Cherchies Blog

Chicken Broccoli Casserole Recipe

entreesSheri SpalloneComment

Chicken Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Cooking Time:  50 Minutes  Difficulty: Easy

I'm always looking for easy delicious chicken recipes to add to my chicken collection. This recipe is not only the perfect comfort meal, it can be made ahead.  Make a double batch, one for now and freeze another one for later. 

The original recipe called for cans of cream of mushroom soup.  I prefer to make cream of mushroom soup from scratch, as it makes everything that much more delectable and is ten times better than the store-bought version.  It also can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Serve this casserole with our Homemade Applesauce Recipe and our Savory Wedge Bread Recipe for a complete meal your family or guests will enjoy!

Ingredients

Preparation

Cut cooked chicken into bite size pieces and mix with mayonnaise in a large bowl. Add broccoli, soup, Cherchies® Champagne Mustard, and Cherchies® Garlic 'n Herbs Seasoning Blend, and cheese.  Mix together and spread the mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish.  

In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave and stir in bread crumbs.  Place bread crumbs over the casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.  Enjoy!

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Seafood Market Interview- Why we Love Hill's Quality Seafood Market

Sheri Spallone2 Comments

Danny and Nicole posing for us with our Champagne Mustard

Ahoy Maties!  Tucked away in the picturesque pockets of Chester County, PA is the Delaware Valley's Premier Specialty Seafood Market, Hill's Quality Seafood Market, a local favorite award-winning seafood market, family owned since the 1960's, and a fan of Cherchies®!

Hill's Quality Seafood prides itself on "the freshest quality seafood the sea has to offer, fresh never frozen, but also prides themselves on developing great relationships with the local clientele". They offer a vast selection of fresh seafood, oven-broiler ready foods, freshly made jumbo lump crab cakes, fish sticks (our kiddos favorite) salads, party trays, fresh produce and grocery items, including Cherchies®, and so much more.

My travels were two-fold, one to purchase my favorite salmon to make our family's most requested dish, Blackberry Champagne Salmon and two, to thank Dan Carlin (Danny as he prefers) for carrying our products since 1998.  Thank you:)

How long has Hill's been in business? It's a family business (named after Frank Hill) dating back to the 1960's, where the inaugural store was located in Malvern, PA. Since then, they have grown to four locations.

What is your customer like?  

Mainly seafood lovers, health conscious individuals, and those willing to explore new foods.

How long have you carries Cherchies® products?

We have carried Cherchies® products since the Exton, PA store opened in 1998, when I started working there.

What is your most popular Cherchies® product?  

That would be the Cherchies® Champagne Mustard.  We use it in our party trays, for example our crab claws and we serve it with the Champagne Mustard.

Do you have a favorite Cherchies® recipe?  

Served over salmon.

What is a fun fact about you? 

"When people ask my name, I tell them...I'm Danny, and I'm Irish:)" 

Well "Danny boy", Thanks for chatting:)

Friends, next time you're passing through, or if you're local, stop and visit any of the four award-winning Hill's Quality Seafood Markets ("Best of Seafood"- Best of Philly, "Best Jumbo Lump Crab cakes"- Best of The Main Line and "Best Seafood" from both The Daily Local News and the Delco Times.  You'll be greeted with a very knowledgable and friendly staff and rest assured that Hill's Seafood is seafood you can trust!

If you carry our products and would like to be featured on our blog we'd love to hear from you! www.cherchies.com

 

 

 

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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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