Cherchies Blog

entrees

Blue Cheese Wedge Salad Recipe

entrees, leftovers, lunch, saladsSheri SpalloneComment
Bleu Cheese Wedge Salad Recipe

Bleu Cheese Wedge Salad Recipe

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Serves 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Have you ever tried a recipe out of pure curiosity? The wedge salad, for example, in my opinion, an unassuming iceberg lettuce salad (that graced menus in the '50s and '60s), has made a resurgence on menus of fancy restaurants and steak houses EVERYWHERE. Why? I had to see what all the buzz was about for myself.

So why the popularity? One, it is easy to make. Ok, I get it. Honestly, the thought of eating a majestic cliff of iceberg lettuce instead of my preferred mixed greens or spinach seemed less than appealing, and you can imagine my hesitation.

Now here is where the magic begins. Add to the iceberg mountain awaiting fresh juicy tomatoes, sweet tender shallots, crispy salty bacon (hello), clouds of tangy blue cheese, and drizzle it with a creamy homemade blue cheese dressing. Now we're talking about a whole different taste sensation. The crispness of the salad melded together with the savory ingredients is a flavor party ready to explode in your mouth! Wow, was I surprised! I loved it!

If your curiosity is peaked and you have not tried this iconic salad, it is worth tantalizing your tastebuds, as it makes for the perfect meal or hearty side dish. It is refreshing, colorful, easy to make, the perfect blend of deliciousness and the homemade bleu cheese dressing (everything in moderation), made with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and Cherchies® Champagne Mustard is the pièce de résistance of this dish. What are you waiting for?

Comment below and let us know if you made this majestic salad. We would love to hear from you!

As always, thank you for visiting, and please come back.

Salad Ingredients

  • Iceberg lettuce washed and cut into fourths

  • 8 slices of bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped

  • Tomatoes, coarsely chopped (could use halved cherry tomatoes)

  • 1 shallot, finely chopped

  • Blue Cheese, crumbled

  • Blue Cheese Dressing (below)

  • Dash of Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

  • Dash of ground pepper

  • Chives, chopped (optional for garnish)

Blue Cheese Dressing (can be made ahead)

Preparation

Prepare the salad dressing by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside. (This dressing can be made at least a day ahead, as the flavors tend to marry if made in advance).

Chop the cooked bacon, tomatoes, shallot, and chives (optional) for the salad and set aside.

Rinse the lettuce in cool water and remove any outer leaves as necessary. With a sharp knife, cut the lettuce in half, then half again to create four halves. Arrange on individual plates or a platter. (For a fun party idea, make mini wedges for guests, cut them into smaller halves, and arrange them on a platter).

Sprinkle a dash of Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and ground pepper (to taste) on the lettuce wedges. Next, add the salad dressing, tomatoes, bacon, blue cheese, shallots, and chives (optional) for garnish.

Serve and enjoy!

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Mississippi Pot Roast Sandwich Recipe

lunch, entreesSheri SpalloneComment
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For all the slow cooker lovers out there, I am sure you would agree that you can never have enough slow cooker recipes. This flavorful, tender lip-smacking Mississippi Pot Roast sandwich is one of our family’s newest favorite recipes, and we are confident your family will love it too.

When I first learned of Mississippi Pot Roast on the internet, I was intrigued by the unusual ingredients (beef roast, butter, ranch seasoning, brown gravy, and pepperoncini peppers), so I had to give it a whirl. I tweaked the ingredients, using homemade ranch seasoning and gravy, and added Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard to the mix. Homemade is always better and healthier in my opinion because you can control the ingredients, so I try to make things homemade whenever I have a chance. 

Why is it called Mississippi Roast? “This recipe originated from a home cook who lives in Mississippi. The cook never referred to it as a Mississippi pot roast. She called it a roast. As the recipe became popular among her friends and family, it spread to other South regions and eventually hit the internet. The recipe was then coined as ‘Mississippi Roast’ and is still known by that name today”.- dinneratthezoo.com 

Let’s face it, everyone needs to take a break from cooking, and slow cookers are the perfect medium for creating a delicious meal with a few ingredients. Place the ingredients in your slow cooker, turn it on, walk away, and dinner is ready several hours later. It is like having an extra kitchen helper, and we can all use a little help now and then.

So if you are looking for a tasty new slow cooker recipe, consider adding this recipe to your meal rotation. The flavors are amazing in this dish! This recipe is low carb, it is perfect for feeding crowds, and it is very versatile. Serve it au jus in some fresh bread with extra gravy for dipping, or over mashed potatoes, rice, cauliflower rice, polenta, whatever your heart desires. You will not be disappointed. 

Comment below if you have tried our version of Mississippi Pot Roast. As always, thank you for visiting, and please come back and visit again.

Homemade Ranch Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 3-5 lb. chuck roast (boneless or bone-in chuck roast or you could also use pork roast for an amazing pulled pork).

  • Homemade Ranch Seasoning (above)

  • 1 cup water, plus 1 Tablespoon Minor’s Beef Base (found on Amazon and select grocery stores- could substitute .87 oz. brown gravy packets).

  • 1/c cup (1 stick butter), sliced into pieces

  • 7-10 pepperoncini peppers (Could substitute jarred banana peppers)

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

  • 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice from the jar.

Preparation

In a small bowl, whisk together the ranch seasoning ingredients. Set aside.

To make the beef broth, add 1 Tablespoon Minor’s Beef broth to 1 cup of water. Stir until dissolved and set aside.

Turn a skillet on medium-high. Sear all sides of the roast. (When I am short of time, I skip this step).

Add the roast to a large slow cooker (crockpot, Instapot, etc.) Sprinkle the ranch seasoning over the roast. Top the meat with butter chunks, pepperoncini, and Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard.

Carefully pour the pepperoncini juice and the beef broth over the roast. Cover. Cook for 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low, or until the meat easily shreds with two forks.

Note: To serve as sandwiches, grab fresh rolls, cheese (we used American), and pour extra juice into a small bowl to dip the sandwich into (similar to a French Dip Sandwich). You can easily serve this over mashed potatoes, creamy polenta, cauliflower rice, or rice.

Enjoy!

Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe

Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe

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Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

entrees, lunchSheri SpalloneComment
Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Cook Time:  4-5 hours high or 6-8 low in a slow cooker

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Originally posted in 2018. Updated with new pictures.

"You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody! It's great to be here." - Buddy, from the movie Elf. Now, take away the words cup of coffee and add in "beef stew," and what do you have? World's best beef stew!  

Yes, I realize the holidays are over, but I had to chuckle recently when making my favorite beef stew recipe. I happened to google beef stew, and a dozen articles popped up claiming to be "The Best Beef Stew Recipe." It made me giggle and think of Buddy the elf. I know...I digress:)

While our beef stew may not be famous, this hearty beef stew hits all the flavor notes, and according to our family and friends, IT IS The Best Beef Stew!! It is like a big flavorful hug of comfort. Perhaps it is the Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, or maybe it is our secret ingredient, Cherchies® Champagne Mustard, that seals the deal?  

So if you are "stewing" over The Best Beef Stew recipe to serve your gang, consider adding our Hearty Beef Stew Recipe to your cache. This comforting recipe, bursting with flavor, will warm your soul from the inside out, and we are confident you will find our Hearty Beef Stew to be the "Best Beef Stew Recipe" out there;)

Thank you for visiting! Please comment below if you made this recipe and come back again.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 cup flour (or gluten-free flour of choice)

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

  • 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) ground pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Rosemary (dried or fresh)

  • 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Thyme (dried or fresh)

  • 2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Olive Oil

  • 1 onion, chopped and divided in half

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Minors Beef Base (or beef bouillion of your choice)

  • 1 cup of water

  • 1/2 cup red wine (plus a glass for yourself:)

  • 2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) tomato paste

  • 4 carrots, washed, peeled, and diced into 1-inch pieces

  • 5 stalks of celery, washed and coarsely chopped

  • 4 potatoes, washed and diced into cubes

  • 2 Bay leaves

  • 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)


Preparation

Chop all vegetables and set them aside.  In a large bowl, add the flour, the and Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, pepper, Rosemary, and Thyme, and stir.  Add the stew meat to the bowl and mix with hands to evenly coat the meat with the flour mixture.  

Turn your crockpot on low.  Add half of the onions to the slow cooker. 

This step is completely optional, but I feel it really locks in the flavor.  If you are short on time, then skip this step.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil to medium.  Add coated meat in batches to the hot skillet, and sear on all sides for a couple of minutes, stirring often.  Once the meat is lightly seared, place over onions in the slow cooker.  After about half of the meat is finished searing, add the second half of onions to the slow cooker.  Add the rest of the seared meat to the slow cooker.  Feel free to add a little more oil if it looks like you will need it.  Once the meat has been seared and placed in the slow cooker, now it is time for the rich sauce.

Turn the pan down to low.  Mix the water and beef base together until it has dissolved.  Set aside.  Add the red wine to begin deglazing the pan.  Make sure to scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen all the wonderful bits and flavor from the bottom.  Add the leftover flour, beef base and Worcestershire sauce, Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and tomato paste to the pan.  Cook and stir for a few minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  

Pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker.  Add the chopped carrots, celery, potatoes, and bay leaf to the slow cooker!  Add peas (optional) towards the end of cooking time. Turn your slow cooker on low, walk away, and in a few hours you will enjoy "The Best Beef Stew!".   

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Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

 

 

 

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Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

entrees, glaze marinade & sauce, lunch, gluten freeSheri SpalloneComment
Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

Originally posted in 2016 but with updated pictures! Our #1 requested recipe!

This salmon recipe is probably the most delicious salmon recipe I have ever made, salmon with a blackberry champagne mustard glaze. Awesome! 

I failed to mention this recipe is extremely easy. Just my speed, "easy and elegant".  The best part, my family LOVED it.  They didn't even need the "one bite rule" enforced.  

Ingredients

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking pan with parchment paper.  Sprinkle salmon with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and pepper.  Divide the butter into Tablespoon (Tbsp) portions and place on salmon a few inches apart.  

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves until blended.  Slather the mixture over the salmon.  Bake the salmon in the oven for 20 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through (breaks apart easily with a fork).

Serve with your favorite salad.  Enjoy!

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Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

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