The holiday rush is upon us. There's the gifts, the parties, the eating, the traveling, the planning and anticipating how the family dynamic is going to work this year. Will the gifts go over? Can Amazon really deliver before Christmas? I'm going to try and help with 2 things - a good gift and an easy recipe. You're on your own with the sibling relationships.

Last year my brother and sister-in-law got me the greatest gift. They got me my own cow. This isn't a cow for beef. This is a cow for milk....and then cheese. Mmmmm, cheese. I was presented with a certificate from Rent Mother Nature and information on my lease of a genuine Vermont Jersey cow. With my lease, I could select my cow from a roster of adorable sounding names like Crumpter, Snookums, Angel Face and Prudence, all of whom spend time outside every day and eat pasturage with no chemicals. I had to go with Crumpter and when I gave the nod, Crumpter was milked and in a few short weeks, the fruits of Crumpter's labor arrived at my door step in the form of 3 wheels of brie cheese.

I figured it was only fitting to share the cheese with my family over Thanksgiving, but with more wheels to spare, I've been whipping up and warming this easy recipe to serve at holiday parties this month. The high butterfat content of the milk puts it in best in class for flavor and texture alongside its French brie brethren. 

When a cheese is this good, I don't think you need to wrap it all up in dough. I like warming it as is and then adding dried apricots and figs on the sides during the final few minutes so everything comes out soft and gooey. It also allows people to pick, choose and scoop their favorite mixture and avoid anything they don't like. Or you can mix the dried fruit together for a festive display.

Hopefully you can keep some of your family members happy this holiday with their own cow, or this easy recipe for baked brie with apricots and figs.

Baked Brie with Apricots and Figs

Serves about 4-6 for an appetizer

Ingredients

• 1 wheel of brie cheese
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/3 cup dried figs, chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350. Place brie in a small oven safe dish with room on the sides for the apricots and figs. Bake about 10 minutes or until the brie begins to soften.
2. Remove from oven and place apricots on one side, figs on the other (or mix if you like), and drizzle the honey on top of everything. Return to oven and cook another 5 minutes or until the whole mixture has reached your desired consistency.
3. Serve with a French baguette.