Brie, Pecan, and Hot Honey Puff Pastry Bites

This is a great appetizer for the fall and winter since it's served warm. You can prep the puff pastry ahead by rolling it out, docking the dough, cutting the rounds and placing into a butter coated mini muffin tray. Keep them covered in the fridge with plastic wrap.

The classic combination of brie, pecans, and honey has been used so many times but making it bite size made them seem a little more fun and elegant. This recipe makes 24 bites

Ingredients:
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed overnight in the fridge
1 wheel brie cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces
Hot honey, to drizzle over top

Directions:

1. Roll out the puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. Prick the dough all over with a fork (this is called docking). Use a cookie cutter and place the dough rounds into a butter lined mini muffin tray. 

2. When ready to serve preheat the oven to 400. Place a small cube of brie cheese into each puff pastry cup. Drizzle with a bit of hot honey and cook for 15 minutes until the cheese starts to melt and the pastry gets a little golden brown. 

3. Top the puff pastry bites with pecans and bake for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes and then gently place them on your serving tray. They are best served warm but are tasty at room temp also. 

Tator Tot Bites

I love potatoes! I found this side dish for some sliders but it could also be an appetizer. If you want to make it extra fancy you could top the bites with creme fraiche and caviar. You definitely want to serve these warm and they need to be made in the moment, when I tried making the tator tot cups in advance they didn't get very crispy the second time when reheating. 

You can make these in a muffin pan and make some big hash brown cups but I prefer to make them bite size by using a mini muffin tray. 

Ingredients:
Olive oil spray
24 frozen tator tots
Sour cream
Bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
Chives, finely minced

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 425. Spray the muffin tin with olive oil spray. 

2. Place one frozen tator tot into each mini muffin slot. Cook as is for 10 minutes. 

3. Use a shot glass and press into the tator tot to make a small cup. Spray with olive oil and put back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the tator tot bites are crispy and golden brown. 

4. Fill the bites with your toppings of choice. I did a dab of sour cream, bacon bites, and topped them off with the chives. Serve warm! 

Crispy Tofu for Brian

 My Husband Brian really likes tofu. Me, not so much. That's why I make tofu a lot for his lunch meal prep. I'd been testing ways to make the tofu crispy for some extra texture and this recipe is the winner. It's super simple to prep. Serve with a veggie stir fry or rice for a complete meal. 

Ingredients:
1 block tofu, extra firm
1 Tbsp. corn starch
Olive oil spray
1 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp black pepper

Sauce:
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce

Directions:

1. Cut the tofu block into 4 even slices and drain on a paper towel. Press the tofu gently to remove as much excess liquid as possible. 

2. Using your hands tear the tofu into large chunks and place into a bowl. You want lots of edges here instead of cubes. 

3. Add the corn starch, salt, and black pepper to the tofu bowl and gently mix until all of the tofu is evenly coated in corn starch. 

4. Place coated tofu in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined tray. Spray all over with the olive oil spray. Cook in an airfryer at 375 for about 6 minutes or until the tofu gets crispy. 

5. While the tofu bakes make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl large enough to toss the tofu in. Whisk to combine the sauce. 

6. Once the tofu is crispy add it to the sauce and stir until the tofu is evenly coated. Serve warm with your side dish of choice.