Chicken Caprese Pasta Recipe

Chicken Caprese Pasta Recipe

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time:  20 Minutes
Difficulty:  Easy

Happy Spring friends!  Old man winter has finally loosened his grasp here in Pennsylvania, and signs of warmer weather are emerging everywhere...the Forsythia are awakening, the daffodils are smiling, the birds are playing, and the weather people are forecasting summer-like temperatures this weekend.  Amen!  To celebrate the return of Spring and warmth, I am excited to share this quick and easy, summer-like Chicken Caprese Pasta Recipe.

Nothing screams warm weather like juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and savory basil (aka Caprese).  I absolutely love this refreshing combination and by adding leftover chicken and pasta to the mix, dinner is easy peasy.  So if you want to tantalize your family's taste buds with an easy meal and celebrate the fresh taste of summer, grab some plump juicy tomatoes, Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz Seasoning, fresh mozzarella cheese, and create this deliciously satisfying summer-like dish.  Your family will thank you.  

Let us know how you liked this dish and as always, thank you for visiting our blog!  

Ingredients

• 1 package of spaghetti, cooked according to directions
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1 pound grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup prepared pesto (or make it homemade with our Perfect Pesto Recipe)
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced (cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or leftover chicken would work really well here)
• 1 Tablespoon Tbsp) fresh chopped basil for garnish

Preparation
Cook spaghetti according to package directions in salted water, and drain.  Rinse, dry, and slice cherry or grape tomatoes in half and set aside.

While spaghetti is cooking, prepare the sauce.   In a large skillet, add the cream cheese, light cream, pesto, and Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz.  Cook on low for 5 minutes.  The sauce should begin to thicken.  Add the tomatoes, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses to the sauce, stirring occasionally to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.  Towards the end of the cooking process, add the diced cooked chicken. 

When the pasta has finished cooking, drain the pasta and add to the skillet with the cheese mixture.  Cook for a couple of minutes.  Garnish with fresh basil and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes!

Bon appetito!

Chicken Caprese Pasta Recipe

Cobb Salad With Brown Derby Dressing Recipe

Cobb Salad With Derby Dressing Recipe

One of my favorite salads in the whole world is The Cobb Salad.  Who can resist crisp greens, creamy avocado, tomatoes, eggs, scallions, bacon, and leftover chicken?  I surely cannot. Did you know this famous salad originated in Hollywood, back in the 1920's?  

Here's some trivia for you:

The Cobb Salad got its name from Robert Cobb, an owner of the once famous Brown Derby Restaurant in Los Angeles. To quote marriedatthemovies.com: “As the story goes, late one night, [Cobb] prepared himself a salad of chopped leftover chicken with some other ingredients.  Four of his pals dropped by the restaurant after a movie preview, just as Bob was enjoying his homemade supper.  One asked what he was eating, and that salad became known as Bob’s ‘Cobb Salad.’ When the Hollywood Brown Derby opened in 1929, The Cobb Salad, with its homemade Derby French Dressing appeared as an official fixture on the menu.  To this day, the salad appears on menus throughout the country" (marriedatthemovies.com).  For the full history and original recipe, check out marriedatthemovies.com.  

Cool, huh?

Now I feel privileged to eat such a prestigious salad!  Our version is close to the original recipe, and surely one you will love. Another great line from marriedatthemovies.com: "At the Brown Derby, the Cobb Salad was presented to the guests with all the toppings lined up vertically over the salad greens, and tossed well with the Old Fashioned French Dressing, tableside." (www.marriedatthemovies.com).  The original Derby French Dressing recipe, according to Sally Cobb, called for English mustard, but we substituted Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and added Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning to the mix.  This recipe serves 6, but feel free to scale it down to your liking.  

We would love to hear your comments on this recipe and as always thank you for visiting our blog!   Enjoy!

Salad Ingredients

• 6 cups shredded mixed greens

• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken

•  1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes

• 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

• 6 slices of bacon, cooked, crispy, and crumbled

• 3 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced

• 1 avocado, seeded, peeled, and diced

• 2 green onions (green part only), chopped

• Brown Derby French Dressing

Brown Derby French Dressing

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) sugar

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard (Substitute Cherchies Hot Banana Pepper Mustard for a spicier palate)

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) ground pepper

• 1 clove of garlic, minced

• 1 green onion (green part only), chopped

Preparation

Prepare the salad dressing.  Add the salad dressing ingredients to a jar with a lid.  Tightly close the lid and shake the ingredients until combined.  Set aside.

Arrange the lettuce on a large platter.  As true to the original recipe, except for the green onions, place all the ingredients vertically over the salad.   We opted to arrange the ingredients in a star shape.

Garnish with the green onions and serve with The Brown Derby French Dressing.  Toss.

Enjoy!

Cobb Salad With Brown Derby Dressing Recipe

Champagne Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe

Champagne Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe

Prep Time:  30 minutes

Cook Time:  20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Do you need a food hug?  What's that you ask?  It is a food so comforting that it feels like a warm hug from a friend.  Last night, as I watched the pending weather forecast predict our fourth nor'easter in three weeks, I knew what was on the menu...one of my all-time favorite comfort foods, Chicken Tetrazzini. 

Days like this call for a food hug and our Champagne Chicken Tetrazzini will warm your soul! What's not to love about roast chicken, garlicky mushrooms, and silky noodles all smothered in a buttery wine, cheese sauce? 

I have made variations to this classic dish over the years, but this adaptation to The Pioneer Woman's Turkey Tetrazzini is one of my favorites.  The secret ingredient that adds that "Je ne sais quoi" (fancy for an indefinable quality) to this dish, is Cherchies® award-winning Champagne Mustard.  This recipe is so creamy, cheesy, and comforting that you will want to make this recipe again and again! It makes a large quantity, so you can always divide half of the mixture into a smaller pan and freeze the other half for later; or share the love with someone you hold dear.

We would love to hear your comments on this dish!  As always, thank you for visiting our blog.  

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. Spaghetti
• 4 Tablespoons (Tbsp) butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning or Cherchies® Garlic 'n Herbs Seasoning
• 1 lb. baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (tsp) Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend
• 1/3 cup flour
• 4 cups of turkey or chicken broth
• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard
• 3 cups cooked (leftover) chicken or turkey, diced or shredded
• 1 14 oz. package of frozen peas
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and broken into bits
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• Extra Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and pepper to taste
• Extra broth or water to thin mixture if needed
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (we used homemade bread crumbs, but panko would be just fine too)

Preparation  
Cook pasta according to package directions until almost done (al dente).  The pasta will finish cooking in the oven.  Drain and rinse the pasta.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms, onions, and Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning.  After a couple of minutes, add the garlic and saute until onions are translucent.  Add the white wine and allow the mushroom/onion mixture to cook for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.

Sprinkle the flour and Cherchies Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend over the mushroom/onion mixture and stir until mixture thickens.  Add the chicken broth and cook for an additional few minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low.   Add the cream cheese pieces to the pot, the Champagne Mustard, and stir to melt.  It may take a little while for the cream cheese pieces to melt, but they eventually will. 

Add the turkey or chicken, the peas, the bacon and the cheeses.  Stir to combine, adding more Garlic Seasoning and pepper to taste.

Add the cooked spaghetti and stir to combine.  Add more broth or water if needed to thin mixture.  It needs to be a bit soupy.  Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and sprinkle with a little more Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend, followed by the breadcrumbs.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and golden brown.

Enjoy a nice warm comforting food hug!

Champagne Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe

PB&J Cupcakes Recipe

Hello beautiful!  

Do you have a favorite food that rekindles childhood memories?  Is it the peanut butter and jelly sandwich (aka PB&J)?  Perhaps the mention of such a concoction makes you want to run for the hills.  But for me, I still believe the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is one of the best pairings on Earth!  Not only did I have them in my school lunchbox growing up, but it was also the first meal my parents taught me how to make, and the first meal we taught our children how to prepare.  In my opinion, it is the best comfort food out there, and is perfect anytime, anywhere.  So for all my PB&J lovers out there, I present to you a sweet rendition of this beloved classic...PB&J cupcakes! 

The PB&J is our family's go-to sandwich. Our children will often make it when they get home from school because it is quick, easy, and satisfying.  But PB&J cupcakes? Would that push my kiddos over their culinary boundaries?  I had never thought of making them until recently, but I had to give it a try and surprise my children with this delicious treat.  Instead of preparing these cupcakes identical to their nostalgic counterpart (with grape or strawberry jam), I opted for our Cherry Butter Spread and Blackberry Preserves (any of our butter spreads and preserves would be just as delicious).  I used white cupcakes that I adapted from Glorious Treats and added peanut butter to my sister's buttercream icing recipe.  

Friends, let me tell you something...you will be transported back to your childhood with these heavenly cupcakes! They turned out perfectly, as they were fluffy, fruity, and peanutty, just like a PB&J sandwich! My son liked them so much, he insisted on using this recipe for his upcoming Cupcake Wars school fundraiser.  You need to add this tasty recipe to your arsenal today!

Comment below, as we would love to know how they turn out on your end, and which butter spread or preserve you decided to use!   Or, use #cherchies_gourmet on Instagram or Twitter, or upload a photo of your concoction to our Facebook page. Or email it to me!   Have fun and thank you for visiting!

Ingredients- "Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes"- Recipe adapted from Glorious Treats

Yields- 15-16 cupcakes

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour*

• 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 egg whites

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)

• 1/3 cup milk (whole or low fat, but avoid fat free)

• 1/3 cup sour cream (full fat or light, but avoid fat free)

• Cherchies® Cherry Butter Spread (or Cherchies Apple or Strawberry Butter Spread)

• Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves (or Cherchies Fig or Cranberry Preserves)

• 15-16 cherries (optional for garnish)

*Note- if do not have cake flour, use this simple substitution, for every cup of flour, remove 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) of flour and substitute with cornstarch and sift together, several times.

Ingredients for Icing

• 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp.) almond extract

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) vanilla

• 4 Tablespoons half & half (milk is fine too)

• 1 lb. powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325*F.

Prepare the icing.  Cream together shortening, butter, peanut butter, extracts and milk.  Gradually add powdered sugar.  Mix until blended.  Set aside.

Preparation for cupcakes- In a medium bowl, add cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.   Sift the ingredients together and set aside.

In another bowl, mix the egg whites, sugar, vanilla and oil with an electric mixer and mix for about a minute.

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture.  Add the milk, then the rest of the flour and the sour cream.  Beat until just combined.  Scrape down the side of the bowl and make sure no lumps left at the bottom of the bowl.  Do not over mix.

The batter will be slightly thick.   Line muffin tins with cupcake liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full, so as not to spill over the sides.   Bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes, checking them at 15 minutes.   Insert a toothpick or a cake tester to check for doneness.  If toothpick or cake tester come out clean, cupcake is done.  If not, give it another minute or so until done.  You do not want to overcook the cupcakes.  Slightly under cooking is best, as the cupcakes will continue to cook when removed from the oven.

Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack for about five minutes.  With a paring knife, cut a small "cone" in the middle of the cupcake, cutting off the end of the cone, and discarding the end.  Do this with each cupcake.  Fill each cupcake with about one spoonful (about 1 Tablespoon) of Cherchies® Cherry Butter Spread or Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves.   I added Cherry Butter to half of the batch and Blackberry Preserves to the other half.  If I had our other preserves on hand, I would have made more variations.  I guess I will have to make more cupcakes:).

Replace cupcake "lid" over preserves.   Ice cupcakes with the buttercream icing, using a 1M tip, or your favorite tip.  Garnish with a cherry.

Note: The cupcakes and frosting can be made ahead 1 day in advance.  Make sure to cover tightly and store them in the refrigerator.  Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months, but thaw overnight in the refrigerator when ready to use.- Cooking tip from Sally's Baking addiction.

Serve and enjoy!