How To: Baked Brie

Dinner party this weekend? Don't worry about asking yourself, "What the heck am I going to bring?" Bring Baked Brie!! Appropriate to bring to every dinner party, every holiday, and every other get-together you go to that involves food because it is amazing!

What you need...

>A Wedge of Brie Cheese
>Pastry Puff
>Honey
>An Egg

We serve our Baked Brie with green apples, but you can use crackers or bread. If you prefer, you don't have to serve it with anything at all because it is amazing all by itself!

All of our ingredients are from Trader Joe's, but if you do not live in San Diego or another town with a Trader Joe's, you can get all of these ingredients at any grocery store.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Lay the pastry puff flat on a cookie sheet.  Thaw the pastry puff for 5 to 10 minutes, then place the brie wedge on the center of the dough. Pour honey all over the brie. You can use as much, or as little, as you want, it just depends on how much you like honey! We like to use a lot!  If you are unsure, you can always add honey after it is cooked.

Next, fold up the pastry puff around the brie and honey. 

In a bowl, beat an egg and using a pasty brush, brush it on the pastry puff. This gives the Baked Brie a crispy crust. 

Finally, put the brie in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. We like to squeeze a little honey on the final product, but that is up to you.

Baked Brie is as easy and delicious as that! This is even something you can have your kids help you cook to keep them entertained! 

Continue to visit our blog for more helpful hints, tips, and ideas to keep your family running smooth. 

Visit our website www.FindUsANanny.com to hire a nanny or to find a job as a nanny in San Diego.

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How To: Pay Your Nanny

Often, after hiring a nanny, the next question is how to pay your nanny. It is easy to pay your nanny cash, but if you have a nanny working full time at $12/hr, to pay your nanny "under the table" would not be legal. Also, as a tax payer, you do not want to miss out on the tax break you receive for paying for child care. Here are a few tips for making payday a stress-free process for both, you and your nanny.

Tip #1 - Enroll your nanny in a payroll service. 

A payroll service will make it easy for your nanny to pay the correct amount of taxes. It is also an easy way to set up direct deposit for your nanny, so that your nanny will be paid regularly and on time every week. 

GTM Payroll Services is a payroll service that we can recommend, but it is not the only payroll service.

Find the one that works best for you! 

Tip #2 - Reimburse your nanny for the gas that he or she uses while driving your children around. 

It is important to remember that gas is not cheap and your nanny does not want to use all of his or her hard earned money driving your children to soccer practice or piano lessons. 

Internal Revenue Service has the most up to date information on standard mileage rates. 

Tip #3 - Set up an easy system for your nanny to record his or her hours and mileage. Having a binder with time cards and mileage forms is very helpful. You can use Excel or Microsoft Word to make time cards and mileage forms.

Here are some examples of forms, but make one that works for what you need. It is also helpful to leave a calculator around for your nanny to use when he or she is totaling up their mileage. 

We hope you find these tips useful. It is important for the children to keep the relationship between your family and your nanny as smooth as possible and organization is one part of a smooth working relationship. 

Continue to visit our blog for more helpful hints, tips, and ideas to keep your family running smooth. 

Visit our website www.FindUsANanny.com to hire a nanny or to find a job as a nanny in San Diego.

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