Spinach Pie

Really, I think it's more of a Calzone, but this is something my Mom made as I was growing up and she called it Spinach Pie...so it shall be named!

I start with my favorite Pizza dough recipe, but this time I add in 2tbs of Tuscan Original Bread Dipping spices. They make everything better.

Pizza dough
3 cups flour
2 and 1/4 teas. yeast (or one package)
2 tbs veggie oil
1 teas salt
1 teas sugar
1 cup warm water

After the dough rises I pile it high with fresh spinach, chunks of mozzarella (you want chunks, not shredded cheese. Trust me on this one.) sliced mushrooms, fresh garlic and a dash of salt. Then I pull one half of the pizza dough over the other half.
If it can fit, I think stuff even more spinach into the pocket that I've just created until it's packed full. Then I roll the edges over and cut a few slashes on top to let steam release.

This is one of the easiest, tastiest comfort foods for me, I love it so.

Lemon Bars

I love lemon bars! I used to use a recipe that called for a lot of eggs, but me (in my weirdness) could smell the eggs after it was cooked-so I had to scrap that recipe. No one likes egg bars.

After digging out my old Everyone's First Cookbook, I found this recipe for lemon bars that also called for oatmeal and sweetened condensed milk. Sounded like a winner to me! It was. These lemon bars were so yummy that dimples and I were digging them out of the pan to eat before they were even cool. They would've been perfect with some vanilla ice cream. Mmmm. And the best part? No eggs!

Lemon Bars

3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas. salt
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 (14 oz) can sweetend condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add flour, baking powder, salt and oatmeal and beat until mixture is crumbly. Spread half of the mixture into a 9X13 baking pan, pat down. In separate bowl mix milk and lemon juice and stir until thouroughly mixed. pour over crumbs in dish, then top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool at room temp, cut into squares and chill.

Source: Everyone's First Cookbook

Super Brownies

Last Monday I had a craving for sweets. This is nothing new, but this time there was no ice cream or cookies to tide me over, so I pulled out Everyone's First Cook Book (that I don't think I've ever used!) and went to work.
Now, I'll admit that besides for my vegan brownies, I usually make brownies from a box. They're just so easy. But never more, friends. These are the best brownies I've ever had, and they weren't much harder than a box mix! The frosting is fudge-like in consistency and these were so rich I could only eat two before I felt like I was going to die. (usually I can clear half a pan before I get that feeling)

2/3 c. oil
2 c. Sugar
1/3 c. corn syrup
3 eggs lightly beaten
2 teas. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. flour
1/2 teas. salt
1 teas. baking powder
1 c. chopped pecans (I omitted)

Icing
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teas. milk
1 teas vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In mixing bowl, beat oil, sugar, corn syrup, eggs and vanilla. Add cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder and beat well. Stir in chopped nuts. Pour in greased/floured 9X13 pan. bake for 35 minutes. Brownies are done when toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

In a small saucepan over low heat melt butter, add in powdered sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread over brownies.
Source: Everyone's First CookBook

Black Magic Cake

I had been planning on making strawberry cupcakes for Mother's Day dinner, but my brother (who was pretty adorable in trying to plan the perfect mother's day dinner) thought everyone would like Chocolate better. So I turned to my trusty favorite allrecipes.com at the eleventh hour and found a chocolate cake recipe that used ingredients that I already had on hand.
It came together quickly and easily, and was pretty darn tasty! The chocolate flavor was really light, so next time I make this cake I plan to toss some mini chocolate chips into the batter before cooking to add some more chocolatelyness.

Black Magic Cake

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans or one 9x13 inch pan.
2. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center.
3. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. Fill and frost as desired.

"Hawaiian" fruit dip

I was invited to a Hawaiian themed birthday party a few weeks ago and spent some time googling trying to come up with something clever to bring. I came across this recipe in a About.com answer and although I was unsure there was really anything "Hawaiian" about it, thought it sounded pretty tasty. And it was! This is definitely something I'll keep on hand during the summer when our house is over run with fruit. It comes together really quickly and adds an unexpected lime pop to fresh fruit.

Hawaiian Fruit Dip
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice, undrained
1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1 lime

Combine milk, sour cream, and pudding mix; whisk until smooth.
Stir in pineapple and coconut.
Zest lime to measure 1 teaspoon zest; juice lime to measure 1 teaspoon juice.
Stir both into dip.
Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
To toast coconut, preheat oven to 350º; spread coconut onto cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown.
Serve with fresh sliced fruits.

Amazing Carrot Cake

Last Saturday was Dimples' birthday, and as is tradition, I needed to make an awesome cake. Last year, much to my dismay, he requested funfetti (what adult wants a funfetti cake for their birthday?!). This year he requested carrot cake.

I was a little nervous because I've never made a carrot cake before, but I knew Dimples' aunt had an awesome recipe, so I emailed her to request it.



I multiplied the recipe 1.5 so I could have three layers of deliciousness. I didn't quite have enough frosting, so I had to make do. a This really is the best carrot cake I've ever had!



Cake



2 cups sugar

1 cup corn oil

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup canned drained unsweetened crushed pineapple

3 cups packed grated peeled carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. butter 2 9 inch cake pans with 2 inch high sides. Line pans with waxed paper. Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Sift flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt into sugar mixture. Beat to blend. Puree pineapple in processor until smooth. Add to batter. Stir in carrots, walnut and coconut. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer to racks. Cool 15 minutes. Cut around sides of pan to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks. Remove waxed paper. Cool cakes completely.



Cream Cheese Frosting



2- 8 ounce packages of cream cheese

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract



Beat cream cheese and butter in medium bowl until smooth. Sift powdered sugar into mixture. Beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over top. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining frosting in swirls over top and sides of cake. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover, chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.



So, happy birthday hun! I'm looking forward to making you many more birthday cakes :)

Buttery Bread Machine Rolls

Recently, after forgetting to purchase bread for a dinner I rediscovered my good old hand me down bread machine. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it!

I'd seen the blog Grocery Cart Challenge mention these bread machine butter rolls a few times, and one day I decided that they sounded really good. I was looking for easy snacks to take to works, and Gayle makes a batch and freezes them, which I thought was a great idea.

These were really easy to make. too easy, almost. And so, so good! The only bad thing about them is that we ate almost the whole batch that night and didn't have any left to freeze. I'm pretty sure that's disgusting of us, but these are really that good! I made them again for my husband's birthday party, and everyone loved them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (70 to 80 degrees F.)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups bread flour
• 2 eggs
  
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1. In bread machine pan, put all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer.
2. Select dough setting.
3. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
4. Divide dough into 24 portions.
5. Shape dough into balls.
6. Place in a greased 13 inch by 9 inch baking pan.
7. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes
   
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe originally from Recipe Zaar.

Peach Berry Pie

I promised this recipe long ago, during the summer months when peaches were aplenty. Somehow, I forgot to post it! Ooops, well, bookmark it for next summer gals, because it's a winner. I loved this pie!
I loved to make this pie with local peaches and berries from the fruit stands that dot the highway out here. Score one for country livin', y'all. The produce is awesome.

First, I make my mom's super easy pie crust, recipe here.

Then, the filling:

4 cups fresh peaches, pitted, peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh berries
3/4 cup white sugar
3 tbs all-purpose flour
1 teas ground cinnamon
2 tbs butter cut into pieces

Place peaches and berries into a colander to drain for 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss in sugar, flour and cinnamon. Pour into prepared (not cooked) pie crust and put butter pieces on top of mixture. Top with crust. Bake 45 minutes at 400.

If you want your pie crust to be super pretty you can brush it with egg white and sprinkle with course sugar. I've made this pie both with the lattice crust top and a solid crust top, and it's delicious either way!

I have no idea where I got this recipe from, I scribbled it on a sticky note ages ago, but it's very easy and definitely a summer favorite!

Pina Colada Cake

Awhile back I came across a recipe for a pina colada cake on a cooking board, but foolishly didn't save the link. When it came time to think of a dessert for Easter this was the first thing that popped into my head. I tried googling for a recipe, but everything I found called for creme of coconut (what IS that?!) or Rum, neither of which was on the original recipe that I saw. So I came up with my own.

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
8 oz can of crushed pineapple
1/2 C. shredded coconut

Prepare cake mix according to instructions on box, mix in crushed pineapple (I drained most of the juice and saved it for later) and coconut. Bake according to directions on Box. After removing from oven pour reserved pineapple juice over cake and let soak in. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting I made a combination whipped cream/cream cheese frosting, and I was so happy with how it turned out. It was delicious!

Frosting (recipe modified from Allrecipes.com)
1 box cream cheese
1.5 cups whipped cream (I made the real stuff-no cool whip :)
1/2 c. coconut
1/8 teas salt
1 teas vanilla extract
1 c. white sugar (I used granulated and it wasn't gritty at all)
2 oz. crushed pineapple

Use a mixer to cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla, salt, coconut and crushed pineapple and mixed well. Fold in whipped cream.

garnish (optional)
Lots of shredded coconut (all said I used an entire bag for this cake), some toasted.
maraschino cherries

I almost didn't want to add the coconut after I frosted it because I thought it looked pretty enough already, but it had to survive an hour and a half trip in the car so I'm glad I added it, it helped it stand up to the foil wrapped around it and we got there with only minor damage :)

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

Sometimes a vegetable or two will end up in my crisper without being designated for a meal (I'm sure that happens to everyone. Right? right??). This week I had three lonely jalapenos with nowhere to go.
The other day I came across (another) beautiful cooking blog, Homemade by Holman, and what do you know, there was the most perfect recipe that called for the exact amount of jalapeno I had. It was meant to be.
This Cheddar Jalapeno Bread is easy to make and comes out beautifully, colorful, moist and tast-ay! We loved it, and I definitely think this will be the new chili partner in my house. I can't wait to make it with fresh jalapenos and peppers from the garden.
I made one alteration to the recipe, I had this delicious smoky chipotle cheese, and I used that instead of regular cheddar. mmmmm!

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread
Recipe adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from Savory Baking

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup milk (I used skim)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8" x 4" loaf pan with baking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, pepper, salt, and cheese. Toss together and make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, and egg and whisk together. Pour mixture into well in center of flour and stir mix together lightly with a wooden spoon. Add peppers and stir just until dry ingredients are all combined. The batter should be lumpy. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.


Bake bread for approximately 45 minutes until golden brown. Bread should spring back when touched. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, run a knife around all sides and turn out of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.


Also, you'll want to go check Homemade by Holman's photos, as mine don't do this pretty bread justice. We cut into it while it was still hot so it didn't cut so well. But boy howdy was it delicious.

Irish Soda Bread

I had a small carton of buttermilk that I needed to use and I was trying to think of something clever to make (it was originally intended for red velvet cake, but then I suffered from a case of valentine goody burn out...) Fortunately, allrecipes.com came to the rescue and I found this recipe for Irish Soda Bread, very appropriate for this month!
I've never even had Irish Soda Bread, let alone made it from scratch, so I was surprised that there was no soda in- just baking powder. But I trusted the recipe and I'm glad I did, it's delicious!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon caraway seed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Beat eggs with buttermilk. Add the eggs and buttermilk into the flour mixture; stir in raisins.
3. Pour dough onto lightly floured board. Shape into a round loaf, adding flour if necessary. Place in a lightly greased springform pan. Sprinkle top with caraway seeds if desired.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

I didn't have a springform pan, so I just shaped it into a round shape and baked it on a cookie sheet. I did pull it out of the oven about 20 minutes in to brush the top with butter. Mmmm. butter.

I will definitely be making this simple but tasty sweet bread again in a few weeks to go with my corned beef! (no cabbage, though! blech!)

10 minute cookies

I'm not a gourmet cook,baker or eater. I don't make my own cheese and I've never had arugula. I eat what I like, and what I like is easy. Sometimes I debate (with myself) whether or not my recipes (like this one) are worthy of sharing with the blogosphere, and then I had an epiphany.

Sometimes, a girl just wants a cookie...NOW.

And a cookie you shall get! These take approximately three minutes to whip up from a box cake mix, and only 7 minutes to cook. Perfect for whipping up during the commercial break on Hulu on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

10 minute cookies

1 boxed cake mix (any flavor!)
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs

Mix all three (!!!) ingredients together. Roll into balls and roll in powdered sugar. Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes. Eat all of them in one sitting.

Some of my favorite variations: Lemon cake mix with 2 tbs lemon zest mixed in. Chocolate cake mix with 1/2 c. nuts mixed in (pictured). Spice cake mix rolled in cinnamon and sugar.

Enjoy! And the fact these come from a box mix will be our little secret ;)

Chicken Provolone Roll Ups

I don't think I've mentioned much about my new favorite site, Tasty Kitchen. It's Pioneer Woman's version of allrecipes.com (my previous favorite recipe site). Right now I prefer tasty kitchen because I'm not asked to become a paying member every time I search for a recipe. Sorry, allrecipes, but it gets annoying.

Anyways, I found this recipe for Chicken Provolone Roll Ups and decided to try it for it company. I have to say, it's amazing! It didn't turn out so pretty, so I was glad that our company cancelled (is that bad? I think it's bad.) but boy howdy is it delicious, and so easy!

Ingredients

• 4 pieces Chicken Breast, Pounded Thin
• 8 slices Provolone Cheese
• 8 Tablespoons Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 8 teaspoons Parmesan Cheese, Grated
• 1 bottle (8 Oz. Bottle) Italian Dressing

Preparation Instructions

Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together. Set aside. Put 2 slices of provolone cheese on each chicken breast. Roll breasts up jelly roll fashion; dip each in dressing, then in the bread crumb mixture. Place in a Pyrex dish sprayed with non-stick spray. If necessary, to keep the chicken from unrolling, place a toothpick in each chicken breast. Bake at 450 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Bacon Jalapeno Bites

I created this recipe for a New Years dinner appetizer by altering Pioneer Woman's Jalapeno bacon thingies. It's very easy, but very tasty!

12 Jalapenos
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 Cup Mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
1/2 Cup provolone cheese, finely shredded
1 lb bacon, cut into thirds
1/2 teas onion powder
1/4 teas salt

Wash and halve Jalapenos, removed seeds and membrane. Dry on towel. Mix Cheeses and seasoning until well blended. Fill each Jalapeno half with cheese mixture. Wrap with a bacon strip and secure with a toothpick. (try to make them prettier than mine, I was experimenting to see which way the bacon worked best. Turned out to be when it was wrapped around the entire pepper and secured with toothpick!) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until bacon is browned and cheese is browned and bubbly. Drain on paper towels for a few minutes before serving.

Happy New Year!

Chicken Garlic Artichoke pizza

For our housewarming party we were given a gift card to Williams and Sonoma, which we finally used last week. We ended up getting a big gorgeous pizza stone. Anxious to use it, we made this pizza the same night.
oh.my.gah! If you don't have a pizza stone, I recommend getting one. It made the crust crispy and delicious, far better than any pizza we've ever cooked at home!

Chicken Garlic Artichoke Pizza

Preheat your oven to 500 to get your pizza stone nice and hot!

Pizza Dough (this is the best pizza dough recipe I've found so far)

3 cups flour (any will do. We used Wheat flour)
2 and 1/4 teas. yeast (or one package)
2 tbs veggie oil
1 teas salt
1 teas sugar
1 cup warm water

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix in oil and water. Let rise. Bake at 375.

Now you can let it rise, but you can also cook it right away. It's a little more dense if you don't give it time to rise though. I also like to mix the yeast in with the warm water first, it activates a little better.

Topping

White garlic sauce (we cheat and buy this in the deli of our grocery store. SOOOOO good!)
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
bell pepper
mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper chicken, and fully cook on stove top. Spread sauce over rolled out pizza crust, top with mozz, chicken chunks, artichoke hearts and bell pepper. Sprinkle parm over top.

Turn oven down to 375. Sprinkle corn meal over pizza stone, and slide pizza on to stone. (I had some problems here, hence my wonky shaped pizza)
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until crust is browned.

Pecan Honey Pork

I made this for my husband when he returned from a long week of work. He said it was the best dinner I've ever made him, so I think it's a winner! Really, this could not be any easier and impressive tasting.

Awesome Honey Pecan Pork Chops from allrecipes.com


Ingredients

* 1 1/4 pounds boneless pork loin, pounded thin
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. In a shallow dish, mix together flour, salt and pepper. Dredge pork cutlets in the flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chops, and brown both sides. Transfer to a warm plate.
3. Mix honey and pecans into the pan drippings. Heat through, stirring constantly. Pour sauce over cutlets.

You want to be careful not to burn the pork when you're browning it, because then your sauce will come out dark and ugly.
mmmmm! enjoy!

Pumpkin-Chocolate cheescake pie

Oh Yes. My horrible photography does not do this pie justice!

I made this for a family dinner on Sunday, and it was incredible. I've never attempted a cheesecake before, so this was kind of a cheater version. It was very easy, though, and I highly recommend!

From the Better Homes and Gardens All Time Favorites 2010 Cookbook

Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

1 pie crust
12 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 C. granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 C finely chopped semi sweet chocolate
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
4 Eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 C. half and half

1. Preheat oven to 450. Transfer pastry shell to 9.5 or 10 inch deep dish pie pan (I used a regular one). Trim crust to 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate. Crimp edges high. Using fork, prick bottom and sides of pastry. Line pastry with double thickness of foil and bake 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 to 6 minutes more until golden. cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temp to 375.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, one egg and 1.4 C. sugar on low speed until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture in pastry shell. Sprinkle with finely chopped chocolate.
3. In bowl, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. stir in four eggs. Stir in half and half. Slowly pour pumpkin mixture over chocolate layer. To prevent over browning, cover pie edge with foil
4. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove foil and cool on wire rack. Refrigerate within 2 hours, top with extra chocolate for garnish if desired.

I'd recommend making this the day before, as it needs to be completely cold to taste good :)

mmmmm, pie!

Salsa Chicken

Being single during the week for the last month had me searching for simple meals. Most nights (I'm a little shamed to admit) dinner consisted of Pop Tarts or a Junior Mint milkshake.
So last night I decided to whip up something quick and easy for myself. I'd seen talk of this "Salsa chicken" and thought it sounded interesting.

1/2 c. Salsa
1 chicken breast
Taco seasoning

I sprinkled taco seasoning on the breast before tossing it in the crockpot on high and drowning it in salsa.

After it had reached the desirable temperature, I tossed it on a bed of buttery noodles. Really, not bad for a lonely Wednesday night!

TWO ingredient muffins? Yes please!

Yes, I am a cheater cheater pumpkin eater. I'm not ashamed, and I shouldn't be!
I have a wicked sweet tooth (surprise, surprise!) and my husband is out of town, so obviously I'm not going to make anything fancy.

Are you ready for the ingredients? Are you sure you can handle it? Okay.

One box spice cake mix
One can pumpkin puree (15 oz)

Yes, really! You combine the two together, and bake at 350 until the top springs back (15 minutes or so)

I whipped up some simple cream cheese frosting to top them. I know, muffins aren't supposed to have frosting. But I wanted frosting. Mmmmmmm. frosting.

Baked Brie

Yesterday was my FIL's 50th birthday party, happy birthday FIL! I was to bring an appetizer, and after many google searches and blog searches for "Fall like appetizers that might be good with barbecued foods but are also impressive and easy to make", I settled on Baked Brie.

Really, this could not be any simpler, and it was quite impressive! I was very pleased that it was well liked!

Baked Brie

Wedge or wheel of Brie (I couldn't find a big enough wheel, so I used a wedge)
Plum Jam (Fig would be marvelous!)
1 package of crescent rolls or 1 sheet of puff pastry
1 egg

Freeze brie for an hour, then remove from freezer and cut in half. Spread Jam on 1 half of brie, then put other half back on top. Set aside.
Remove crescent rolls from carton, unroll, and lay out side by side. pinch seams together with your fingers. Roll flat with rolling pin. Spread jam in center of pastry sheet.
Place brie in center of pastry, and wrap pastry around it. (I also used a cookie cutter to stamp a shape here, but it disappeared.) Brush with egg white.
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, on a dish with sides. Serve immediately, or stick in oven at 350 for ten minutes before serving.