Went next door for cocktails last night.  Had my new favorite appetizer! Crackers – topped with bacon and brown sugar – a yummy, sweet, and porky treat!  Want a spicy-sweet flavor? Add a bit of ground black pepper or cayenne pepper over the brown sugar.  Bonus – you can freeze them and reheat.  There are those who use parmesian cheese, but I can’t imagine it being as good as brown sugar.
Ingredients:

• 1 package (13.7 oz.) club crackers (or any recutangler cracker)
• 1 lb regular sliced bacon, cut into thirds
• brown sugar –  don’t skimp

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 250° F.
2. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Arrange crackers on a rack over the baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Top each cracker with 1/3 slice bacon (to fit the top of the cracker).
5. Evenly sprinkle plenty of brown sugar over the top.
6. Bake for 1 hour or more until browned and crisp.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1 cracker (no one will eat just one!!)

Source:  Nancy-Next-Door Oglesby and several on-line recipes

1. Or wrap bacon, cut in half lengthwise, around the center of the cracker making sure to cover the entire cracker.
2. Place the crackers on the rack with the bacon ends facing down. This will help to keep the bacon from unraveling.

These cheesy and easy four ingredient appetizers will remind you of brie baked ‘en croûte’—which is the French term for anything baked in pastry.  The original recipe I read put the cheese and jam in the unbaked pastry, then baked it.  What a mess! too hot jam, not quite cooked pastry.  Don’t try to short-cut this.

Ingredients:

• flour, for dusting
• 1 sheet (about 14 oz) puff pastry, thawed
• Dijon mustard
• 1/2 pound Gouda, rind removed, cut into 24 approximately 3/4-inch cubes – room temperature
• Lingonberry jam ( or raspberry, or apricot, or orange marmalade, or cherry, or, or, or)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to an approximately 11-by-16-inch rectangle.
3. Trim edges straight to a 10-by-15-inch rectangle.
4. With the tines of a fork, prick pastry all over at 1/2-inch intervals.
5. Cut into twenty-four 2 1/2-inch squares (a 4-by-6 grid).
6. Press each square into the cup of a mini muffin tin.  (You can freeze them at this point, bag them, and continue when you need them.)
7. Spoon scant dab of Dijon into bottom of each pastry shell.
8. Refrigerate until pastry is firm, at least 15 minutes.
9. Bake until pastry cups are puffed, golden along edges, and beginning to set, about 15 minutes.
10. Working quickly remove from oven and press a cube of cheese into center of each pastry with the handle of a wooden spoon. (Cheese should depress pastry to reach bottom of cup.)
11. Continue baking until pastry is golden brown and cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes more.
12. Let cool in tins a few minutes.
13. Transfer to a serving tray.
14. Top with jam.
15. Serve warm.

Secret Discovery:  I bake them until brown, add the cheese, and set them aside. Then, just before serving, heat the oven, turn it off, and let the puffs sit in the oven until the cheese melts – no burned puffs!

Serves:  Makes 24

Source:  marthastewart.com
Baked, cooled bites can be frozen in an airtight container up to 1 month. Save the jam for later.  Reheat from frozen in a 425° oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

And More:
So, you don’t have Gouda, but there is that Brie getting too ripe in the fridge.  Put it in the freezer about 10 minutes to firm up and cut it into cubes.  Leave off the mustard, but the jam works.  So does chutney, fruity spreads, even sundried tomatoes or caramelized onions.  There is always something around.

No puff pastry.  Open a can of Crescent Rolls. Then roll out crescent roll dough and pinch seams together. Cut crescent roll dough into 24 equal-sized squares.  A quick spray of Pam will make these easier to remove from the pan.  That will freeze too.

Where will your imagination take you next!?