Baked Brie + A Memorable Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving means many different things to many different people.  For some, it is highly anticipated to see cherished family and eat great food.  For others, it's a time to choke down grandma's fruit cake and spend the weekend with the only people they don't choose in their lives... family.  No matter where you fall on the scale, there seems to be a common thread... food.  For some, it's a traditional turkey and stuffing.  For others, it's tofurkey and brussel sprout.  No matter where you fall on this scale, everyone loves good appetizers.  I made this baked brie last year for our family Thanksgiving and I have to say it was quite a hit, and so simple.  Since I made this before I was sharing my Little Kitchen with the world, I do not have a picture of every step, but I promise anyone can do this.  The creaminess of the brie mixed with the crunch of the nuts and the slightly sweet tang of the apricot preserves all wrapped in a warm puff pastry is absolutely delightful.  Oh, and just in case you are wondering, I definitely consider myself to be in the first group of holiday goers... can't wait to see wonderful family and eat delicious food.
Baked Brie
Ingredients
1/2 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 8 oz round brie cheese wheel
1/8 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup apricot preserves
egg wash, one egg lightly beaten with one tablespoon of water
Step by Step
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Lightly grease a cooking sheet or use a non stick cookie sheet.
3.  Roll puff pastry out slightly on baking sheet.
4.  Sprinkle pecans in the middle of the pastry (no wider than the wheel of brie)
5.  Spoon preserves on top.
6.  Place cheese wheel on top of nuts and preserves.
7.  Bundle pastry dough around brie being careful to closely wrap the dough on the brie without letting the dough tear..
8.  Flip the pastry over and make sure all corners are tucked in underneath the pastry so that the preserves do not leak out while being cooked.
9.  Optional:  Use additional pastry to cut a shape and place on top of pasty dough.
10.  Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the pastry dough with the egg wash.
11.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.
12.  Serve with your favorite crackers and fruit.

And on to what I call a memorable Thanksgiving... Last year was a first for me and my family. It was our first holiday that my brother and I would both be with in-laws.  I was excited to spend Thanksgiving with Mr. Hungry's family, but I did not want this year to be remembered only for the fact that my parents  did not have either of their children for the first time.  So instead, Mr. Hungry and I went to an extreme length to turn this into the most memorable Thanksgiving my family has ever seen.  We decided to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal a week before the actual day with everyone's favorite dishes.  This is all that my parents and  brother and sister-in-law knew.  They had no idea that when they arrived, there would be two pilgrims greeting them with costumes to turn this into a traditional celebration of Pilgrims and Indians.  Or that we would spend the night playing Thanksgiving themed games.  I will say, the first 10 minutes of my parent's arrival was spent with tears rolling down both of their faces in disbelief of Mr. Hungry in a pilgrim's cap.  It was memorable to say the least.  I have a feeling I will soon be getting in trouble for sharing these pictures, but I just thought if there was anyone out there that needed to turn a sad holiday into a memorable one, a few head dresses and prairie skirts can do the trick.  I was inspired to share this because I am again hosting our Thanksgiving meal tonight.  So no matter what your reasons are for needing to start new traditions for a holiday, there are plenty of ways to spice up a special day.

Life has been a little busier this fall so it will not be quite the same soiree(I think we might have set the bar too high), but I want to keep the tradition alive.  No costumes this year, but the menu is a Thanksgiving dinner with a twist.  I will get back to you shortly with recipes and how all of that goes.

My father... taking his role as an Indian very seriously.