with a little cooking spray and then heat the pan over medium heat. Next, add the mushrooms and the thyme and sauté them for 2 minutes.

2) Then, add the vermouth to the mushrooms and simmer it all for aroumd 4-6 minutes. It’s good to simmer it all until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms become tender.

To put it all together:
3) make sure you don’t take the rind off of the cheese. Then, slice the wheel in half to make two flat pieces (like 2 slices of bread).

4) spread the mushroom mixture over the bottom half of the Brie cheese and sprinkle the goat cheese evenly on top of the mushrooms. You’ll then add a few pinches of nutmeg and put the other “slice” of the Brie on top. Press down gently.

5) Now, on to the puffed pastry part of this recipe. Lightly flour some kind of working surface and roll out the two pieces of thawed puffed pastry. Cut the pastry dough into 2 twelve inch circles.

6) Here’s the fun part. Place the Brie on one of the circles of puff pastry and when necessary, pleat to pull up and fit the pastry over the side of the Brie. It shouldn’t cover the top of the cheese.

7) carefully take the Brie and invert it onto the other circle. Do the same thing and pleat and pull the pastry up over the wheel.

8) wrap the Brie in plastic wrap and chill it in your refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

9) When you are getting close to serving the stuffed Brie, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Next, line a baking pan with a rim with cooking parchment paper.

Take out your chilled Brie and remove the plastic wrap. Place the cheese with the seam side down on a baking pan and brush the top with the egg. Bake the Brie 25-30 minutes or until the puffed pastry turns a golden color.

Serving Stuffed Brie
Let the cheese rest for about 20 minutes before serving. Then, take the cheese out of the baking pan and serve it on a festive party platter with fruit and bread or crackers.

Brie Raclette:
- 1 1/2 lbs brie cheese, rind removed
- 1 1/2 lbs tiny new potatoes or boiling potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 lbs broccoli, thick stems removed, tops cut into florets
- 1 1/2 lbs mushrooms, halved or mushrooms, quartered if large
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cocktail onions

1) heat the oven to 400°. Cut the Brie into thin slices and divide the cheese among four small ovenproof dishes or ramekins.
2) put the potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli florets to the pan and simmer until the potatoes and broccoli are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Drain the potatoes and, if using new potatoes, cut them in quarters when cool enough to handle.
3) Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms with the oil and salt. Put the mushrooms on a baking sheet and roast until browned and tender, turning once, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and then turn the oven off.
4) Put the dishes of cheese in the oven and leave until the cheese just melts, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pile the potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and cocktail onions on individual plates. Serve each portion of melted Brie immediately, along with the vegetables for dipping.

Now here are more yummy appetizers to server to all of your Holiday guests or to take to a Holiday party!

Sweet and sour meatballs:

- 12-ounce package of sausage (ground)
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup of bread crumbs (dried)
- Seasoning to taste (you pick)
- Chili Sauce
- Grape jelly

This is so easy to make it’s almost a crime.

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

2) mix all of the above ingredients thoroughly. Get your hands dirty and dig in to make the meatballs. All you need to do is shape the meat mixture into little balls, about 1 and 1/2 inch around. Then, bake them for approximately 25 minutes.

Next, make the sauce.

3) combine an equal amount of the chili sauce and the grape jelly. Then, heat the mixture in a large saucepan. At this point, add the baked meatballs, gently mixing everything together and then heat through.
4) Serve with toothpicks inserted into each meatball and surround them with the remaining sauce. You can serve them immediately or store for use later. If you decide to store the meatballs, just warm them up in a saucepan just before you serve them.

Super simple crab dip:

- 1 8-ounce light cream cheese
- 1 6-ounce can crab meat (drained and reserve liquid)
- 1/4 cup green onions (finely chopped)
- 2 tsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- hot pepper sauce (to taste)

1) After unwrapping your package of cream cheese, place it in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl and microwave at a medium setting for 2 minutes or until softened. Then, stir until the cream cheese is smooth.
2) stir in the crab, green onions, 2 tablespoons of reserved crab liquid, lemon juice, Worcestshire sauce, paprika and hot pepper sauce.
3) Microwave again at a Medium-High setting until piping hot. Serve warm with crackers of your choice. So easy!

Smoked Salmon Rolls:

- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup of butter (unsalted)*
- 1 tsp. of kosher salt
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs (large)
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1/2 lb. of sliced smoked salmon
- 1/2 lb. of cream cheese (softened)
- 6 Tbsp.of sour cream
- 1 tsp. of Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove (small)
- Tabasco sauce to taste

* cut the butter into Tbsp size pieces.

1) First, Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Position 2 of your racks in the upper and lower third of the oven. Using 2 large-sized rimmed baking sheets, go ahead and grease them lightly.
2) Bring the water, butter and the salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Take the saucepan off the heat and add the flour, stirring vigorously until all is combined. Return the mixture to the heat and cook over moderate heat. Stir for about 1 minute.Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Use an electric mixer and beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Then, add the eggs – one at a time – beating them well after each addition. Beat until the mixture is thick, shiny and smooth.
3) Next, transfer the dough you’ve just made to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Then, pipe 1-inch mounds onto the prepared baking sheets, keeping them about 3/4 inch apart. Moisten your fingertips and smooth the tops. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds and bake for 20 minutes, shifting the pans halfway through, until the puffs are risen and golden. Then, lower the oven to 250 degrees.
4) With the tip of a knife, poke a hole into the side of each puff and return to the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes longer, with the oven door slightly ajar, to dry out the centers. Transfer to a rack and cool.
5) In the meantime, make the smoked salmon filling. In a food processor or blender, combine the smoked salmon with the cream cheese, sour cream, mustard and the garlic and process until smooth. Next, season with Tabasco – add more if you like spicy and less if you just want a little bite to the tongue.
6) Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip. Pipe the filling into the holes in the sides of the puffs and transfer to a serving plate. Serve right immediately.

Tip: If you need to make these ahead, just make the unfilled baked rolls. They can be frozen for up to one month and all you need to do is RECRISP them in a 325 degree oven. You can also make the filling ahead of time and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Make sure you check out next weeks Tasty Thursday post. Theme is: Fast Fixins

*Tasty Thursdays brought to you by: Heather of My Quest for Sanity

If you have a recipe you would like to share with us please add it to our Mr. Linky below!

1. Kimberly@AllAboutKimberly

2. Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting

3. You're next!