Cherchies Blog

appetizers

Witches Cheese Brooms With Mustard Dip Recipe

parties, appetizers, snacksSheri SpalloneComment

Witches Cheese Brooms With Hot Banana Pepper Mustard Recipe

Cook Time:  5 minutes  

Difficulty:  Easy

I'm a sucker for themed events, always have been; whether it is a Game Day Celebration or a festive brunch, the details, the food, and the decorations are a huge part of who I am, and Halloween is no exception. This idea is brilliant, turning an ordinary cheese stick into a broomstick. How fun and easy. I love creating healthy snacks for our children, and when I saw these cuties in an old cookbook (remember those?), I couldn't resist surprising our gang with this delightful Halloween treat! Our children are teenagers, but they still appreciate fun food. Maybe I've rubbed off on them after all:)

I went a step further with these broomsticks and served them with our Hot Banana Pepper Mustard because, to me, pretzels, cheese, and mustard belong together:) You could substitute our Champagne Mustard or Cranberry Mustard for a milder dipping sauce, but our gang likes things spicier. There you go. Grab some for yourself because they will disappear before your eyes.

So this Halloween, serve these broomsticks with our Festive Deviled Eyeballs,  Champagne Mummy Hot Dogs,  Spooky English Muffin Pizzas, and a salad for a complete spooky Halloween spread! Maybe your family will be so full that they won't eat the candy, ha! Happy Halloween!

Comment below if you made these adorable cheese brooms. Thank you for visiting. Please come back again.

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Ingredients

Preparation

Cut mozzarella sticks in half.  With a sharp paring knife, score slits around the perimeter of the cheese stick, making sure to only cut into two-thirds of the cheese stick, allowing room at the top for the pretzel to be inserted.  Gently pry the cheese apart to look like a broom.

Insert the pretzel stick into uncut portion of the cheese stick.

Cut fresh chives into thirds.  Tie one-third of the chive around each of the broomsticks.   Snip off ends of the chive.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, in this case our Hot Banana Pepper Mustard

That's it!  Easy Peazy!  Adults and children, will enjoy this easy treat!  Happy Halloween!

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Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe

appetizersCherchiesComment
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe

This recipe was submitted by John Williams of Sun City West, Arizona and was selected as our September Recipe of the Month!

Here's what John had to say "I came up with this recipe for dinner guests one rainy Saturday afternoon. Not only did my guests rave about this recipe, but also my wife told me I was in charge of appetizers from now on!"

Ingredients:

Preparation:
Cut chicken into thin strips (20 pieces). Place mustard, honey and lemon in a bowl and mix.

Cut bacon strips in half and wrap around the chicken strips. Place chicken on a roasting tray (you can line tray with foil for easy clean-up if you prefer). Brush chicken with 1/2 of the marinade.
Bake 10 - 13 minutes in a 425 degree oven until bacon is crispy. Flip chicken over and brush with remaining marinade.
Continue cooking for about 10 - 13 minutes until bacon is crispy. Keep an eye on chicken so it does not dry out.

Serves 6 - 8 people.

Enjoy!
 

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Pepper Jam Cream Cheese Recipe

appetizers, snacksSheri SpalloneComment
pepper jam appetizer long.jpg

Prep Time: 5 Minutes  Difficulty: Easy

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This is my favorite go-to appetizer recipe!    It's delicious, easy, elegant, and with only two ingredients (three if you count the crackers), entertaining doesn't get any simpler.

At any given time our pantry is stocked with at least one of our mouth-watering Hot Pepper Jams.  Aside from appetizers, Hot Pepper Jams can be used in a variety of recipes, such as glazes for meat, kabobs, candied bacon, meatballs, etc.  

So if you're looking for something quick, easy, and tasty, grab a jar of Cherchies® Hot Pepper Jam, (Cherry, Cranberry, or Strawberry), a block of cream cheese, your favorite crackers, and voila, instant entertaining.  We dare you to try just one bite!

Can't decide?  Try them all:)

Ingredients:  

Preparation

Spread the cream cheese onto a plate.  Spoon the Hot Pepper Jam over top the cream cheese.  Or, be daring and dollop one third of the cream cheese with each of the Hot Pepper Jams and let your guests decide their favorite:)  

Serve with crackers.  Easy Peasy...done!  Enjoy!

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Tomato Basil Cups Recipe

appetizers, snacksSheri SpalloneComment
Tomato Basil Cups Recipe

Tomato Basil Cups Recipe

Cook Time: 30 minutes  Difficulty: Easy  Yield:  30 servings

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I love easy-peasy recipes! A few years ago, a friend shared this recipe with me, and I had forgotten how addicting these mini morsels were: Swiss cheese, bacon, tomatoes, basil, oh my! I recently served these cuties for our family's birthday celebration, and the joy of seeing them being devoured was priceless! It was as if I hadn't fed my family in days—they disappeared so quickly!

The combination of flavors in this recipe is truly unique and worth a try! In addition to fresh juicy tomatoes from our garden, Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz is the star ingredient in this recipe. And while you can certainly use your favorite biscuit recipe, I chose refrigerated biscuits from the grocery store for ease. The unique blend of Swiss cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and basil will tantalize your taste buds.

You need to have this mouth-watering appetizer in your recipe cache, but grab a few for yourself—they will vanish before your eyes! Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have tried this tasty recipe. Return for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients

  • 1 package bacon, cooked and crumbled

  • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped

  • 1 onion, finely chopped

  • 6 oz. shredded swiss cheese

  • 1 cup light mayonnaise

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz

  • 2 (16 oz. cans) reduced-fat refrigerated biscuits

  • cooking spray

  • mini muffin pans

Preparation

Cook bacon in oven at 400 degrees  until bacon is cooked.  Drain bacon on a paper towel lined plate and crumble when cooled.  Add crumbled bacon to a medium bowl and add the tomatoes, onions, swiss cheese mayonnaise, and Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz.  Mix together.

Slightly grease mini muffin tins with cooking spray.  Cut each biscuit into fourths (in half and half again) and place in muffin tins.  Mold the dough to make little cups in the muffin tins.  Place enough tomato mixture into the tins to create a little mound of filling.

Sprinkle tomato cups with a little more Basil Pizzazz.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cups are golden brown.  Tangy, salty, savory Tomato Basil Cups, the perfect easy appetizer or snack!  Enjoy!

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