Cherchies Blog

Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread Recipe

breakfast, snacks, glaze marinade & sauceSheri SpalloneComment
Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread Recipe

Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread Recipe

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes  
Difficulty: Easy

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Today's recipe is a copycat version of our family's beloved Philadelphia's Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread. It is chock full of vegetables and fresh herbs and is a fraction of the cost of the store-bought brand. I have to say, this recipe is pretty darn close to the original.

Bagels and cream cheese are a staple breakfast or afternoon snack in our home, especially bagels slathered with Philadelphia Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese, our family's favorite. Unfortunately, the small tubs found in grocery stores do not last long in a home with young adults and their friends, all with voracious appetites. Anyone with teenagers or young adults can attest to how quickly food disappears. Yeesh!

Re-creating recipes at home is my thing, so I took a stab at re-creating my family's beloved veggie cream cheese spread because I could make larger quantities and control the ingredients. It took a couple of tries experimenting with the ingredients (apparently, cucumber was a no-no), but according to our "Master Taster Tester," as my son calls himself, this recipe got a thumbs up!

With just a few ingredients and a few minutes of chopping and mixing, the result was a creamy, dreamy, savory spread, the perfect addition to bagels, crackers, sandwiches, and more! This recipe is so tasty and economical that you may never use the store tubs again!  

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have tried this tasty recipe. Return again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients

  • 3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened

  • 1/2 whole green pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

  • 1/2 whole red pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

  • 1/2 whole yellow pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

  • 6 whole green onions, sliced

  • 1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

  • 1 stalk of celery, coarsely chopped

  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled

  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) coarsely chopped chives (more to taste)

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Lem'n Dill Seasoning (more to taste)

  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning (more to taste)

*Feel free to add or subtract any veggies or herbs to your liking.

Preparation
Coarsely chop the peppers, the onions, carrot, celery, and herbs.  Add all the ingredients, except the cream cheese, to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.  My family prefers chunks of vegetables in their veggie cream cheese spread, but you are welcome to pulse until really fine. Scoop out the vegetable mixture from the food processor and place into a bowl. Set aside.  

*Note:  if you do not have a food processor, don't fret, this recipe can easily be made by finely chopping up all the ingredients and adding to the softened cream cheese.

Combine the cream cheese in the food processor until smooth.   Remove the cream cheese from the food processor and add to the vegetables.  Mix to combine.  Refrigerate the mixture for at least a half hour to marry the flavors.

Spread this heavenly mixture on just about anything, bagels, crackers, sandwiches, wraps, or use as a dip.  Enjoy!

Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread Recipe

Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread Recipe

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30 Amazing Memorial Day BBQ Recipes

parties, recipe round upSheri SpalloneComment
30 Amazing Memorial Day BBQ Recipes

30 Amazing Memorial Day BBQ Recipes

Happy May!

According to www.daysoftheyear.com, May is National BBQ month!  It is the unofficial beginning of summer, and a time for celebrations such as Mother's Day, graduations, and the end of the school year.  May is also a month to remember those who have fought for our freedom.

Amid the celebrations, Memorial Day seems to get tucked in at the end of May and often does not get the recognition it deserves.  This particular holiday is meant to be a day of recognition to our servicemen and servicewomen, past and present, who have protected our rights as Americans. "Thank you to every serviceman and servicewoman who has given their all to guarantee us the wonderful freedom we enjoy. May we never forget nor take for granted what their sacrifice means to us!" - Anonymous

Well said! 

In honor of May and freedom and National BBQ month, we hope you enjoy our 30 favorite BBQ recipes to make your holiday easy peasy.  So celebrate your freedom this Memorial Day with a BBQ surrounded by your family and friends, and say thank you to those who serve and have served our glorious country!

Thanks for stopping by!  Please comment below if you have made any of these delicious recipes. Please come back and visit us.

Enjoy!

Appetizers

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Cooking Tip: What to do With Wrinkled Tomatoes

cooking tipsSheri Spallone4 Comments

Cooking Tip: What to do with wrinkled tomatoes

Poor little wrinkled cherry tomatoes! We were away, and when we returned, we found these little guys in the back of the refrigerator. They didn't ask for this! But alas, there is hope for these poor fellows: "oven-dried tomatoes! As I've mentioned in previous posts, I hate to waste food, so drying them in the oven made perfect sense.

Slice the tomatoes in half, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with Cherchies Garlic Seasoning (or Cherchies Garlic'n Herbs No Salt Seasoning), and pepper.

Slow-roast at 200 degrees for a couple of hours, until they turn into beautiful sun-dried tomatoes. Cool them completely, then place them in a Ziploc bag and let them chill in the freezer until you're ready to use them in a recipe. 

After drying, the tomatoes become soft, chewy, tangy, and intensely flavorful — perfect for adding a burst of rich, umami-packed tomato goodness to all kinds of dishes, without needing a dehydrator or actual sun-drying.

These flavorful oven-dried tomatoes are delicious in pasta, salads, sandwiches, on charcuterie boards, etc.

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have tried this tip. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Baked Coconut Shrimp With Spicy Apricot Sauce Recipe

glaze marinade & sauce, entrees, appetizers, lunchSheri SpalloneComment
Baked Coconut Shrimp With Spicy Apricot Sauce Recipe

Baked Coconut Shrimp With Spicy Apricot Sauce Recipe

Do you have a favorite food that makes you weak in the knees? For me, that would be coconut shrimp, but this dish is often an occasional indulgence because of the fried factor. But behold Baked Coconut Shrimp! Hello!

This delicious recipe (adapted from tablespoon.com), featuring Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning and Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend, is a lighter version of its cousin, fried coconut shrimp, as it uses egg whites and is baked to a golden brown in the oven.

Engulfed in a blanket of sweet crispy coconut and served with a spicy apricot-pineapple sauce, this easy-baked shrimp recipe is the perfect treat for dinner, lunch, or as an elegant appetizer for guests. It is healthy, easy, and tasty, and although this dish may be low in fat, it is high in flavor! You may want to grab some for yourself because these succulent morsels will disappear right before your eyes!

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have made this recipe. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients

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Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Clean and dry shrimp. Carefully separate the yolks from the egg whites, using the shell as a separator, and reserve the egg yolks for another yummy recipe.  Add the Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning to the egg whites and mix.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand held mixer until the egg whites make soft peaks, about a few minutes.

Arrange three bowls on your prep surface and place the following ingredients in the bowls in this order, corn starch, egg whites, and the shredded coconut.  Hold shrimp by the tail and dip into the cornstarch, then the egg whites, followed by the coconut and place on the parchment lined baking sheet.  

Place the shrimp on the baking sheet, sprinkle them with Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub, lightly spray with cooking oil, and bake the shrimp in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

 While the shrimp are cooking, prepare the dipping sauce.  Mix together the Apricot Preserves, the hot sauce (to taste), and the lime juice.  

When the shrimp are golden brown, remove them from the oven and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

 

 

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