Easy and Elegant Entertaining Menus

October 14, 2015parties, recipe round upSheri SpalloneComment

I have loved theme parties as long as I can remember. When I was working in Corporate America, I planned all the corporate hospitality events in my division.

When I became a mom, I was all about the themed birthday parties.

As my kiddos grew, I volunteered to "help" at my children's school's Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. I ended up chairing the event for 9 years.

Themes to me, always seem to make planning easier, from the invitations, and the decorations, to the food. It just seems to flow. Who doesn't like a plan?

Consider me your personal event planner. I thought you might enjoy a few themed Cherchies® menus to make your entertaining easy and elegant.

(I'll do a blog in the future with some creative themed parties, complete with invitations and decorations). Happy Entertaining!

Ladies Luncheon

Gameday

Romantic Dinner for Two

Brunch

Mexican Fiesta

Backyard Grilling

Yum

Apple Butter Crisp Recipe

October 11, 2015dessertsSheri SpalloneComment

Fruit crisps (aka fruit crumble) are one of the most versatile comfort foods because they can be made with any fruit (fresh or frozen) for any season and are perfectly suitable for family or guests.

Fruit crisps are also extremely easy to make. It is tough to mess up a fruit crisp (unless you put it in the oven, and for the next hour, you multitask until you smell something burning, but I have never done that;).

Please, folks, set a timer!

I love trying something new, primarily when an experiment works out perfectly! I reviewed my mom's original apple crisp recipe and pondered whether or not to substitute Cherchies® Apple Butter for the sugar. It worked, and the result was delicious (sometimes, cooking substitutions do not work)! This apple crisp may be one of the best versions I have ever made! You must try this! For the adventurous, substitute our new Cherchies® Cherry Butter for an apple-cherry crisp or our Cherchies® Strawberry Butter for an apple-strawberry crisp! Yummy!

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

PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients

Cooking Spray
6-7 medium apples, peeled and roughly chopped (We tested with a variety of apples (sweet and tart) we received in our fruit farm share)
1-2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) lemon juice
1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) orange zest, plus juice from the Orange
1 jar Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread (try our Cherry or Strawberry Butters as a tangy substitution)
1 teaspoon (tsp) cinnamon
3/4 cup flour (We tested with Bob's Mill All Purpose Flour but have also used regular flour)
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) cinnamon
2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) butter, melted
6 Tablespoons (Tbsp) butter cut into chunks

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Peel and chop apples. Place them in a medium bowl with lemon juice and combine until the apples are evenly coated. Add orange zest, juice from the orange, Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and mix. Once combined, add to the sprayed baking dish.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and remaining cinnamon. Add the 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the flour mixture. Mix together with a fork until tiny crumbs form.

Sprinkle crumb topping over apples.

Cut up the remaining 6 Tablespoons of butter and dot the apple crisp with butter. Bake for about 1 hour or until golden brown and bubbly. (Every oven is different, so check the crisp after 45 minutes.)

Serve with your favorite ice cream. Oh my goodness, you must try! Enjoy!

Yum

Cooking with Kids- Waffle Sandwiches

October 6, 2015Sheri SpalloneComment

I love cooking with my kiddos! It's a great time to bond with my children and talk about their day and teach them how to cook. Plus, being the mom of two young teens and a young adult, these moments are precious!

This is my 14-year-old son cooking up one of our new favorites, grilled ham and cheese...with a waffle iron! I love love love this idea!

I made tomato soup recently, and I asked my family if they wanted grilled cheese for dinner. Of course...silly mom!

Then I mentioned, "you know...I saw sandwiches cooked in a waffle iron on the internet, want to try?"

Low and behold, (I've never seen teens jump so fast at anything), they jumped up, grabbed some turkey, ham, butter, tomatoes. bread, our gourmet Champagne Mustard, Apple Butter Spread, other condiments, and started experimenting! And mom smiled:)

We brushed butter on a hot waffle iron and began assembling the sandwiches. My 14-year-old son made a sandwich with bread, Apple Butter, turkey, ham, and cheese. I'll post the combinations at a later time, as well as a picture (they gobbled their creations before I could capture a picture).

Besides waffle sandwiches, here are other quick and easy Cherchies® recipes my kiddos have made on their own. Let us know what you create with our products! Have fun!

Yum

Sherried Tomato Recipe

October 5, 2015side dishes, snacksSheri SpalloneComment

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Updated 9/2024.

How was your garden this Summer? Did you have a plethora of tomatoes? I was grateful for an abundance of juicy tomatoes this year! We made many yummy dishes with tomatoes, including Herbed Tomato Soup, Blooming Tomatoes With Chicken Salad, Tomato Basil Cups, Lemon Tomato Basil Cod, and our favorite, Caprese salad.

Sadly, as the leaves turn here in Pennsylvania, we bid farewell to the last of this season's tomatoes. This quick and easy, mouth-watering tomato recipe takes advantage of Summer's bounty. It features Cherchies® Lem 'n Dill Seasoning (or Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz Seasoning), Sherry, and feta cheese. It makes a fantastic side dish, snack, or tasty appetizer.

So, if you're looking for a new delicious recipe to use up your Summer tomatoes and add to your recipe cache, consider trying this Sherried Tomato Recipe! You won't be disappointed!

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

PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients (For each tomato half)

1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) sherry
1 ripe tomato sliced in half
1/8 teaspoon (tsp) pepper
1/8 teaspoon Cherchies® Lem 'n Dill Seasoning or Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz
1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation
Remove stem from the tomato and cut in half (Tip: slice a little off the bottom of the tomato, so it lays flat when cooking). Place cut-side up on a cookie sheet. Pierce tomato with a fork and sprinkle with sherry and pepper.