Pretty Glazed Carrots Recipe

This recipe was originally posted in 2015, but we have made a few adjustments.

This recipe is light and flavorful and would be the perfect side dish for brunch, Easter, pretty much any occasion.

Try this recipe and comment below to let us know how you liked it!

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces (or substitute baby carrots)

• 6 Tbsp. butter

• 6 Tbsp. sugar

• 2 Tbsp. flour

• 1/2 cup brandy

• 1 cup orange juice

• 1/2 cup Cherchies® Pretty Peppers

Preparation

Cook carrots in boiling water about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a 9 inch baking dish.

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add sugar, flour and orange juice. Blend and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook until sauce thicken, stirring constantly. Add Pretty Peppers and simmer one minute more. Remove from heat and add brandy.

Pour sauce over carrots and bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Serves 6

Enjoy!

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Rustic Ratatouille Recipe

Rustic Ratatouille Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: About 2 hours and 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Today’s comforting recipe is an ode to those late summer vegetables, the beginning of Fall, and the late Julia Child. I present to you my version of Ratatouille, a swirly-twirly layered dish of fresh vegetables in a rich piperade (a fancy term for tomatoes, peppers, and onions) and fragrantly seasoned with thyme, garlic, parsley, Cherchies Basil Pizzazz, and Cherchies Garlic Seasoning. This dish is impressive in presentation, and the vibrant colors are also entirely reminiscent of Fall.  

This savory French stew typically features tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, onions, garlic, and herbs, and is simmered on the stovetop. This dish lends itself to creativity in the kitchen, so taking my inspiration from Julia Child (who layered the vegetables in a savory sauce and baked them in the oven), I created this family-friendly version (sans the eggplant; kiddos and hubby are not fans). I alternated the vegetables into a decorative spiral (otherwise known as a tian) and baked them in the oven.

Do not be intimidated by what seems to be endless mounds of slicing. This flavorful dish is relatively easy, especially if you have a mandolin or a food processor (one of my favorite kitchen appliances ever!). Use vegetables that are similar in size, and feel free to substitute with your preferred options. As I mentioned, I removed the eggplant and added thinly sliced sweet potatoes and yellow squash.

The result is a fragrantly delicious vegetable casserole that will please even the most discerning guests. It is comfort food in a pan. Serve this easy dish alongside your favorite meat or fish recipes and crusty bread to sop up all the wonderfully tasty juices. Or, opt for a meatless meal entirely for a fabulous Meatless Monday option.

Happy Fall!

Enjoy!

Please comment below on how you liked this dish and any substitutions you made. Thanks for stopping by:) Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Sauce (piperade) ingredients- (“Piperade” is fancy for onions, peppers, and tomatoes)

• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) good olive oil

• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

• 1/2 red pepper, seeds, and ribs removed, chopped

• 1/2 green pepper, seeds, and ribs removed, chopped

• 3-4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) salt

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed and chopped

• 2 sprigs fresh chopped parsley

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz Seasoning

• 1 bay leaf

• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Filling Ingredients (You will want the veggies in this dish to be similar in size, as it makes for a pretty presentation, and the cooking time will be similar)

• 2 small sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and thinly sliced* (you can leave the skins on if you prefer. Make sure to wash thoroughly.)

• 1 medium or 2 small yellow squash (pick ones that are similar in size), washed and thinly sliced*

• 1 zucchini, washed and thinly sliced*

• 3 or 4 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) ground pepper

Preparation

• Heat the oven to 275 degrees. Chop the onions, peppers, and tomatoes (reserving the juices) before cooking. (You may want to put the tomatoes into a bowl with the juices to cut down on the mess.)

• Combine oil and chopped onions in a medium skillet. Cook over low heat until onions are translucent.

• Add peppers, garlic, and tomatoes and juice. Stir and simmer until the peppers are soft. Add salt, tomato paste, thyme, parsley, Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz, and bay leaf to the skillet. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat when finished. Add the cheese, stir, and set aside to cool.

While the piperade (sauce) simmers, prepare the filling. Using a food processor, a mandolin, or sharp knife, slice the squash, zucchini, and sweet potato. The tomatoes didn’t slice well in my food processor, so I sliced them thinly with a sharp knife. You could use a mandolin for the tomatoes if you prefer. Place sweet potatoes in a bowl of cold water and set the rest of the vegetables aside.

After the sauce has cooled, pour into a blender and puree until desired consistency. If the liquid is still hot, make sure to cover with a towel so the blender does not explode from the hot liquids. (If you have a Blentec blender (or a blender that can can handle hot foods)), there is no need to let the sauce cool beforehand.

Pour half of the sauce (piperade) into the bottom of a shallow baking pan. Arrange the vegetables, alternating them as you go, into a spiral. Repeat until the pan is full. I prefer to use a round baking dish for presentation, but you can easily use a rectangular pan. You decide!

Season the vegetables with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and pepper. Drizzle the remaining piperade over the vegetables. Cover pan with foil and bake until vegetables are tender (about 1 and a half hours, or when easily cut by a knife). Uncover the vegetables and bake for another 30 minutes until vegetables are slightly golden. Serve warm.

Enjoy this beautiful savory dish with your favorite meat or seafood and some bread to sop up the delicious juices.

Rustic Ratatouille Recipe

Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Rice Recipe

Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Rice Recipe

Add zing to Mexican Night or Taco Tuesday with this easy-to-make Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Rice Recipe.

"Mexican Night" (tacos, burritos, quesadillas, etc.) appears weekly on our meal rotation, and Mexican (Spanish) rice is our family's favorite accompaniment. I recently tried something new and served Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Rice, featuring Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning, white Jasmine rice, and Cilantro.  This flavorful side dish was a massive hit with our family!

If you are looking for a zippy dish that is quick and easy and pairs nicely with your favorite Mexican dish, then surprise your family with Chardonnay Lime and Cilantro Rice. Your family will thank you!

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below and let us know how your celebration turned out. Return again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup white jasmine rice (We used Thai Hom Mali Jasmine Rice- found at BJ's Warehouse)

• 2 cups chicken stock or water

• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) butter

• 2 teaspoons (tsp) Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) fresh lime juice

• 3 Tablespoons (Tbsp) cilantro, finely chopped

Preparation

Add water or stock, rice, and butter to a medium sauce pan.  Turn the heat on medium-high, cover and cook until water comes to a boil (about 5 minutes).

Turn down heat, stir rice, and add Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning and lime juice to the pan.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the rice from the heat, add the chopped cilantro and allow the mixture to simmer, covered for another 10 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.  Serve with our Double Decker Tacos, Fish Tacos, or your favorite Mexican dishes.

*Note:  Adjust the water content according to preference, increasing for more softness or decreasing for a firmer texture.

Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Rice Recipe

Irish Vegetable Soup Recipe

Irish Vegetable Soup Recipe

Happy 2018! Now that the holidays are behind us, I am sure many, like me, have a plethora of leftovers, including vegetables from the vegetable tray. Am I right? Instead of tossing the veggies, dice them up to create this unique, flavorful Irish Vegetable Soup.

Vegetable soup is very satisfying and full of fresh vegetables and herbs, but not necessarily noteworthy, in my opinion. But travel across the ocean to The Emerald Isle (Ireland), and you will find not only breathtaking countryside with warm and friendly native folk but also delicious vegetable soup presented entirely differently than in the States. Instead of chunky vegetables swimming in a sea of full-bodied broth, the Irish version is a smooth, pureed blend of root vegetables, garlic, herbs, cream, and butter.

There is nothing like travel to cause a bit of culture shock, particularly in the cuisine, but I am rarely shocked by soup! My hubby and I traveled to Ireland last summer to celebrate our 25th Anniversary, and this humble dish graced almost every pub and fancy restaurant throughout the country. I admit that I was initially skeptical about pureed vegetable soup, but my husband and I sheepishly smirked at each other and indulged.

Wow! If I had not been in the presence of others, I might have licked the entire bowl clean! It was so tasty and filling that I had to recreate this pool of deliciousness at home!

When I re-created this soup, I thought the texture alone would indeed send my teenagers running, but it didn't! The aroma drew them out of their rooms. "Mom, what smells so good?" "Vegetable soup," I replied. "Would you like to try it? It is Ireland's version." They liked it so much that this soup now appears weekly in our home.  

So, for my version, I used potatoes (sweet or regular), garlic, Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, celery, parsnips, carrots, onions, and sometimes leftover vegetables, such as broccoli or spinach. And, because you puree the entire batch, even the most discerning vegetable haters might enjoy this dish. It is a great way to get your family to eat more veggies. You need to give this version of vegetable soup a try. It is easy, delicious, and satisfying, and you may never return to the chunkier version again!

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

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Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) butter

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 ribs of celery, washed and diced

• 3 carrots, peeled and diced

• 1 parsnip, peeled and diced

• 3 potatoes with skins on, diced (feel free to substitute sweet potatoes)

• 1 tomato, chopped

• 1/2 cup spinach (optional)

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic or Cherchies® Garlic'n Herbs Seasoning Blends, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) ground pepper

• 2 cups vegetable broth (ok to substitute chicken broth)

• 1/4 cup half & half (substitute fat-free greek yogurt for a lighter version)

• Blender

Preparation  

Add butter, celery, onions, garlic, parsnips, and carrots to a large soup pot or dutch oven.  Season with 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic or Garlic'n Herbs Seasoning blend and pepper.  Sauté the vegetables, until onions are translucent.

Add the vegetable or chicken broth to the pot.  Add potatoes, tomato, and rest of the Garlic Seasoning to the soup pot.   Throw in some Kale or Spinach of leftover broccoli if you have it on hand (optional).  Simmer until potatoes are soft and then add the half and half.

Once vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the stove and allow the soup to cool for five minutes.  Now onto the blender.  Carefully add the soup ingredients to a blender, making sure to only fill the blender half-full.  You may have do a couple of batches.  To ensure the hot soup does not explode everywhere, remove the center portion of the blender to allow steam to escape and put a clean towel over top.  If you have a blender that is equipped to handle soup, then this step is not necessary.  Hold the lid covered with the towel down and puree.  Or, wait until the soup has cooled about 20 minutes or so and then puree.

Pour the pureed soup into your favorite soup bowl, serve with bread, and enjoy this tasty version of Ireland's vegetable soup!  If you are feeling fancy, carefully add a little half and half and make a fun design.   Enjoy!

Irish Vegetable Soup Recipe