Jalapeño Popper Pumpkin Cheeseball Recipe

Jalapeño Popper Pumpkin Recipe

Prep Time:  20 Minutes  (Plus extra time to chill the cheeseball)
Difficulty:  Easy
Serves: 8-10

Happy Fall, everyone!

An easy appetizer that never gets old is the cheeseball, and this pumpkin cheeseball is perfect for entertaining for Fall, Halloween, or Thanksgiving. Not only does the mighty cheeseball, although underrated, lean itself to festive shapes; footballs during game day season, pumpkins for Fall, snowmen, reindeer and trees for winter, and so much more, this recipe is so easy and tasty that you will want to keep it in your back pocket for any occasion.

We’ve spiced things up with this delicious jalapeño popper pumpkin cheeseball featuring cream cheese, fresh and pickled jalapeños, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, and Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning Blend. It is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, and the flavors intensify beautifully if you make it ahead.

This jalapeño popper cheeseball is such a hit we’re constantly asked to bring it to gatherings, and you will be amiss not to try it! And, because it can be made ahead, it allows you more time with your family and friends.

If you’re looking for a new appetizer to add to your Fall culinary cache, consider this jalapeño popper pumpkin cheeseball. You will not be disappointed.

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

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Ingredients

• 3 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

• 1 8oz. block of cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (Hand-shredded is better than store-bought shredded cheese)* See Note

• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese (could use pepper jack if you like it spicier. (Hand-shredded is better than store-bought shredded cheese)* See Note

• 1/3 cup seeded and finely diced fresh jalapeños (2 medium or 1 large…more if you like it spicier), reserving one stem to finish the pumpkin at the end

• 1/3 cup finely diced pickled jalapeños (recipe to come soon for homemade pickled jalapeños)

• 1/2- 1 teaspoon (tsp.) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning Blend (Could substitute Cherchies® Garlic ‘N Herbs NO-SALT) Seasoning.

• 1/4 cup chopped chives or green onions- white and green parts (Optional. I have used them before, but not for this photograph).

• 1 snack-size bag of Cheese Itz crackers, crushed (Could use cheese puffs, spicy Doritos, or even extra cheddar* See Notes).

• 3 rubber bands

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the oven is ready, with a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, place bacon on the baking sheet and cook until crispy. (Every oven is different, so you must watch the bacon for about 15 minutes, give or take a few).

While bacon is cooking, chop up jalapeños and grate the cheese. Be sure to save one stem as decoration for the finished product.

Add the cream cheese, shredded cheese, Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, and jalapeños to a medium-sized bowl. (Make sure to use kitchen gloves while chopping up jalapeños…trust me from experience; you need the gloves).

When cooked and cooled, chop up the bacon and add to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients with a hand-held mixer until combined.

Use a rubber spatula to shape the mixture into a ball. Place the cheeseball on a piece of plastic wrap and cover the cheeseball. Use rubber bands to create the typical grooves found on pumpkins. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Place the cheese crackers in a plastic resealable bag and crush them with a rolling pin, rolling over the bag until fine crumbs are formed. Set aside. If you have a food processor, place the crackers in the processor and pulse until finely ground.

Once your cheeseball has chilled in the refrigerator*, add the crushed crackers to a medium bowl, remove the rubber bands, and roll the cheese pumpkin in the crushed crackers. Decorate with the saved jalapeño stem and serve with crackers, pretzels, and/or carrots, celery, and cucumbers for a healthier dipping option.

Enjoy!

For a football shape, add extra cooked bacon on the outside, followed by Provolone or Monterey Jack cheese.

Notes:

• Substituting the Cheese Itz- Feel free to substitute them with cheese puffs, spicy Doritos (regular Doritos are not as orange, or extra grated yellow cheddar cheese.

• Grating Cheese- It’s always better to hand-grate a block of cheese. Pre-shredded cheese works in a pinch. If baking this mixture for a hot dip, hand-grated cheese is best because the pre-shredded cheese does not melt as well because of the coating added to the cheese.

• Would you prefer a hot dip? Evenly spread the dip ingredients into a pie plate (step five, “Use a rubber spatula to shape the mixture into a ball”), sprinkle with the cracker crumbs, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Sometimes, it takes the perfect sauce to round out a tasty recipe.  This creamy Southwestern-style Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe is a keeper!

Blended with garlic, jalapeños, fresh herbs, mayonnaise, and Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning, this sauce is a breeze to whip up in your kitchen.  It's a flavor explosion perfect for enhancing salads, tacos, and Southwest dishes, as a dip for fries and vegetables, as a marinade, and more.  Similar to the iconic Cafe Rio Dressing (mainly found in the Western United States), this tangy, refreshing sauce might become your go-to sauce for every meal.

Look no further if you have been searching for the perfect flavorful, zingy sauce to liven up your favorite Southwest dishes, dips, etc., and tantalize your tastebuds with this bright and fresh cilantro lime dressing.  You will not be disappointed.

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have tried 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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Enjoy!

*See below for our Tips and FAQ’s

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning (more to taste)

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp.) ground pepper

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1 bunch of cilantro, stems included

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, roughly chopped

• 1/3 to 1/2 cups half and half

• Zest of half a lime

• Juice of half a lime

Preparation

Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend for at least a minute on high or until ingredients are combined and the sauce is smooth.

We recommend refrigerating this sauce for a few hours in a resealable container to enhance the flavors. Enjoy!

TIPS AND FAQ:

How Do You Use Cilantro Lime Dressing?

• Salads- Substitute your favorite dressing with this Cilantro Lime Dressing for a refreshing twist. Here are a couple of our favorite salads that would work well with this tangy dressing. Wedge Salad, Cobb Salad, and Our Best Darn Coleslaw.

• Dips- Perfect for a dip for fries, vegetables, Chicken Skewers, etc.

Sauce- Use it as a sauce to drizzle over your favorite Southwest dishes, like our favorites: tacos, chili stuffed peppers, and grilled shrimp.

And so much more!

FAQ’S

Can You Use Substitutions or Add-ins?

Absolutely!

• Feel free to substitute the mayonnaise and sour cream with Greek Yogurt.

• Use pickled jalapenos or canned green chilies for the fresh jalapenos.

• Add one-half of an avocado for extra creaminess.

• *Add one tomatillo, hulled and cut in half

• Substitute milk for the half and half.
  

Yogurt and Lem'n Dill Sauce Recipe

Yogurt and Lem ‘n Dill Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: (No cooking. (30 minutes in the refrigerator)

Difficulty: Easy

One of our favorite sauces over veggies, chicken, lamb, and fish, or paired with gyros or falafels, is this delicious yogurt and lemon dill sauce featuring Cherchies® Lem'N Dill Seasoning.

Sauces are "liquids that accompany the main ingredients of a dish." They are the perfect flavor enhancer for dishes. Sometimes, we add sauces to intensify the food's flavor and stimulate our senses; other times, we may use them to complement the dish with contrasting tastes.  cookist.com. Now you know! 

The beauty of this dreamy sauce is that it is ready in less than 5 minutes and is perfect for low-carb diets, and by substituting the yogurt with vegan yogurt, it becomes a tasty plant-based condiment. We suggest making this sauce half an hour before serving, but allowing the sauce to refrigerate for a couple of hours intensifies the flavors.

So, keep this easy recipe in your back pocket if you want a flavorful, creamy sauce for veggies, chicken, lamb, fish, or certain Mediterranean dishes, such as Gyros or falafels. Your taste buds will thank you. 

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have tried 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 

• 1 (8oz.) plain, low-fat yogurt (Substitute Greek yogurt if you prefer))

• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp.) salt

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) white pepper

• 2 Tablespoons (TBSP) Lem 'n Dill Seasoning Blend

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise

Preparation 

Mix all the ingredients together and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. We suggest at least a half hour, but allowing the sauce to refrigerate for a couple of hours intensifies the flavors. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out by adding a little water.

Enjoy!

Fresh Zucchini Pie Recipe

Fresh Zucchini Pie Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time:  65 minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

Serves 8

Is zucchini growing out of your ears this Summer? Our garden has abundantly provided us with a plethora of zucchini this summer. As mentioned in my recent post, aside from stir-fries, sauteeing, fritters, zucchini bread (more on that in another post), or even giving to neighbors, I needed another recipe to share with you to use up our bounty. Introducing our Fresh Zucchini Pie Recipe!

This garden-fresh recipe features, you guessed it, ZUCCHINI, mushrooms, eggs, cheese, Cherchies® Lem ‘N Dill and Cherchies® Garlic Seasonings, and an unusual hash brown pie crust. We have tried other recipes without using Cherchies® Seasonings, and the result is not the same.

This easy recipe would be perfect for brunch, “Meatless Monday,” dinner, or any time you have a hankering for fresh veggies, cheese, and potatoes. Serve this zucchini pie with our Cranberry Spinach Salad for a complete meal.

Thank you for stopping by! Comment below if you have tried this tasty recipe. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products. Family and picky husband approved;)

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Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 cups frozen loose-pack hash brown potatoes, thawed (*You can also make your own hash browns. See Note below).

• 1 beaten egg

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) Cherchies® Lem’n Dill Seasoning

• 2 cups thinly sliced zucchini

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

• 1 TBSP. margarine or butter

• 3 beaten eggs

• 3/4 cup shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese

• 1⁄2 cup milk

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

• 2 teaspoons (tsp.) snipped fresh oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp.) salt

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp.) pepper

• cooking spray

*Note: This time, we made our own hash browns with gold potatoes that we had on hand and our food processor’s shredding attachment for this picture. Before we assembled this pie, we soaked the potatoes in cold water to avoid turning brown and then drained them on a clean dish towel.

Preparation

Combine one egg, onion, and Parmesan cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir in potatoes. Transfer the potato mixture to a 9-inch pie plate or a 10-inch quiche dish. Pat the mixture in the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Bake uncovered in a 400° oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. (I accidentally cooked my crust too long for the photo).

Cool slightly on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. In a large skillet, sauté zucchini and mushrooms in butter until crisp-tender. Cool slightly. Arrange the zucchini mixture atop the crust.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the remaining three eggs, cheese, milk, Cherchies® Lem’N Dill and Garlic Seasonings, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour the zucchini mixture into the hash brown crust. Bake in the oven at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Fresh Zucchini Pie. Enjoy!