Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Cook Time:  4-5 hours high or 6-8 low in a slow cooker

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Originally posted in 2018. Updated with new pictures.

"You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody! It's great to be here." - Buddy, from the movie Elf. Now, take away the words cup of coffee and add in "beef stew," and what do you have? World's best beef stew!  

Yes, I realize the holidays are over, but I had to chuckle recently when making my favorite beef stew recipe. I happened to google beef stew, and a dozen articles popped up claiming to be "The Best Beef Stew Recipe." It made me giggle and think of Buddy the elf. I know...I digress:)

While our beef stew may not be famous, this hearty beef stew hits all the flavor notes, and according to our family and friends, IT IS The Best Beef Stew!! It is like a big flavorful hug of comfort. Perhaps it is the Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, or maybe it is our secret ingredient, Cherchies® Champagne Mustard, that seals the deal?  

So if you are "stewing" over The Best Beef Stew recipe to serve your gang, consider adding our Hearty Beef Stew Recipe to your cache. This comforting recipe, bursting with flavor, will warm your soul from the inside out, and we are confident you will find our Hearty Beef Stew to be the "Best Beef Stew Recipe" out there;)

Thank you for visiting! Please comment below if you made this recipe and come back again.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 cup flour (or gluten-free flour of choice)

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) ground pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Rosemary (dried or fresh)

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Thyme (dried or fresh)

• 2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Olive Oil

• 1 onion, chopped and divided in half

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Minors Beef Base (or beef bouillion of your choice)

• 1 cup of water

• 1/2 cup red wine (plus a glass for yourself:)

• 2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) tomato paste

• 4 carrots, washed, peeled, and diced into 1-inch pieces

• 5 stalks of celery, washed and coarsely chopped

• 4 potatoes, washed and diced into cubes

• 2 Bay leaves

• 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)

Preparation

Chop all vegetables and set them aside.  In a large bowl, add the flour, the and Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, pepper, Rosemary, and Thyme, and stir.  Add the stew meat to the bowl and mix with hands to evenly coat the meat with the flour mixture.  

Turn your crockpot on low.  Add half of the onions to the slow cooker. 

This step is completely optional, but I feel it really locks in the flavor.  If you are short on time, then skip this step.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil to medium.  Add coated meat in batches to the hot skillet, and sear on all sides for a couple of minutes, stirring often.  Once the meat is lightly seared, place over onions in the slow cooker.  After about half of the meat is finished searing, add the second half of onions to the slow cooker.  Add the rest of the seared meat to the slow cooker.  Feel free to add a little more oil if it looks like you will need it.  Once the meat has been seared and placed in the slow cooker, now it is time for the rich sauce.

Turn the pan down to low.  Mix the water and beef base together until it has dissolved.  Set aside.  Add the red wine to begin deglazing the pan.  Make sure to scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen all the wonderful bits and flavor from the bottom.  Add the leftover flour, beef base and Worcestershire sauce, Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and tomato paste to the pan.  Cook and stir for a few minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  

Pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker.  Add the chopped carrots, celery, potatoes, and bay leaf to the slow cooker!  Add peas (optional) towards the end of cooking time. Turn your slow cooker on low, walk away, and in a few hours you will enjoy "The Best Beef Stew!".   

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

Originally posted in 2016 but with updated pictures! Our #1 requested recipe!

This salmon recipe is probably the most delicious salmon recipe I have ever made, salmon with a blackberry champagne mustard glaze. Awesome! 

I failed to mention this recipe is extremely easy. Just my speed, "easy and elegant".  The best part, my family LOVED it.  They didn't even need the "one bite rule" enforced.  

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves

• 1/4 cup Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

• Fresh Salmon (adjust glaze according to amount of salmon)

• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) pepper

• 4 Tablespoons (Tbsp) butter

• parchment paper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking pan with parchment paper.  Sprinkle salmon with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and pepper.  Divide the butter into Tablespoon (Tbsp) portions and place on salmon a few inches apart.  

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves until blended.  Slather the mixture over the salmon.  Bake the salmon in the oven for 20 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through (breaks apart easily with a fork).

Serve with your favorite salad.  Enjoy!

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Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

Mini Herbed Cheese Ball Recipe

Mini Herbed Cheese Ball Recipe

Don't let the ball drop this New Year's without trying these classic mini herbed cheese balls with pretzel sticks. Individually portioned and perfect for social distancing, these tasty, colorful morsels are easy to make and pop in your mouth as you pop open the bubbly. These festive cheese balls, featuring Cherchies® Seasoning blends can be made ahead, allowing you more time to ring in the New Year with those you hold dear.

Did you know?  Research shows that serving round foods (which resemble coins, meaning wealth) on New Years' is supposed to bring good luck. After an unprecedented year like 2020, good luck sounds dreamy right now.

Even though your New Year's Eve plans may look different this year, you can still make it a night to remember with these mini savory cheeseballs. They are easy to make, they can be made ahead, and they are an absolute must-have recipe for your New Year's arsenal. 

Have a safe and Happy New Year, friends! Thank you for visiting, and please come back again!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

• 4 oz. bleu cheese, room temperature

• 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 small onion, grated or finely minced

• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

• Cherchies® Lem’n Dill Seasoning, Cherchies Pepper Pizzazz, and Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend (We tested this recipe with these seasoning blends, but feel free to experiment with your favorite and report back to us!)
  
  Preparation

  Allow the cream cheese to rest on the counter in the package for about 30 minutes, or until softened to room temperature. (If you are in a rush, try this trick. Place sealed package of cream cheese, sans the box, in a small bowl with warm water. This will allow the cream cheese to soften quicker).

  In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, bleu cheese, cheddar cheese, minced onions, and Worcestershire sauce. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (can also be made ahead to chill in refrigerator over night).

When close to serving, evenly distribute the Cherchies® Seasoning Blends on three plates. (This will be used to roll up the mini cheese balls.) With a melon ball scooper, scoop out individual portions of the cheese mixture and roll in the various seasoning blends.

When ready to serve, add a pretzel stick for individual tasty portions. Enjoy!

Peachy Chicken And Vegetable Kabobs Recipe

Peachy Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs Recipe

How was your weekend? Our summer kickoffs may have changed this year, but hopefully, everyone enjoyed themselves with family and stayed safe at home. The weather was finally beautiful here in Pennsylvania, so we all opted to go outside, enjoy the weather, and have a backyard family bbq, just the five of us. First on the menu was Peachy Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs.

Keeping holiday gatherings normal right now is an understatement, and with limited ingredients and limited trips to the grocery, it changes how we cook. Kabobs lend themselves to whatever protein and vegetables you have on hand, and for this holiday weekend, I made one of our family’s favorites, with a peachy twist. I added Cherchies Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa to the mix and hoped for the best. Probably not the best time to experiment, but challenging my family’s palate is something I often do:). Luckily my experiment worked, and my family devoured the kabobs.

If you are looking to tantalize your taste buds with a new sweet and spicy grilling recipe, look no further. The Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa mixed with soy sauce, garlic, hot sauce, and seasonings, elevate these kabobs from good to exceptional.

So, are you ready to tantalize your taste buds?

Thank you for stopping by. Come back again!

Comment below and let us know if you tried this recipe and if you made any substitutions. Or, you can comment on Instagram #cherchies_gourmet.

Stay safe, stay well, and enjoy time with your family.

Ingredients

• 2-3 Chicken breasts, cut into cubes (more for a crowd)

• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) Cherchies Garlic Seasoning (Can substitute Cherchies Garlic'n Herbs No Salt Seasoning)

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) pepper

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 cup Cherchies® Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa

• 1/4 cup hot sauce

• 1/2 Pineapple cut into 1 inch chunks (scales removed and cored).

• 1 red pepper, washed, seeded, and cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1 yellow pepper, washed, seeded, and cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1 small container Baby Bella Mushrooms, washed with stems removed and cut in half

• 1 medium onion, diced into 1 inch pieces

• Cooking spray

• Skewers (soaked 30 minutes prior to cooking)

• Additional 1/2 cup Cherchies® Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa for dipping (optional)

Preparation

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, soy sauce, Cherchies® Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa, and hot sauce. Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and place into a medium bowl. Season the chicken with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and pepper. Mix. Add 2/3 of the marinade to the chicken. Mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours.

Wash and chop the vegetables and pineapple, and place in a shallow pan. Add the rest of the marinade and mix until completely covered. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours.

30 minutes prior to grilling, soak the skewers in a shallow casserole dish.

*Remove the marinated chicken and vegetables from the refrigerator. Save the marinade from the vegetables to use for basting the kabobs later. (If you want to use the marinade from the meat, make sure to boil the marinade until it reaches a temperature of at least 165 degrees. This way, any harmful bacteria will be removed). See FDA Guidelines.

Thread the chicken on separate skewers from the vegetables. (I find this works better with the different cook times of the chicken and vegetables). Next, alternate the peppers, onions, mushrooms, pineapple on different skewers in any arrangement you prefer.

Spray the grill with cooking spray, light the grill, and turn grill onto high for a few minutes. We use a gas grill, but you can easily grill these on a charcoal grill.

When you are ready to cook the skewers, turn the grill down to low.  Place chicken on grill and cook for a few minutes on each side.

After the chicken has cooked for a few minutes, add the vegetable/pineapple skewers to the grill, and cook for a few minutes on each side. I love adding pineapple to the vegetables because it adds so much flavor. If you've never had grilled pineapple, you're in for a real treat!  All the sugars in the pineapple come to life, for flavors that will make your taste buds tingle.

Baste the skewers with the leftover vegetable marinade as the kabobs cook.  *(See above guidelines for marinade safety). The chicken should no longer be pink on the inside and the vegetables should be tender crisp with grill marks.

Remove the kabobs from the grill and set aside on a platter for about five minutes. This allows the meat to rest and absorb all the juices.   Add Cherchies® Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa for dipping.

Serve with Aunt Ester’s Potato Salad and dinner is served! Enjoy.

Peachy Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs Recipe