Baked brie with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto

Today was a "toughie," as my Elijah would say. We brought our oldest son to the hospital for what we thought was a routine surgery to peek on his left ear tube that didn't appear to be doing its job. We left the hospital with some unexpected news and with a much bigger surgery on our calendar. I am still in the stages of processing everything, but I feel like things will be ok. We have been through so much with our oldest boy. This is just another hurdle that we will all leap over together!

This past Saturday, before any of this went down, my boys and I spent the night at our dear friends' house. Before we made pizzas with the kids, I quickly prepared this delish little appetizer and the four of us adults consumed it, well, um, very quickly. Dee. Lish.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, combine:

1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup pesto

Mix well and set aside.

Defrost 1 puff pastry sheet according to the package directions and roll it out onto the prepared baking sheet.

Place an 8-oz. wheel of Brie cheese (rind intact) onto the center of the pastry sheet.

Top the Brie wheel with the artichoke-tomato-pesto mixture.

Fold the pastry sheet up over the top of the cheese and toppings and pinch at the seams.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Serve with crackers, chips, veggies or just a spoon.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Printable recipe: Baked brie with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto

Nutella brie-nana grilled cheese sandwich

I went from writing a post a day in early December to a post a week here in early January. I have been working on a big project that is food-related and that I am very excited about. I will be ready to unveil it in a few weeks! Wooo!

In fact, this post provides a giant clue about what my secret project is. Any guesses?

Thanks again for all of the wonderful comments and emails regarding my website. I will not ignore a single one! My boys and I are enjoying a lazy Saturday, so I will share this recipe with you and get back to relaxing on the couch. Important business..

Place 4 slices of French bread on a flat work surface. Spread 1 tablespoon of salted butter (at room temperature) over the top side of each slice of bread.

Layer each sandwich as follows: Slice of bread, butter side down, 1 tablespoon Nutella (spread evenly over bread), a quarter of a 4.5-oz. pkg. Brie cheese (rinds removed and cut into thin slices), 2 slices of banana (sliced lengthwise), a quarter of the Brie and the top slice of bread, 1 tablespoon of Nutella spread on the bottom, butter side up.

Warm a skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Place the sandwiches onto the hot skillet. Cook on each side for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bottom layer of cheese begins to melt around the edges. Cut in half and serve!

Printable recipe: Nutella Brie-Nana Grilled Cheese

Fudgy strawberry brie grilled cheese sandwich

Here you go, guys! Fudge recipe #3! After receiving a delightful boxful of fudge from Swiss Maid Fudge in the mail, I knew that I wanted to feature a grilled cheese sandwich. I have a special love for the Grilled Cheese, and I think this comes from my mother. She makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches, and I can't even explain why. Just the mama's touch, I guess.

I love using French bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches. And I love brie cheese. And have I also mentioned that I love fudge? And strawberries? 

Coat a skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-low heat. (A little tip my mom taught me: while making GC sandwiches, never turn the heat at or above medium heat!)

Spread 1 pat of softened butter onto 1 side of each of 4 slices of French bread.

Place 2 slices of bread, butter side down, onto the hot skillet.

Top each slice of bread with:

1 oz. brie cheese, thinly sliced

Four 1x1/2-inch pieces of milk chocolate fudge

1 strawberry, hulled and sliced

1 oz. brie cheese, thinly sliced

Remaining bread slices, butter side up

Carefully flip the sandwich over with a large spatula when the bottom layer of cheese begins to melt. Cook until the other layer of cheese begins to melt. 

Remove from the heat and serve warm.

This is a delicious sandwich! The fudge made it.

Printable recipe: Fudgy strawberry brie grilled cheese sandwich