She Cooks...Super Bowl Appetizers

So you may have heard that last night there was this little game on tv last night, and while I do like to cheer for the green and gold every now and again (I do live in Wisconsin, after all), my main motivation for excitement about the game, was that it meant I got to throw a party. There are really few things on this earth I love more than inviting a ridiculous amount of people over to my house, and feeding them more food in one night, than they would have otherwise eaten in a week.
I also love decorating for parties, which I of course did last night. Here's a little taste:

Oh whoops. Does that look like Valentine's day? Yes? Well, that's just how I roll. I usually like to get into the theme of things, but I'm sorry-green and gold I just can't do.
Last night, I decided to go with an appetizer theme. Here's the breakdown

-Hot Taco dip
-White Pizza Dip
-Orange Chicken Bites
-Hot Brie & Craisen Spread
-Blizzard Party Mix
-More Than One Will Kill You Bars (which are awesome, and will be posted about next week. Here's a picture to reel you in).

Since this is more food that I could ever hope to post about in one day, I'll focus on my favorite- the brie & craisen spread. Before tasting this dish, I had always been kind of wary of brie. The whole rind thing freaked me out. Then I tried this dish a couple years ago while on a family vacation, and my world was officially rocked. I am now pretty much in love with brie, and try to spread the love by making this little appetizer every chance I get. Today, I'm furthering that mission by spreading the love with you.

Hot Brie & Craisen Spread

Ingredients:
-1 round brie cheese
-3 T brown sugar
-1/2 t cinnamon
-1/4 c butter
-craisens
-pecans
-chopped apples (if desired)
-Ritz crackers

First, you'll have to remove the rind. This is far and away, the most difficult thing you will encounter when working with this recipe. I always do a terrible job at this, and usually remove way more rind than I intended to. I have faith you'll do better.
Then, you will want to place the brie, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a medium sized sauce pan and melt over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture has melted, add in the pecans and craisens, and cook for a few more minutes. If you added the apples, you can toss them in at this point as well.
Meanwhile, spread the Ritz crackers out on a platter.
Once the brie mixture has cooked for a few minutes longer, remove from heat and pour slowly over crackers.

That's it! It's really easy, but it packs a big punch. Guests love it, and they will think its way more difficult than it really is. Try this at your next party, and you'll be the coolest kid in town. You can thank me later. ;)

p.s. If you are in a major hurry, like I was last night, you can cook everything in the microwave. Just don't tell. :)


-alison