Cherchies Blog

snacks

Pretty Pepper Hummus Recipe

appetizers, snacksSheri SpalloneComment

Pretty Pepper Hummus Recipe

Cook Time:  5 minutes  
Difficulty:  Easy

There's something seriously satisfying about making things from scratch, especially when it's easy and you can control the ingredients. Take, for example, hummus; why buy it when you can make it homemade? Add the ingredients to a food processor or blender, and in minutes, you have a delicious homemade healthy snack or spread.

It's kind of a funny story how this recipe came to be. I love those "aha!" moments. Our daughter had been on a hummus kick and came home from school craving hummus, funny kid! My initial thought was, "What did you do with my once picky daughter?" Of course, I didn't have hummus on hand to meet the needs of a hungry teenager, but I remembered a can of chickpeas and a jar of tahini tucked away in my pantry for when I wanted to make hummus someday;) Then it dawned on me I had a jar of our Pretty Peppers in my pantry. Aha! Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, our favorite! Why didn't I think of this before? I researched various hummus recipes from my cookbooks (yes, I still use cookbooks) and came up with this delicious recipe. My daughter was thrilled and gave it a thumbs up!

So, if you're looking for a fabulous tasty, creamy hummus recipe, grab a jar of our Pretty Peppers (one of our original products from 1980) and make this recipe today! It is the perfect dip for vegetables, crackers, or as a spread on sandwiches and delicious addition to charcuterie platters. You won't be disappointed:)

Comment below and let us know if you tried this easy recipe. Thank you for visiting. Please come back again.

Ingredients

Preparation
Add all the ingredients, except the Pretty Peppers to a food processor or blender and mix until the hummus is smooth. Next, add the Pretty Peppers to the food processor and pulse a couple of times in order to obtain small bits.  If you like your hummus without bits, run the food processor or blender for a couple of minutes until hummus is completely smooth.  

Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and garnish with some Pretty Peppers and chopped parsley.  Serve with vegetables, crackers, or crostini, or spread on sandwiches in lieu of mayonnaise.  Enjoy!

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Witches Cheese Brooms With Hot Banana Pepper Mustard Recipe

parties, appetizers, snacksSheri SpalloneComment

Witches Cheese Brooms With Hot Banana Pepper Mustard Recipe

Cook Time:  5 minutes  

Difficulty:  Easy

I'm a sucker for themed events, always have been; whether it is a Game Day Celebration or a festive brunch, the details, the food, and the decorations are a huge part of who I am, and Halloween is no exception. This idea is brilliant, turning an ordinary cheese stick into a broomstick. How fun and easy, right? I love creating healthy snacks for our children, and when I saw these cuties in an old cookbook (remember those?), I couldn't resist surprising our gang with this delightful Halloween treat! Our children are teenagers, but they still appreciate fun food. Maybe I've rubbed off on them after all:)

I went a step further with these broomsticks and served them with our Hot Banana Pepper Mustard because to me, pretzels, cheese, and mustard belong together:) You could substitute our Champagne Mustard or Cranberry Mustard for a milder dipping sauce, but our gang tends to like things spicier. There you go. Make sure to grab some for yourself because they will disappear right before your eyes.

So this Halloween, serve these broomsticks along with our Festive Deviled Eyeballs, our Champagne Mummy Hot Dogs, our Spooky English Muffin Pizzas, and a salad for a complete Halloween spread! Maybe your family will be so full that they won't eat the candy, ha! Happy Halloween!

Comment below if you made these adorable cheese brooms. Thank you for visiting. Please come back again.

Ingredients

Preparation

Cut mozzarella sticks in half.  With a sharp paring knife, score slits around the perimeter of the cheese stick, making sure to only cut into two-thirds of the cheese stick, allowing room at the top for the pretzel to be inserted.  Gently pry the cheese apart to look like a broom.

Insert the pretzel stick into uncut portion of the cheese stick.

Cut fresh chives into thirds.  Tie one-third of the chive around each of the broomsticks.   Snip off ends of the chive.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, in this case our Hot Banana Pepper Mustard

That's it!  Easy Peazy!  Adults and children, will enjoy this easy treat!  Happy Halloween!

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Pumpkin Patch Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

breakfast, desserts, snacksSheri SpalloneComment

Pumpkin Patch Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Cook Time: 25 Minutes  Difficulty: Easy

Pumpkin Spice and everything nice! It's Fall, and what better way to celebrate the season than to jump on the pumpkin "haywagon!" I would be remiss if I didn't share this delicious muffin recipe with you. These moist pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are the best we've ever had! Period. The secret ingredient? Apple Butter!

Our daughter made this recipe in her Family Consumer Science Class (that's fancy for Home Ec-ok I'm dating myself), and yesterday being one of those dreary, rainy days, was the perfect time to make something together.

In one of those rare teenage moments, our 13-year-old daughter was in the mood for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins yesterday and wanted to make them with me! (I was cool again, so I jumped at the opportunity:) I suggested we cut out the oil and try her recipe with apple butter! It worked! These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins were super moist with the perfect balance of fall spice and everything nice (like my daughter;).

You need to add this recipe to your favorite Fall recipes. You will not be disappointed, but grab one for yourself, as they will disappear right before your eyes! This recipe would also make a fantastic pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Happy baking!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup canned pumpkin

  • 1/2 cup Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1/4 cups sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 2/3 cups flour (we have also tested this recipe with King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free flour with great results)

  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) nutmeg

  • 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) ground cloves

  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
In a mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread, sugar, water, and eggs.  Beat until well mixed.  Set aside.  

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cloves.

Slowly add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Spoon the batter into a 12 cup muffin tin, lined with paper baking cups.

Bake the muffins for 25 minutes or until muffins are cooked.  Insert a toothpick and if the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done!  Cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve them plain, buttered or with cream cheese.  Serve warm.  Enjoy!
Yield: 12 muffins

Pumpkin Patch Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

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Pepper Jam Cream Cheese Recipe

appetizers, snacksSheri SpalloneComment
pepper jam appetizer long.jpg

Prep Time: 5 Minutes  Difficulty: Easy

This is my favorite go-to appetizer recipe!    It's delicious, easy, elegant, and with only two ingredients (three if you count the crackers), entertaining doesn't get any simpler.

At any given time our pantry is stocked with at least one of our mouth-watering Hot Pepper Jams.  Aside from appetizers, Hot Pepper Jams can be used in a variety of recipes, such as glazes for meat, kabobs, candied bacon, meatballs, etc.  

So if you're looking for something quick, easy, and tasty, grab a jar of Cherchies® Hot Pepper Jam, (Cherry, Cranberry, or Strawberry), a block of cream cheese, your favorite crackers, and voila, instant entertaining.  We dare you to try just one bite!

Can't decide?  Try them all:)

Ingredients:  

Preparation

Spread the cream cheese onto a plate.  Spoon the Hot Pepper Jam over top the cream cheese.  Or, be daring and dollop one third of the cream cheese with each of the Hot Pepper Jams and let your guests decide their favorite:)  

Serve with crackers.  Easy Peasy...done!  Enjoy!

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