1 ½ tablespoons of red pepper jelly (I use more, ~2-4 tablespoons)
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Cut Brie in half, lengthwise, creating two thinner wheels. On one half, spread crushed garlic and top with 1 ½ – 3 teaspoons of red pepper jelly.
Place the other half of the wheel back on top, and spread the remaining red pepper jelly on top (there are 3 teaspoons in each tablespoon).
Place Brie into
a round casserole dish, and bake in the oven until the rind begins to soften, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with crackers or cut vegetables.
Blend the cheese, flour, and butter in a blender or food processor until the dough is coarse and is able to be formed into a ball. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Remove dough from the fridge and shape into 1 ½ in. balls. Place cookies 1 in. apart on a baking tray.
Once the oven is preheated, place cookies in the oven and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove cookies from the oven and press your thumb or a teaspoon into the center of each, creating an indentation.
Place cookies back in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown (~ 5 minutes)
Let cookies rest for 2-5 minutes after removing from the oven.
8 oz. package of cream cheese (at room temperature)
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
¼ cup of green onion tops, coarsely chopped
4-6 oz. of ham steak, finely chopped (optional)
½ teaspoon of salt
1 egg
5-10 oz. of red pepper jelly (for dipping)
Roll puff pastry out on a floured surface, roll until smooth and about ⅛ in. thick. Cut into 3×3 in. squares.
Into a food processor or blender, add cream cheese, mayonnaise, green onion and salt. Blend until it’s creamy and fully homogenized.
If adding ham: Dice ham steak into cubes and fold them into the cream cheese mixture.
Place about two tablespoons of the cream cheese and ham mixture onto each square of puff pastry.
Fold each puff pastry square diagonally, and press the edges, either with your fingers or a fork, to seal them.
In a bowl, whisk the egg well. Use a pastry brush to cover each puff with the egg wash.
Place the puff pastries, evenly spaced, onto a baking sheet. *Use parchment paper to avoid them sticking to your baking sheet* And place the baking sheet into the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours.
After the pastries have been in the freezer for at least 3 hours, preheat the oven to 425° F. When the oven is preheated, place the baking sheet (directly from the freezer) into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Taking them out when the pastries are golden and flakey (about doubling in size).
Optional: Heat up red pepper jelly
a. Place the jelly jar (no lid or keep the lid cracked) into a small pot and fill with water up to an inch below the rim of the jar. Heat for 5-8 minutes on medium low, keeping an eye on it and stirring occasionally.
or
b. Scoop jelly into a pan, add water (2 tablespoons per 4 oz.) and heat on low, stirring every so often, for about 3 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. This will make the jelly dip thinner than the previous option.
Pour dip into a small dish and serve with pastry bites.
Whisk chili powder, black pepper, ground cumin, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture onto all sides of pork tenderloin. Place tenderloin into a shallow roasting pan.
Roast tenderloin in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees° F.
Stir pepper jelly and balsamic vinegar together in a saucepan over low heat until jelly is completely melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Brush pepper jelly mixture over pork tenderloin and continue to bake tenderloin until jelly coating is hot, about 5 minutes more. Let pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Arrange chicken breasts in a baking dish so they have enough space to lay flat.
In a cup or small bowl, mix together the pepper jelly, mustard and honey; pour over chicken to coat.
Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, basting occasionally, until chicken reads 165° F and the juices run clear (general rule of thumb for cooking chicken: 15 minutes/pound).
Sources: family traditions, combining recipes and allrecipes.com
