Baked Brie with Orange Cranberry

I have never been really good at finger foods or fancy appetizers. My idea of hors d’oeuvres is mini hot dogs rolled up in Pillsbury crescent rolls. (Let’s be honest, I actually use the generic crescent rolls!)

Well guess what??? I found a really fancy looking, pretty, delicious “hors d’oeuvres”. And it’s EASY too!

Simply buy a round chunk of Brie cheese and cut the rind off the top. Then bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes, and put a mixture of cranberries with wild orange essential oil on top, bake it for another 5 minutes, and serve it all melty and amazing with crackers!

So officially you will need:
1 can cranberries (whole cranberry sauce, not the stuff that is the shape of the can when it comes out)
1 round of Brie
2 drops Wild Orange essential oil
Pecans for garnish (optional)

Check out this link which is where I originally got the recipe!

I’m loyal to one specific essential oil company, because I’ve found their purity stands far above the rest, and their educational support is second to none. To learn which one is my favorite, use my contact form and I’ll reply with details.

Oregano Dip

I’ve never considered myself a big “party planner”; I would never list “hostess extraordinaire” as one of my hats! However, I do enjoy welcoming people to our home, however humble it is, and spending time with them, and helping them if I can, in whatever way I can.

I’ve now hosted two classes on essential oils at my home and let me tell you: They were a BLAST! I had so much fun preparing! It was really fun to try to come up with creative ways to use the different oils in foods for everyone to try. I have several that were a huge hit (one of them being that Chocolate Peppermint Pie) and have had requests for some of the recipes. Here is the first of those recipes!

I call this “oregano dip” simply because I use Oregano essential oil in it. Some oils are stronger than others – and oregano is one of them. It has a thicker consistency so it takes a little longer to get out of the bottle – but still be cautious because you really only need 1 drop 🙂 Now other than that, I was not super specific with this recipe. I’m listing it flexibly for you so you can adjust depending on how much you need to make.

I wish I had a nice beautiful picture of this for you, but honestly? Everyone ate it so fast there was no time 😉

Let’s say theoretically you want about 1 – 1 1/2 cups of dip.
Here’s what you’ll need, approximately:
4 oz Cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream (adjust to taste; more if you want the dip thinned out)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (the grated Kraft kind, not shredded)
2 handfuls shredded cheddar cheese (I love Triple Cheddar blends)
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 dash dried bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 drop Oregano oil
Optional: 1 handful shredded Italian blend or cheddar cheese, freshly ground black pepper to taste

Now just adjust to taste – if you feel you need more of something, go ahead and add it! And remember these are approximations.

All you do is mix the ingredients together with a spoon – or if you’re making a bigger batch, a hand mixer works great.
Serve with crackers, pretzels, and/or fresh veggies.

I’m sure this would be even more fantastic with fresh herbs, but to be honest, this was a last minute thing I threw together using OHI (gotta love it!) which ended up being a hit! It goes so fast! My hubby wanted to keep it all to himself the second time I made it. That’s the best compliment I can get really, when people don’t want to share. 🙂

And Oregano essential oil isn’t just great for cooking. It provides natural immune support against colds & flu, candida, and warts. It’s considered a pain killer, and offers digestive support & metabolic balance. It’s antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic, and antiparasitic. You definitely want to have this in your arsenal!

I only use essential oils from one company, because their purity and standards are far above the rest, and their educational support is second to none. To learn which one is my favorite, contact me for details.

Bacon -Wrapped Pineapple

This holiday season, I’ve participated more than I ever have in the past – as hostess and contributor. In past years my hands have been full enough just trying to make sure all the kids are dressed and ready, supplies are packed for the day, correct gifts are bought, wrapped, and packed, etc. I always felt guilty that I wasn’t able to contribute more, but this year I decided that was unacceptable. 😉

I’ve made these little treats 3 times since November. They are wildly popular, easy to make, and fairly quick, even if they are a little sticky and messy. Not too pricey either: Bacon is usually about $5-6, a can of pineapple $1.50, and brown sugar $2 or so for a whole bag. (These are also non-sale prices, so if you stock up when they’re on sale you’ll be better off.) If you don’t mind the cheap ones (which work just as well), you can get a big box of toothpicks for about $1.

Here is the link to my pin of the recipe: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/507499451730702127/

One tip: This last time I realized I only had thick cut bacon – it’s actually better, I think, to use the thin, cheaper bacon. I will NOT be using thick cut again, unless I buy fresh pineapple and cut the pieces larger. The bacon overwhelmed the pineapple, and it was just too chewy.

Hope you can enjoy this recipe and share with family and friends!

Quick Tip of the day

Quick tip for today is,

Eat potato skins with buffalo sauce!!!

Every Monday at the restaurant is $.50 potato skins. Guess what most of us employees eat? You got it. And plain potato skins, no matter how delicious, get old pretty quick when you’re eating them every week. We’ve tried many different things to spruce them up… Extra cheese. Pico de gallo instead of plain diced tomatoes. Tabasco sauce. SRIRACHA! Until! One period where I was just on a buffalo sauce kick. I wanted it on everything… wraps, meat, chicken, pork, scrambled eggs – whatever I was eating I was craving buffalo (and no, I am NOT/was NOT pregnant. Sorry father-in-law 😉 . And suddenly I thought, why not? I tried it and… it was GLORIOUS. Alright, I’m going to take a little credit here, but pretty much all the employees order their potato skins with a side of buffalo sauce now. And when you combine the buffalo sauce with some sour cream… It’s fried cheesy-bacon-salty-creamy-spicy heaven on a plate.

There. Now go try it for yourself. You’re welcome 😉