An “Ahhh Hahhh” moment with a naked wheel of brie…

About a month ago I was in my local grocery store and like most of my shopping excursions; I had a nice wheel of Brie in my carriage. What would I create with this smooth & buttery embalmed bundle of cheese this time? As I roamed the aisles contemplating my choices; pesto, fruit preserves and the like, I happened to spot the cans of Apple Pie Filling on a shelf in the baking aisle… needless to say the sparks started flying around in my head!!! Now, I never use canned filling to make apple pie (there are some things that are simply just unspoken rules) but it seemed like an effortless way to make a warm & gooey appetizer.
My dad and his girlfriend, Holly came to visit my husband, Dominic & I the next day. After adding just a handful of spices, butter and maple syrup to the pie filling, I heated the concoction, smothered the brie with it and popped it in the oven. In about 30 minutes my house smelled like an apple pie baking on a crisp autumn day. When it started to bubble I took it out of the oven and generously sprinkled crushed walnuts on the top. When I placed it on the table with a basket of buttery crackers… no one knew what to do with it! It smelled awesome but it looked like a big, gooey glob of something foreign. Dominic finally stuck a knife in the center and the warm creamy cheese flowed out, married the apple topping and practically danced onto his cracker! Yes… it was a marriage made in Heaven!

When I finally finish the book, you will see the recipe for this and also many more suggestions of how to cover a naked wheel of brie!

I used to be represented by radishes!

I owned and operated a small catering business about 12 years ago; it was supposed to be my big dream. SIMPLE PLEASURES was the name of the place and my logo was a self-designed bunch of radishes… boy, I loved that logo! I served a take-out lunch to the local businesses during the week and did off-premise catering at night and on the weekends. The only staff that I had were wait staff… my dad worked behind the counter during the week and I also had a couple of girlfriends who helped out with the order taking and delivery. I did every bit of marketing, cooking, styling, finances, menu design and floor-scrubbing myself; it all came straight from my heart and I loved it!

It only took me a few years to figure out that my heart was too big to run a business; I never charged enough for my services, immensely overpaid my wait staff and put all of my focus into targeting the client who could not usually afford a caterer. I had the knack of garnishing & arranging so I could make something like a simple veggie platter look like colorful blossoms of crudités nestled in a country wicker basket… and again, I loved it! It seems you can’t make money being kind… THAT’S WHERE THE COOKBOOK COMES IN! I can still share my love, my skills and my gift of FLAVOR, make a little money on it and still hold down my day job!

Here's hoping I can pull it off!!!

How did I get myself into this???

Last winter I mentioned to my friend & colleauge, Aida, that I was writing a cookbook; not gourmet though... this would be a book that you would find in the kitchens of these women:

"I like to entertain but I'm not a good cook!"
"I always have unexpected company!"
"I'm sick of chicken fingers and frozen French fries!"
"I don't have the time to cook!"

I then mentioned the phrase, "Be a Guest at Your Own Party" to her as a possible theme for my oh-so-un-gourmet book and next thing you know... HERE I AM... blogging about trying to write an amateur cookbook that my family & friends anxiously await but that I have no idea how to do!

Thanks, Aida!!!