Cherchies Blog

appetizers

Garlic, Balsamic & Herb Goat Cheese Pizza

desserts, appetizers, lunchSheri SpalloneComment

This recipe is perfect for a quick and easy gourmet lunch, dinner, or savory-sweet dessert.  The Balsamic Garlic Herb Jam enhances the pear and goat cheese in this rustic dish.  A definite must-try!

Ingredients

Preparation

Brush top surface of pizza dough with olive oil. Spread a layer of Balsamic Garlic Herb Jam on top of oil. Add goat cheese, sliced pears and pecans.  Bake in a 400 degrees F oven for 12-15 minutes.  Enjoy!

print recipe
Yum

Pretty Cream Cheese Recipe

appetizers, snacksSheri SpalloneComment
Pretty Cream Cheese Recipe

Pretty Cream Cheese Recipe

Many of you have heard of serving hot pepper jelly over cream cheese as an easy appetizer.  But what about sweet tangy Pretty Peppers over cream cheese?  With only two ingredients (three if you count the crackers), entertaining is easy and elegant.

Our children hate peppers, and when I am cooking, I try my best to disguise them, but they LOVE LOVE LOVE Cherchies® Pretty Peppers, served this way as an appetizer. Go figure!

Not only are these tasty ruby peppers a fabulous appetizer, they are also perfect in eggs, casseroles, salads, dips, and so much more.   (Check out our recipes for our Pretty Peppers).

So, what are you waiting for? You need to try this easy appetizer recipe today.

Comment below and share your favorite Pretty or Pretty Hot Pepper recipe.

As always, thank you for visiting!

PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients:  

Preparation

Spread cream cheese onto a plate.  In honor of Valentine's Day, I shaped the cream cheese into a heart and spooned the Pretty Peppers over the top.  

Serve with crackers.  Easy Peasy...done! 

Or try it with our new spicier Pretty Hot Peppers, or be daring and dollop one half of the cream cheese with Pretty Peppers and the other half with Pretty Hot Peppers and let your guests decide:)  Enjoy!

Yum

Muffuletta Cream Cheese Roll-Up Recipe

appetizers, snacksSheri SpalloneComment
muffuletta revise (1 of 1).jpg

Prep Time:  5 minutes  Difficulty: Easy

This easy, tasty appetizer is an ode to my recent trip to New Orleans—and my take on my new favorite sandwich: the muffuletta. It’s perfect for Mardi Gras, game day, or anytime you’re craving salty olives and salami (easy to omit for a vegetarian option), sweet roasted peppers, provolone, pepperoncini, and creamy cream cheese. Mouth watering yet?

My husband and I (plus a few friends) visited New Orleans—aka NOLA—for the first time and tried the most sinfully delicious muffuletta from Central Grocery in the French Quarter. This iconic, oversized sandwich is stacked with layers of ham, salami, cheese, and a bold olive salad. Seriously insane… in the best way (everything in moderation, right?).

These bite-sized morsels capture all those classic muffuletta flavors in appetizer form. Instead of a traditional olive salad, I grabbed green and black olives and provolone from my local grocery store’s olive bar (you can absolutely make your own), added salami, then finished it off with our sweet Pretty Peppers and spicy Hot Banana Pepper Mustard. Oh my—total flavor party.

If you try these, comment below and tell me what you think! And for more easy, delicious appetizer recipes, visit our blog at blog.cherchies.com. Thanks for stopping by :) We hope you’ll come back!

PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese. softened

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard

  • 1/4 cup pitted green olives, chopped

  • 1/4 cup pitted black olives, chopped

  • 1/4 cup cubed Provolone, chopped

  • 1/4 cup salami, chopped

  • 1/2 jar Cherchies® Pretty Peppers, drained

  • 1/4 cup pepperoncini (seeds removed), chopped

  • 3 8" tortillas

Preparation

Mix the cream cheese and the Hot Banana Pepper Mustard together in a medium bowl.  Chop the olives, provolone, salami, and pepperoncini into small pieces (In the first picture the salami had not been chopped fine enough).  Mix in the olives, Provolone, salami, Pretty Peppers, and pepperoncini.

Generously spread cream cheese mixture over tortillas.  Roll up tortillas and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (you could slice immediately, but the roll-ups are easier to slice if chilled).  

Once roll-ups are chilled, slice into 1/2" slices.  Enjoy!

Yum

Cheesy Havarti Dill Pull-Apart Bread Recipe

appetizers, side dishesSheri Spallone2 Comments
havarti bread4.jpg

Cook Time:  20 minutes    Difficulty:  Easy

Oooey gooey cheesy bread is hard to resist.  Anything cheesy makes me weak in the knees.  But, imagine soft, crunchy artisan bread, melty Havarti cheese, drippy butter and Lemon dill spice...oh my!  I'm sorry to tempt you, but this recipe is so delicious, I just had to share it with you.

PRINT RECIPE

I thought our kiddos were going to faint the other night when I served this bubbly cheesy creation at dinner.  They kept asking what was in the aluminum foil?  I simply answered, "Just bread". Little did they know...

The fact that they were having soup (not their favorite), mom emerged as the hero (I like being the hero) when this glorious creation was unwrapped.  Not only did our kiddos devour the cheesy bread, they used the bread to sop up the rest of the soup.  Yes!

So, enjoy some Cheesy Havarti Dill Pull Apart Bread (made with the best dill seasoning blend...Cherchies® Lem 'n Dill) tonight with your favorite soup and our Strawberry Spinach Salad for a complete meal, or serve it as an appetizer.  I guarantee, this melty cheesy recipe will disappear before your eyes, and who knows, maybe your children will eat their soup too;)

Ingredients

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With a sharp serrated knife, cut even slits into the bread, being careful not to cut completely through.

In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for 30 seconds in the microwave.  Add the poppy seeds, Cherchies® Lemon Dill Seasoning, and green onions to the melted butter.  Stir and set aside.  Slice the Havarti cheese into 1/2 inch slices, then into squares.

Carefull pry apart bread and begin to stuff the slits with the cheese.  Spoon the melted herb butter mixture over the stuffed bread, prying apart bread as you go to allow the yummy goodness to sink in.  My mouth is watering already.  Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is gooey and bubbly.  Wait for it...

Mmmmm...it doesn't get much better than this;)  Enjoy!

Yum