I love the holidays because of parties, friends and of course appetizers. I find cheese so irresistible. Don't you? I love having friends and family over and sharing new recipes with them. The ultimate fun in entertaining is getting together and enjoying food TOGETHER. Pretty much every time we entertain, cheese is involved. Are you that way too?

I was so thrilled when Président Cheese approached me to create a recipe for the holidays. I love their brie, camembert and roquefort cheeses so it was a natural yes for me!

For this project, I got to try products that are new as well as new to me! Not only am I obsessed with cheese (all things cheese), I love making appetizers with puff pastry so that's kind of how I started. I made these fun little appetizers four times…no joke. The first time, I didn't make them into little puffs (they look like pillows to me) and it was a total fail but still tasted good!

The Rondelé Garlic and Herbs spreadable cheese is heavenly. I put them on crackers and and pita and couldn't stop eating them. I knew I had to use it in a recipe! And the manchego cheese, I'm a huge fan of. The other night, we had grilled cheeses and I used a little manchego cheese in it and it was perfect!

I chop up the bacon but not so they are bits, you want to be able to see it and taste it in these appetizers!

Mix up the cheeses and the bacon, this literally takes seconds.

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 9 squares after unfolding them.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of the cheese mixture to the middle of each square.

Then, add 1/2 teaspoon orange marmalade on top of the cheese.

Fold up the opposite corners and and pinch and fold so they are tight.

Then, do the same thing with the other opposite corners.

Don't they look like little pillows? Brush the tops with an egg wash.

And bake for 17 to 18 minutes and you're golden. These are so easy to put together and I'll bet you can't stop at just one!

I just love the combination of the spreadable cheese with the Manchego, bacon and orange marmalade. I know you might be thinking, orange marmalade? Really? Marmalades go really well with cheese and this is no different. I'm telling you, I know you'll love these if you make them!!

If you'd like to enter to win $50 worth of your own Président cheese, visit ArtOfCheese.com, where you can download a coupon and enter the Pinterest sweepstakes, plus find more holiday recipes and product information.

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Orange Marmalade Garlic & Herb Cheesy Appetizer Puffs with Bacon Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 18 appetizers

Ingredients

• 2 frozen puff pastry sheets thawed according to the package instructions
• 1/2 container of Rondelé 8-oz. Garlic & Herbs
• Président 5.2-oz. Manchego cheese about 1/2 of the wedge shredded (1/3 cup)
• 3 slices cooked bacon chopped
• orange marmalade
• 1 egg beaten

Instructions

• Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix half of a container of Rondelé Garlic & Herbs with 1/3 cup shredded Président Manchego cheese and chopped bacon in a small mixing bowl. Set aside. In a small prep bowl, beat 1 egg and add 1 tablespoon cold water and mix.
• Take the thawed puff pastry sheet and place on a clean surface, such as a cutting board. Unfold and cut into nine squares. Add 1/2 tablespoon cheese mixture and 1/2 teaspoon of marmalade to the middle of each square.
• For each square, fold up the opposite corners to meet and then fold over once and pinch, take the other two opposite corners and do the same thing. Repeat for each square.
• To make the remaining puffs, do repeat steps 3 and 4 for the other puff pastry sheet.
• Brush puffs with egg wash and bake for 17 to 18 minutes at 400 degrees F. If any, puffs open up, carefully pinch the corners closed. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, sponsored by Lactalis. All opinions are my own and I only share with you and work with brands that I love.

The post Orange Marmalade Garlic & Herb Cheesy Appetizer Puffs with Bacon appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I'm back with another appetizer for you. I know it seems cliche. It's Super Bowl Week and I'm sharing another appetizer. I have something to admit Curtis and I rarely watch the Super Bowl anymore. We switch between the commercials and the Puppy Bowl! Every year though, I make an array of appetizers and way too much food for two people and it's awesome. On the menu are boneless chicken wings for Curtis and…

This year, I'm making these Cheddar and Smoked Summer Sausage Pinwheel Appetizers for our appetizer party for two. I was so excited when Harry & David asked me to develop a recipe using their Harry's Gift Box! After my trip to Harry & David last year, I jumped at the chance to work with them again.

They are a very special company. They really care about quality and their products are amazing…my favorite gift basket or box to send to friends and family.

This recipe is pretty easy and takes just minutes to put together!

Jump over here for the Cheddar and Smoked Summer Sausage Pinwheel Appetizers  recipe. Interested in more? Check out my Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings and from last year, 100 Best Super Recipes!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Harry & David. Opinions shared here are always my own and I only share and work with brands that I love.

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Cheddar and Smoked Summer Sausage Pinwheel Appetizer Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 20 -22 Pinwheel Appetizers

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cream cheese softened
• 3 green onions sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded Harry & David Aged Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 package of 5-ounce Harry & David Hickory Smoked Summer Sausage diced small
• 1 frozen puff pastry sheet thawed
• flour for dusting
• 1 egg beaten

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix beaten egg with one tablespoon of cold water in a small prep bowl.
• Mix cream cheese, green onions, shredded cheddar and diced smoked summer sausage in a small mixing bowl. Flour a cutting board or surface and place thawed puff pastry sheet on it. Brush egg wash all over the puff pastry sheet. Using a spoon, spread the cream cheese-cheddar mixture all over the pastry sheet. Starting on the short edge, roll up the puff pastry sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut slices that are about 1/2 inch thick.
• Place cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush sides and tops with the egg wash. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes.

The post Cheddar and Smoked Summer Sausage Pinwheel Appetizers appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Do you like caprese salads? (Sliced fresh mozzarella, sliced tomato, basil and usually drizzled with some kind of balsamic vinegar glaze.) I do and I must admit I usually end up eating like three pieces (okay slices) of fresh mozzarella before my salad is made. And I love love using fresh mozzarella when I'm making pizza.

So how about a caprese salad in a little bite size version made with puff pastry? I'm in appetizer mode for this Super Bowl Sunday. I'm loving it. And I'm loving how easy this recipe is. Hope you enjoy it and make it for the game this Sunday!

Cut up a bunch of grape tomatoes – into quarters.

Honestly, I love how easy it is to work with Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. This time on a lightly floured cutting board, I rolled out the puff pastry into a 10 inch square with a rolling pin.

Then cut into 6 strips and then into squares.

Then, I brushed reduced fat (store bought) pesto onto the puff pastry sheet squares.

Then I put two squares into each mini muffin pan cavity. I put them offset into the pan, can you see the corners of the bottom ones?

Place two to three pieces of cheese and 2 quarters of a grape tomato on top of the puff pastry. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes and that's it.

So easy, my favorite kind of recipe. I will not tell you how many I had the first time I made these! Check out the jalapeno poppers I made with Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry and many other Super Bowl recipes!

Be sure to visit PuffPastry.com for more recipes, tips and how-videos and vis the Puffection™ tab on the Pepperidge Farm facebook page where you can share your own Puff Pastry recipes.

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Caprese Puff Pastry Bites Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 18 -20 servings

Ingredients

• 4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese sliced and cut into small cubes
• 10 grape tomatoes washed and quartered
• 1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets 1 sheet, thawed
• pesto homemade or store bought
• fresh basil to garnish

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Prep cheese and tomatoes.
• Roll Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry into 10 inch square on a floured surface. Cut into 6 1 1/2 to 2 inch strips and then into 1 1/2 to 2 inch squares. Using a silicon pastry brush, brush pesto onto one side of the puff pastry sheet.
• Take two pieces of puff pastry squares and press into mini muffin tin. Add mozzarella cheese and tomatoes. Bake for 9-12 minutes. Garnish with torn or cut up strips of basil.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. As always, opinions are always my own and I only work with brand I love.

The post Caprese Puff Pastry Bites appeared first on The Little Kitchen.