lunch

Grilled Muffuletta Recipe

February 9, 2016lunch, entrees, grillingSheri SpalloneComment

Cook Time: 20 minutes Difficulty: Easy

Today is Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday", and in honor of this celebration I share with you my version of "The Muffuletta", grilled with melty provolone cheese, salty olives and salami, ham, sweet roasted peppers, and Hot Banana Pepper Mustard. Making your mouth water?

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My hubby and I and a few friends traveled to New Orleans (aka NOLA) for the first time recently and had the most sinfully delicious sandwich, "The Muffuletta" from The Central Grocery in The French Quarter. This gargantuan sandwich is made with homemade bread and stuffed with layers of ham, salami, cheeses, and a tasty olive salad. Seriously insane. Talk about a flavor party in your mouth!

My version has all the flavors sans some of the the guilt. The Banana Hot Pepper Mustard is the "piece de resistance" of this sandwich. Go ahead and try it, it's the perfect Fat Tuesday sandwich or anytime you have a hankering for salty olives and salami, ham, sweet roasted peppers, tangy mustard, and gooey melty cheese. Everything in moderation, right? Here's how it's made. This recipe serves 2.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Ingredients (per sandwich)

2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard
1/4 cup chopped pitted black olives
1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives
1/4 cup chopped salami
1/4 cup cubed Provolone, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup Pepperoncini, seeds removed, chopped
1/2 jar Cherchies® Pretty Peppers
4 slices of good fresh bread (Here I used sourdough bread)
4 slices Provolone Cheese
2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) butter

Preparation

Chop the olives, provolone chunks (optional), salami, and pepperoncini into small pieces (In the second picture the salami had not been chopped fine enough). In a medium bowl, mix the olives, Provolone, salami, Pretty Peppers, and pepperoncini.

Turn griddle (or pan) onto medium. Spread softened butter or olive oil onto bread. Place buttered bread onto griddle. Grill until desired consistency.

Turn oven onto broil. Now, let's build this glorious sandwich. Spread Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard on the grilled slices of bread that are facing up. Add ham then the olive mixture (oops, sorry about the ham picture).

Now for the melty "glue". Place the slices of Provolone cheese over the olive mixture and broil the sandwiches open faced until cheese has melted (only a few minutes).

When the cheese has melted, carefully put the halves together, and cut sandwich in half. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is:) The perfect sandwich anytime, not just for Mardi Gras. Enjoy!

Yum

Champagne Blackberry Grilled Ham and Cheese Recipe

January 26, 2016lunch, entreesSheri SpalloneComment

Champagne Blackberry Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

AAhh, grilled cheese sandwiches are the perfect comfort food. How can you go wrong with bread, butter, and cheese? Life doesn't get much better than gooey, melty cheesy sandwiches, especially on a cold, snowy weekend. How about gooey melty cheesy sandwiches with salty ham, tangy Champagne Mustard, sweet Blackberry Preserves, and brie cheese? Yes, please!

Our family spent most of the weekend digging out and snow-blowing almost 30" of snow, courtesy of The Jonas Blizzard. It was "all hands on deck," except for Mom, as I volunteered for lunch duty. It's a shame we only had enough shovels for our teenagers. :) Lunch duty is essential.

To reward my hard-working blizzard bunnies, I made their meal of choice, grilled ham, and cheese sandwiches, but with a twist. It's always a gamble to introduce a new dish to my family, but my family is used to it. Still, our family has a "one bite rule" (they have to try it, but they don't have to like it), so I seized the moment and added Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves to their grilled ham and cheese sandwiches...and waited...

"Mom, these are so good!" Music to my ears! (Whew!)

Are you a grilled cheese sandwich fan looking for a new recipe to tantalize your tastebuds? Then try this recipe, featuring a salty-sweet combination of ham, brie cheese, Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves, and Cherchies® Champagne Mustard. You will not be disappointed.

What are your favorite Cherchies® grilled cheese combinations? Comment below. And if you send us your recipe, we'll post it on our blog:) That would be fun, an entire blog post on grilled cheese recipes. Yum!

Thanks for visiting:) For more tasty recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips, visit our blog again.

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Ingredients (per sandwich)

Bread (we used multi-grain bread)
1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard
1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves
2 slices of ham (we used ham off the bone)
Brie cheese
2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) softened butter (1 Tablespoon per side)

Preparation

Butter the outside of each slice of bread. Add Cherchies® Champagne Mustard to one slice of bread and Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves to the other. Add brie cheese and ham. Grill open-faced for a couple of minutes to crisp up each slice of bread. Then combine halves to allow the cheese to melt.

Enjoy this melty, cheesy comforting sandwich! Your taste buds will sing!

Yum

Double Decker Taco Recipe

January 19, 2016entrees, lunchSheri SpalloneComment

Of all the meals in our family's recipe repertoire, tacos (any kind) seem to make their presence on the table weekly. They are the perfect easy meal anytime for any celebration, and they are just plain fun. Who doesn't like fun? But double the fun? I'm in!

These mouth-watering double-decker tacos are delicious, with a soft shell on the outside and a hard shell on the inside and all the tasty fixings nicely tucked inside, similar to Taco Bell's Gordita Crunch. Our children picked up on this idea a long time ago because, according to them, "the tacos don't break apart all over the place." I like the idea because of the crunch inside a soft, warm tortilla. It just adds a unique texture to tacos.

But, the secret to the outstanding flavor of these double-decker tacos is meat (or seafood) seasoned with our Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend, an all-purpose seasoning blend perfect for grilling but versatile enough on ribs, in dips, chilis, pulled pork, casseroles, and especially tacos.

So, the next time you're in the mood for tacos, "double wow" your family, friends, etc., grab a bottle of Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub and Seasoning Blend, and make these fun; flavorful double-decker tacos! You will not be disappointed. They are perfect for Taco Night, Cinco de Mayo, graduation parties, weddings, or any gathering where tacos are the star.

Comment below and let us know how they turned out! Thank you for visiting! Come back and visit for new tasty recipes.

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Ingredients

1 pound of ground meat (we used ground chicken for this picture)
1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) pepper
1 small onion chopped
1 cup beef broth (you can use chicken or vegetable broth)
3 1/2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub and Seasoning Blend (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon (tsp) cornstarch
hard taco shells (can use soft...or both...what?)
Salsa or Pico de gallo (we used store-bought fresh salsa)
2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Chopped cilantro mixed with 1 cup chopped lettuce (more depending on if needed)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Chardonnay Guacamole Recipe (optional)
Lime n' Cha Sauce (below)

Lime n' Cha Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon (tsp.) Sriracha Chili Sauce (or your favorite chili sauce)
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1 Tablespoon

Preparation

In a large skillet, add oil, onions, Garlic Seasoning, pepper, and saute onions in oil until translucent.

Add ground meat, cornstarch, Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning, and beef broth and cook until meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Once meat is cooked through and sauce has thickened, it's time to build the tacos:)

To hard or soft tacos, add the seasoned meat and your favorite toppings. For these tacos we layered meat, pico de gallo or salsa (my hubby prefers our Cherchies® Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa on top), lettuce, cheese, and Lime 'n Cha sauce (below) on top.

Now for double the fun...wait for it...spread a soft corn or flour tortilla with refried beans and wrap the taco!

So you decide, fun or double the fun? Ole:)

Yum

Black and White Bean Chili Recipe

January 13, 2016entrees, lunchSheri SpalloneComment

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Originally posted in 2016.

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After an unseasonably warm December here in Pennsylvania (70 degrees on Christmas Eve), it is finally Winter (it's downright freezing!!). That means comfort food and chili (made with one of our favorite seasoning blends, Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub and Seasoning Blend) is top on our family's list.

Everyone has their favorite chili recipe, but this easy, tasty recipe steals the show because it features our all-purpose seasoning blend, Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub and Seasoning Blend, and items commonly found in your pantry. If you have never tried our grilling rub, you are missing out. Not only is it perfect for grilling, as the label indicates, but it is also versatile enough for roasting meats and flavoring dips, casseroles, Mexican dishes, ribs, pulled pork, and of course, chili!) It is a fabulous multi-purpose seasoning.

This recipe feeds a crowd, but you can always half it (unless you have hungry teens like us, who always want second and third helpings. It is amazing how much young adults can eat). If you are short on time and need extra help in the kitchen, you can also make this recipe in your slow cooker by adding all the ingredients to your slow cooker, turning it on, and walking away for a few hours. You would need to stir occasionally.

Whether it's cold weather comfort, game day celebrations, casual get-togethers, or whenever the mood strikes, this chili recipe will not disappoint. So, grab some Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub and Seasoning Blend, a few ingredients from your pantry, and make the best chili tonight.

Ingredients

*1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) bacon fat or olive oil (*If have leftover bacon grease)
3 lbs. ground meat (turkey, chicken, or beef is fine)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup beef broth (we use 1 cup of water with 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Minor's Beef base)
3 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub and Seasoning Blend (more to taste- ground poultry may need more)
1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) ground pepper
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained
2 cans (15 oz.) white beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional garnish)
Sour cream (or non-fat greek yogurt as an optional garnish)
Sliced green onions (optional garnish)
Hot sauce (optional garnish)

Preparation

Chop onions and saute in a large dutch oven in olive oil or bacon fat until onions are soft and translucent.(you could cook onions with one strip of a strip of bacon. I happened to have reserved bacon drippings in the refrigerator and used that) Add Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and Pepper.