How about this for delicious: A wheel of brie, topped with jam, bacon, and jalapenos, and then wrapped in puff pastry and baked.

Yeah, I KNOW. Awesome, right?

When I came across that recipe-slash-formula, I immediately jogged over to the fridge to add the necessary ingredients to my shopping list, and if you didn’t just dash over to your fridge to jot down the necessary ingredients on your shopping list right then — right now — then we’re no longer friends. Sorry, but that’s just the way of it. Eat brie or be lonely.

I felt a little guilty, making such a decadent treat on a weeknight just for anyhow. I didn’t even try to find a time when all the kids would be home to enjoy it, which was probably just as well since my husband, Mister Don’t-Feed-Me-Milk-Please, ate half of it.

The next day, I gave my older son the piece I’d saved for him. One bite and he yelped, Oh, DAAANG.

And then I got to thinking that a maybe a weeknight in March is the perfect time for such a treat? Thick in dreary, draggy, winter limboland (hello, Evil Cold, I’m looking at you), right about now is when we need a festive boost. Or I do, at least. Listless and edgy, tired of the thick socks and chilly mornings, I sure could benefit from an evening of good conversation around an ooey-gooey wheel of brie. You know, to elevate my existence and all.

Good thing I have another sheet of puff pastry in the freezer.

Now, to track down some friends….

Loaded Baked Brie
Adapted from Ideas in Food. 

1 16-ounce wheel of brie
1 sheet of puff pastry
1-2 jalapenos, minced
4-6 ounces cooked bacon, crumbled
¼ – ⅓ cup jam (sour cherry, blackberry, spiced currant chutney, etc)

Roll out the puff pastry and line a pie plate with it. Place the wheel of brie — if you don’t like the rind, cut it off (I only bothered to cut off the top rind) — in the middle of the pastry. Spread the jam on top of the cheese, then sprinkle with the bacon and the jalapeno. Fold the pastry over the top, making sure to pinch it closed. Brush the top with an egg wash (or not).

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes. If the pastry pokes up in a weird spire, never fear. Simply wrap the point with foil to keep it from burning.

Let the brie rest for 15 minutes at room temperature before slicing. (Leftovers are great, reheated, though the pastry won’t be as crispy.)

This same time, years previous: kitchen concert, the quotidian (3.13.17), homemade pepperoni, family weekending, no more Luna, what will I wish I had done differently?, adventuring, the quotidian (3.12.12), now.

A few years back, my husband and I concocted a dream: to travel around the country volunteering at different disaster sights, living out of a camper. My husband, with his mad carpentry skills, could head up the jobs with other volunteers helping out, and I’d take care of the kids, manage volunteers, cook, whatever. It’d be a hoot, or at least “an adventure.” But although we had the time and interest, energy and skills, as a family of six living on a single income, long-term volunteering without financial support was beyond our means.

Shucks.

But then hurricanes hit Puerto Rico, and after my husband went there in January (his report of the situation: There’s lots to do and Yep, we’d be a good fit), and after consulting with family and a few close friends, we sent a proposal to Mennonite Disaster Service, which we knew usually only relies on short-term volunteers.


May through August, we said. And we speak Spanish.

The worst they could do was say no.

But they said yes!

And then we were like Wheeeee! followed immediately by WE’RE ACTUALLY DOING THIS, YIKES.

The details are hazy, for both us and MDS. For MDS, long-term volunteering usually means two to four weeks, not four months, and often it’s retired folks providing the volunteer leadership, not families with four children needing financial support.

Plus, the situation in Puerto Rico is complicated. Normally after a disaster, it six to twelve months to begin the rebuilding, so at just barely six months, MDS is in the beginning stages. They are moving carefully, wanting to be as sensitive and sustainable as possible, so lots of components are up in the air.

What we do know is this: My husband and I will be leaders, answering to the three in-country coordinators, and managing volunteers and overseeing a building project or two (currently, there are about nine). The two older kids will be mostly full-time volunteers and the younger two will tag along, helping out wherever they can and (hopefully) staying out of trouble. But about our specific tasks and location and living situation, we know nothing. Oddly enough, this doesn’t much bother me. A person can do just about anything for four months, right? It’ll be fine.

Oh, and as for finances, we only have to raise enough money to keep the home fires burning, and, thankfully, our sweet, generous, kind, supportive church has agreed to back us, Thank you, Church! They’ve even provided a handy-dandy online donation spot (choose the line that says “Mennonite Disaster Services.”)

Here’s a video of my husband’s January trip to Puerto Rico. It’ll give you a good sense of what MDS is all about. (Esther makes me tear up every time.)

The kids’ reactions about our MDS plans have been mixed.

Older Son: But I already bought my ticket to Red Wing! And what about work?

He’d planned to spend the summer earning enough money so he’d be free to take a full load of college classes this year…and then we went and nixed the smart decisions we’d coached him to make. Hypocrites, we are.

But then we convinced him that we need his help (we do) and that the cross-cultural experience and Spanish study and family togetherness will be more enriching and valuable in the long run (they will), and now he’s fully on board (yay!). (Because of his school schedule, he’ll probably fly separate from us, arriving a little later and leaving earlier.)

Older Daughter: Awesome! But what about Velvet?

Plus, it was a little hard for her to imagine being gone for four months when she was in the middle of a month-long Florida trip.

But I assured her she’d have two full months at home before we left — plenty of time to recuperate and prepare — and when I called her with the news that the trip was official, she whooped most happily.

Younger Daughter: No, thanks. I’ll stay here and live with another family.

Transitions are hard for this one. Remember how she dug in her heels about Guatemala? But I have a hunch she’ll end up loving Puerto Rico. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she’s the one, out of all of us, who makes the deepest connections. Just, she can’t know that now, so that’s rough.

Younger Son: Yippeeeee!

Pretty straightforward, that kid.

from my husband, to me: a made-in-China mug from the airport gift shop

Even though my husband and I have some concerns — with its long days and no-weekend weeks, not to mention the steady stream of volunteers and the group living situation, MDS volunteering can be quite grueling — the hands-on work will feel good. In the face of increasingly depressing world news, stepping out of our comfort zone to concentrate on other people’s pressing physical need will be grounding. Plus, getting to hang out with all sorts of people — Puerto Ricans! Amish! retired folks! teens! — will be super fun. Exhausting, yes, for sure, but also energizing.

We are so excited.

This same time, years previous: Shannon’s creamy broccoli soup, the quotidian (3.7.16), by the skin of my gritted teeth, to market, to market, work, perfect pretzels, with a side of poison, blondies.

I recently discovered the easiest fancy dinner ever: roasted veggies with sausage. I’ve already made it, oh, three or four times, and within as many weeks.

Mid-afternoon, I dig through the fridge, pulling out whatever veggies are rolling around in there: broccoli, carrots, a red onion. I fetch potatoes, both sweet and white, from the back hall. In the kitchen, I peel and rough chop everything, drizzle them with plenty of olive oil and then tumble them onto a sided baking sheet and sprinkle with lots of salt and black pepper. Usually, I get carried away and have to use two, sometimes three, baking sheets. The important thing is to not overcrowd the pan.

I nestle a half dozen sausages in amongst the veggies and roast the whole thing in a blistering hot oven for about thirty minutes. The last ten minutes, I halve a lemon and place the pieces, cut-side down, on the baking sheet, and then, right before serving, I squeeze the hot lemon juice over everything and season with more salt and pepper.

The meal is a slam dunk every time. What with all the variety and bright colors and flavors, it feels celebratory. Add a loaf of fresh bread and it’s a downright feast.

One-Pan Roast Sausage with Vegetables
Adapted from Aimee of Simple Bites.

Other vegetable options include brussel sprouts, butternut squash, cauliflower, beets (though they’d probably discolor the other food), cabbage, etc. More variations: Add fresh herbs, such as rosemary or thyme, or toss in some garlic and red pepper. Maybe try roasting some fruit, too — fresh figs and apples, would probably be nice. The key is to cut the veggies the same size so they roast at the same speed.

We’ve tried different sausages but Sweet Italian is our favorite.

If roasting the veggies in shifts, simply pile all the roasted vegetables and sausages together — both the ones that have cooled to room temperature and the fresh hot ones — and return to the oven for ten minutes to heat through before serving.

1 head fresh broccoli, cut into florets
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks
1 red onion, halved and then cut into large chunks
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
several potatoes, cut into large chunks
4-6 sausages links
1 lemon
olive oil
salt and black pepper

Toss the veggies with plenty of olive oil and salt and pepper. Tumble into a sided baking sheet. Nestle the sausage links amongst the vegetables. Roast at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring every ten. The last ten minutes of baking, cut the lemon in half and put cut-side down on the baking tray — the heat helps the lemon release all of its juice.

The meal is ready when the sausages are golden brown and swollen fat and the veggies are fork-tender and blackened around the edges. Remove from the oven, squeeze the hot lemon over everything, and season with more salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

This same time, years previous: classic German gingerbread, tradition, wintry days, to market, to market, oatcakes, bacon and dates scones with Parmesan, soda crackers, an OCD indulgence.