Mini Herbed Cheese Ball Recipe

Mini Herbed Cheese Ball Recipe

Don't let the ball drop this New Year's without trying these classic mini herbed cheese balls with pretzel sticks. Individually portioned and perfect for social distancing, these tasty, colorful morsels are easy to make and pop in your mouth as you pop open the bubbly. These festive cheese balls, featuring Cherchies® Seasoning blends can be made ahead, allowing you more time to ring in the New Year with those you hold dear.

Did you know?  Research shows that serving round foods (which resemble coins, meaning wealth) on New Years' is supposed to bring good luck. After an unprecedented year like 2020, good luck sounds dreamy right now.

Even though your New Year's Eve plans may look different this year, you can still make it a night to remember with these mini savory cheeseballs. They are easy to make, they can be made ahead, and they are an absolute must-have recipe for your New Year's arsenal. 

Have a safe and Happy New Year, friends! Thank you for visiting, and please come back again!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

• 4 oz. bleu cheese, room temperature

• 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 small onion, grated or finely minced

• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

• Cherchies® Lem’n Dill Seasoning, Cherchies Pepper Pizzazz, and Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend (We tested this recipe with these seasoning blends, but feel free to experiment with your favorite and report back to us!)
  
  Preparation

  Allow the cream cheese to rest on the counter in the package for about 30 minutes, or until softened to room temperature. (If you are in a rush, try this trick. Place sealed package of cream cheese, sans the box, in a small bowl with warm water. This will allow the cream cheese to soften quicker).

  In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, bleu cheese, cheddar cheese, minced onions, and Worcestershire sauce. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (can also be made ahead to chill in refrigerator over night).

When close to serving, evenly distribute the Cherchies® Seasoning Blends on three plates. (This will be used to roll up the mini cheese balls.) With a melon ball scooper, scoop out individual portions of the cheese mixture and roll in the various seasoning blends.

When ready to serve, add a pretzel stick for individual tasty portions. Enjoy!

Salmon and Dill Rollups Recipe

Salmon and Dill Rollups Recipe

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Let the countdown to 2021 begin. Let's face it, 2020 was anything but ordinary. While we are all ready to put 2020 behind us, most importantly now, we also need to relax, unplug, enjoy the holiday season, and treat ourselves to something special.  

These festive salmon and dill rollups, featuring smoked salmon, spinach, Cherchies® Lem'n Dill Seasoning, etc., are the perfect snack for cozying up by the fire or a fancy enough appetizer you and your significant other can share over a bottle of wine.

Now is the time, more than ever, to treat yourselves this holiday season to these elegant salmon and dill pinwheels. You deserve something special!

Enjoy!  

Comment below and let us know if you tried this tasty recipe. We would love to hear from you and as always, thank you for visiting! Please come back again.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

• 1/2 cup chopped green onions (green and white part)

• 2 Tbsp. (Tablespoons) Cherchies® Lem'n Dill Seasoning Blend

• Baby Spinach leaves (Enough to cover tortilla)

• Smoked salmon (Enough to cover tortilla)

• 1 large tortilla (burrito size- any type will work, regular, low carb, gluten-free, etc.)

Preparation

Allow the cream cheese to rest on the counter in the package for about 30 minutes, or until softened to room temperature. (If you are in a rush, try this trick. Place sealed package of cream cheese, sans the box, in a small bowl with warm water. This will allow the cream cheese to soften quicker).

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, chopped green onions, and Lem'n Dill Seasoning. Set aside.

Lay the tortilla on a cutting board. Spread the tortilla with the cream cheese mixture until completely covered. Next, layer the spinach on top of the cream cheese followed by the smoked salmon.

Carefully roll the tortilla and slice the rollup into 1 1/2” pieces. Secure with toothpicks and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Salmon and Dill Rollups Recipe

Chili Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Chili Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Are you a leftover lover or hater? I love turning today's leftovers into tomorrow's masterpiece, and stuffed peppers are the perfect masquerade for leftover meat, veggies, rice, chili, and so much more.  For this recipe, we used leftover chili, seasoned with Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend and Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa (or Cherchies® Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa).  

Make the chili one night and use the leftover chili in these stuffed peppers for round two later in the week.  Not only is this recipe a creative way to use up leftovers, but it is also the perfect dish to hide those unsuspecting vegetables from any picky eaters, and dinner on those busy nights is ready in about 30 minutes. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Enjoy!

Comment below and let us know if you made these delicious stuffed peppers.  As always, thank you for visiting, and please come back again!

Ingredients  

• 1 yellow (sweet) onion, diced

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) olive oil

• 1 pound (lb) ground turkey or beef

• 3 generous Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Minor's Beef Base, dissolved in 1/4 cup of water (could substitute 1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1/4 cup water or 1/4 cup prepared beef broth)

• 1 jar of Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa or Cherchies®Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa 

• 1 15.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican Cheese blend, plus another cup for topping

• Assorted large peppers (red, green, yellow, or orange), washed, sliced, and deseeded

• 4 green onions, sliced (optional for garnish)

• Chopped cilantro (optional for garnish)
  

Preparation  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil on medium-low heat until translucent.  After the onion has cooked, add ground meat, Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend, and beef base or bouillon mixed in water.

Turn heat to low and simmer until the meat is no longer pink. While meat is cooking, prepare the peppers. Wash, slice in half, and remove the seeds from the peppers.  Place the peppers on a lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and set aside. (If peppers wobble to one side, roll up a little aluminum foil and place near peppers to stabilize while cooking. This also prevents the filling from spilling out).

As meat finishes cooking, add Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa or Cherchies® Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa, the can of black beans to the mixture, stir, and cook for a few more minutes.  Next, add 1/2 cup shredded cheese to the meat mixture and stir until melted. Turn off the heat and allow the meat to cool for ten minutes. (This will make filling the peppers easier).

After the meat has cooled slightly, carefully fill the peppers shells with the chili and return to the baking pan.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese over peppers.  Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

Garnish with chopped green onions and/or chopped cilantro (optional), and serve!

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

Spooky Apple Dip Recipe

Spooky Apple Dip Recipe

Hello friends! Halloween is a knocking. It is the perfect time to whip up this Spooky Apple Dip recipe, featuring cream cheese, mini chocolate chips, Health Bar Bits, homemade caramel sauce**, and the secret ingredient Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread! Of course, the little candy eyes make this dish horrifyingly adorable.   

I don't know whether it is the inner child in me or the fact we have children (and their excitement over the years has excited us), but I have always been a sucker for party themes, themed food, theme decorations, etc., and Halloween is no exception. Our children always loved all the festive Halloween foods we would serve at our pre-Halloween celebration with family and friends.  

So, if you are looking for a quick and easy spooktacular Halloween treat and love caramel apples, this is the perfect dip to share at your next Halloween gathering. Serve it with sliced apples or even graham crackers, and you are good to go.

**Note: You could easily substitute store-bought caramel sauce if you're in a pinch, but homemade is easy and much better.

Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!

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

Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 jar Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread

• 1 cup Homemade Caramel Sauce (you could use store bought but homemade is so much better!)

• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

• 1 cup Heath Bar Toffee bits (or your favorite toffee, crushed into small pieces)

• Candy “eyes” (We used Wilton candy eyes, we found at our local Michael’s, but they are available online as well.)

• Apple slices for dipping

Caramel Sauce Ingredients- Make this before assembling the spooky dip to allow the caramel to cool. For the full directions with pictures, please visit “How To Make Homemade Caramel Sauce” on our blog.

• 1 cup of brown sugar

• 6 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half, room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) sea salt (if want salted caramel, add up to 1 tsp. salt- Kosher salt is fine too)

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (you could substitute your favorite liquor for an extra special adult treat…we won’t tell, but make sure to keep away from the kiddos)

Preparation for Caramel Sauce

The caramelization process happens quickly, so make sure all your ingredients are measured and in place before you begin. Start with a medium-sized stainless steel sauce pan (ceramic would work just fine too). Add the butter pieces to the pan, turn the heat on low, and gently stir the butter with a wooden spoon (you can use a whisk too) until it melts.

Once the butter has melted, add the sugar and continue to stir until the sugar has melted. (Sugar will be HOT! Trust me, and learn from my mistakes, do not be tempted to taste the caramel at any time, until it has cooled! Many sites I researched suggest having a bowl of cold water on hand in case of flying molten sugar. Yikes! Do not be afraid, but be safe.) As you are stirring, scrape the sugar that forms on the side with the spoon or a rubber spatula and incorporate into the mix.

Continue stirring constantly on low until all the sugar has dissolved and you have achieved a rich caramel color and a nutty aroma. Some of the butter may remain on the top. This is okay. It will incorporate once the half and half or cream is added. As the caramel comes to a rolling boil on low, continue rapidly stirring. Add salt and vanilla (or liquor) at this time. If you want salted caramel, then add an additional 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) of salt.

The last part is the cream or half and half. Add the cream slowly and stir stir stir! Again, be careful, this is where the caramel will get angry with you, as it will sputter and possibly throw molten sugar your way. You must prevail. I’m teasing… it really is very easy! Simply continue stirring rapidly until all the ingredients are incorporated. Remove the caramel from the heat and allow to cool. Turn off the stove. The caramel will thicken as it cools.

Preparation for Spooky Apple Dip

Combine the softened cream cheese and the apple butter spread in a medium bowl with a hand-held mixer and mix on medium-low speed until combined. With a spatula, spread the cream cheese mixture into a pie plate or shallow dish.

Once the caramel sauce has cooled and thickened, evenly pour it over the cream cheese mixture. Next, sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the caramel, followed by the toffee bits.

Carefully place the candy eyes on top and serve with apples for a spooktackular Halloween presentation.

Enjoy and Happy Halloween!