Cherchies Blog

Cooking Tip: How To Make French Bread Pizzas

cooking tipsSheri SpalloneComment

Cooking Tip:  How To Make French Bread Pizzas

Cook Time:  10 minutes  Difficulty:  Easy.

I love quick and easy recipes, and French Bread Pizzas are not only perfect for those busy nights, but they're also an excellent means for hiding leftovers...such as veggies:). If you have been following our blog (thank you), you will know that I am notorious for turning last night's leftovers into tonight's masterpiece...mainly out of necessity from picky kiddos.

We go through a lot of food!  With a family of five (one 21 year old boy, a 15 year old boy, a 12 year old girl AND their friends and my hubby and me), French Bread pizzas are a perfect way to stretch the buck and clear out the refrigerator at the same time;)

The pizza combinations are endless and every time I make them, the leftovers completely disappear.  My family, didn't even know what hit them:) "Mom, these are awesome!"  A moment of silence please...

Occasionally, I will place a bunch of toppings out and allow my family to create their own masterpieces for make-your-own pizza night.  It's a great way to get them involved in the kitchen and to catch up.  (However, when they make their own pizzas, guess what's leftover??  Veggies;)  The pizzas I created are listed below, Chicken Parmesan Pizza, Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza, and Chicken Taco Pizza.  I'll post the recipes of all our concoctions in a future blog post.

How to Make French Bread Pizzas-  Here's how it's done...Have fun!

  • Start with a loaf of French Bread (or any kind of bread for that matter).  Cut the bread in half lengthwise.  (I usually cut in half lengthwise, then cut those halves in half).
  • Spread on your favorite sauce.  So many options...spaghetti sauce, salsa, olive oil and garlic, alfredo sauce, pesto, whatever you have in your pantry or leftover in your refrigerator.  Below we've featured spaghetti sauce Champagne Mustard, and salsa as the bases.
  • Next, add the toppings by using leftovers such as meat, vegetables, beans...the sky's the limit friends.  Below, we used leftover grilled chicken three ways, Chicken Parmesan Pizza,  Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza, and Chicken Taco Pizza (Ingredients listed below).
  • When you are satisfied with your creation, add the seasonings and cheese. The Chicken Parmesan Pizza had a combination of shredded Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese sprinkled with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, whereas the Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza had Swiss cheese as the cheese of choice, also sprinkled with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, and finally, a shredded Mexican Blend and Mozzarella cheese were used for the Chicken Taco Pizza.  Easy Peasy!
  • Drizzle a little olive oil over the entire pizza and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is gooey and melted.  Check out the ingredients for the three pizzas mentioned earlier.  Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan French Bread Pizza-  Spread the bread halves with spaghetti sauce.  Sprinkle with cooked chicken, chopped basil, Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, and a mixture of shredded Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.  Sprinkle with oregano and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake at 350 degrees until melty.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza - Spread the bread halves with Cherchies® Champagne Mustard then spaghetti sauce.  Add chicken, ham chunks, swiss cheese and mozzarella.  Sprinkle with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and a little bit of dried Thyme. Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake at 350 degrees until melty.

Chicken Taco Pizza - Spread the bread halves with salsa seasoning.  Add chicken, black beans, Terrapin Ridge Farms Chipotle Aioli Sauce, and a blend of Mexican cheese blend and mozzarella.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake at 350 degrees until melty.

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Seared Citrus Cilantro Scallops Recipe

appetizers, entrees, lunchSheri SpalloneComment
Seared Citrus Cilantro Scallops Recipe

Seared Citrus Cilantro Scallops Recipe

Cook Time: 20 minutes  Difficulty:  Easy

One food my family avoids like the plague is scallops...even with the one-bite rule (oh well, more for me).  I guess I really don't blame them as I too had quite the aversion to the slimy little suckers growing up, but boy how my tastes have changed.

I absolutely love them now, and on occasion, I will cook them for myself as a nice lunch treat, but I've also served them to guests as appetizers!! Huge hit!

I love when a recipe comes together from experimenting (playing with food). Many of the recipes I researched had heavy sauces, and some had lime as the featured ingredient. I wanted light, flavorful, and different and wondered how three forms of citrus would taste with these little beauties, so I got cracking. 

The result? Amazing! Fresh succulent scallops, bursting with citrus flavor, tinged with a hint of cilantro, with flavors that will make your taste buds sing. So treat yourself or delight your guests with this fresh and flavorful dish.

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

Ingredients

  • 1 pound jumbo sea scallops (12 to 15)

  • 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend

  • Pepper to taste

  • 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) canola oil or olive oil

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) low-sodium soy sauce

  • Juice of 1 lime wedge, 1 orange wedge, and 1 lemon wedge

  • 1 Teaspoon (tsp), or to taste Sriracha sauce (optional)

  • 2 Tablespoons citrus zest (here we used lime, Clementine, and lemon zest, for color and flavor)

  • Chopped fresh cilantro as a garnish (optional)

  • Lime wedges, for serving (could also use orange and lemon for a pretty presentation)

Preparation
Rinse the scallops with water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Gently remove the side muscle from the scallop if still attached.  It looks like a flap on the side of the scallop. Season both sides with Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro and pepper.  Set aside.

Next, with a Microplane, zest a lime, a Clementine orange (you could use regular oranges), and a lemon.  If you don't have a zester, no worries, you can simply use a knife.  (Check out our blog on "To Zest or Not to Zest").  

Mix the zest together and set aside.  Since you'll only need a couple of Tablespoons, freeze the rest in a plastic bag for later use.

Now for searing the scallops.  Don't let the word "sear" intimidate you.  It's really very easy.  It's simply using a good skillet, such as a cast iron skillet and browning food with high heat.  You'll also want to make sure you do not crowd the scallops, they like their "space", so cooking in batches is preferable. -Better Home & Gardens

Add the oil to the skillet and turn on the skillet to medium-high heat.  Add the seasoned scallops to the skillet and sear on one side until the bottom begins to brown, about 5 minutes.  Turn the scallops over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the bottom is browned and scallop is opaque.  Remove the first batch and place on a plate and proceed to cook the remaining scallops in the same manner.

Allow scallops to rest briefly while you make the sauce.  Add the soy sauce and the juice of the citrus wedges to the hot pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate the flavor, and cook for about 2 minutes on high.  Plate the scallops on a platter and drizzle them with the pan sauce. Garnish the scallops with the citrus zest and serve.  Oh my!  Prepare to have your taste buds tantalized.  Enjoy!

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Inspirational Cooking Quotes

Sheri SpalloneComment

Inspirational Cooking Quotes

"Love Your Food, Love Your Wine". What a great quote.  My hubby and I are huge "foodies" and we love our wine (although I admit I don't always use the proper glass for the appropriate wine...sorry:),  so you can only imagine how amused I was when I ran across this cork. 

The words inspired me to share a few of my favorite food and wine quotes:)

“ We have an open door policy...Show up With Wine and We'll Open the Door" - www.cawineclub.com

"I Cook With Wine, Sometimes I Even Add it to my Food". - W.C. Fields

"A Meal Without Wine is Like a Day Without Sunshine". - Robert Mondavi

"Don't Worry Honey, at Least You Didn't Burn the Wine" (Ouch!  That was me when I first got married) - ?

"Drinking Good Wine with Good Food in Good Company is One of Life's Most Civilized Pleasures". - Michael Broadbent

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Blooming Tomato With Chicken Salad Recipe

leftovers, lunch, saladsSheri SpalloneComment
Blooming Tomato With Chicken Salad Recipe

Blooming Tomato With Chicken Salad Recipe

Cook Time:  30 minutes (if cooking chicken) Difficulty: Easy

Summer is approaching, and with that will be a plethora of juicy tomatoes.  I love ripe juicy tomatoes by themselves, but I also love them filled with a creamy salad.  This easy "bloomin" tomato chicken salad is perfect for a ladies luncheon, brunch, or a fancy treat for yourself! Even kiddos will love this recipe.

To get our children to eat any mayonnaise based salad is a chore, and chicken salad is no exception. However, I stumbled upon this "copycat" version of their beloved Chick-fil-A chicken salad, and tried it on them. Knowing full well my kiddos would balk at the tomatoes, I made them chicken salad sandwiches. They were a hit! Now, this is the only chicken salad our kiddos will eat.

You can add the grapes and pecans if you'd like (my favorite), but I knew my kiddos would draw the line at those additions, so I left them out.    

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Chicken breasts, cooked

  • 1/3 cup Celery, finely chopped

  • 1 hard boiled egg, chopped

  • 2/3 cup Mayonnaise

  • 1 Tablespoon Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

  • 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

  • 1/4 tsp pepper, fresh ground

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1/2 cup chopped grapes (optional)

  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

  • Ripe tomatoes

  • Parsley (optional garnish)

Preparation

I usually cook the chicken and eggs the day before, so Place the cooked chicken in a food processor and pulse until chicken is chopped.  (Coarsely hand chopping the chicken will work just as well).  Place chicken into a medium bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl.  Stir.

Carefully cut slits into the tomato (scoring) from top to bottom, making sure not to cut all the way through.  Gently pry the tomato open.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add a dollop of chicken salad to the tomato and garnish with parsley.  That's it!  A delicious mouth watering treat.  Enjoy!

 

 

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