Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern  Rosh Hashanah, which means “Head of the Year” in Hebrew, is the beginning of the Jewish year will be observed September 13th through September 15th. Rosh Hashanah is one of the two High Holy Days in the Jewish religion (the other being Yom Kippur) and there are many traditions and rituals that take place during the holiday. As with every major Jewish holiday, women and girls light candles on each evening of Rosh Hashanah and recite the Jewish blessing Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim, “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.” One Rosh Hashanah tradition involving food is to eat apples dipped in honey to represent a sweet New Year and round challah bread to represent the cyclical nature of a year. Raisins or apples are also sometimes added to the challah bread to represent the sweetness of a new year in addition to the apples dipped in honey. iStock_000013879490_MediumDifferent families have different traditions surrounding the holiday that have been passed down throughout the years. After the traditional apples dipped in honey and challah bread are shared there are many different foods prepared for the Rosh Hashanah celebration. Main dishes can vary depending on what your guests enjoy. Some families enjoy chicken dishes, while others may have a more traditional brisket. Side dishes can vary from matzo balls and other traditional foods (Gefilte Fish anyone?), to other dishes that complement your main dish. There’s often roasted vegetables such as carrots and potatoes, but tart foods are generally avoided on this holiday with an emphasis on sweet flavors. As with the apples dipped in honey, sweet flavors are represented throughout the dinner to symbolize the desire for good things in the upcoming year.  One of those sweet side dishes you will see featured in most Rosh Hashanah dinners are tzimmes. There are many different variations of this dish, but they are all delicious! If you aren’t sure where to start with your tzimmes here is an easy recipe to follow! Apples often appear on the dessert menu during the Rosh Hashanah holiday both because of their symbolic significance and because apples often taste sweeter in the fall. There can be everything from apple cakes, pies, or tarts! It ultimately depends on what your family likes to eat. A fun idea is to have people bring different deserts so there is variety, but it also relieves some of the pressure off the host or hostess to prepare a fabulous meal. For more Rosh Hashanah dinner inspiration check out our Pinterest board! We wish all of our customers observing Rosh Hashanah a Happy New Year! L’shanah Tovah! Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern It’s that time of year again! School is starting up and the lazy days of summer are gone for another year. As a partner to local communities, Price Chopper believes in giving back to schools and helping to enhance the learning process for local students. The Tools for Schools program runs from now until March 26th, 2016. At the end of the school year Price Chopper will distribute $500,000 in school supplies among schools in the program. Earning points is easy, once your AdvantEdge card is registered into the program online or at the Guest Services desk, every dollar you spend is one point for your school of choice (alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, lottery tickets, gift cards, stamps, tickets to go, tax, and bottle deposits are excluded) earns points. Double points are earned every Price Chopper or Central Market Classic brand product purchased. You can see how many points you’ve earned for you school on the bottom of your Price Chopper receipt every time you shop! TFSlogo-blue.epsThere will be opportunities and contests built into the program for schools to earn bonus points throughout the year! Make sure to visit Price Chopper Facebook page on September 1st for the opportunity to earn 5,000 bonus points! Your school’s coordinator will comment on the Tools for Schools post made that day with the name of your school and the schools code (the code is what is used to register your AdvantEdge card into the program.) Schools receiving over 100 likes will earn 5,000 bonus points! Coordinators! Make sure you have your bonus points checklist handy so you never miss an opportunity to earn bonus points for your school! As part of the Tools for Schools program, Price Chopper will be hosting our annual school supply drive.Now through September 12th, school supplies you purchase can be donated by placing them into the bins in the front of your local store. At the end of the drive, the Salvation Army will collect the items and distribute them to students in need. To check if your school is enrolled, simply stop at the Guest Services desk or check at pricechopper.com. If your school is not yet in the program, talk to school officials and they can get the school enrolled in the program. Written By: Ellie Wilson, MS, RD  Senior Nutritionist, Price Chopper Supermarkets There is so much to talk about! Summer squash is the star this week, and we have it from our farmer partners at Reeves Farm, Shaul’s Farm, Paul Mazza Farms, Davandjer Farms, Black Horse Farms, Hoover’s Produce, and Plainville Farm. I have visited many of these farms – this year is a good harvest for summer squash.iStock_000003950671_Medium Yellow summer squash and zucchini are super versatile – mild flavored, they can be served grilled, sautéed, ribboned (a beautiful presentation, and so easy to do with your usual handy kitchen peeler), or in salads; grated and added to quick bread batter, chopped in soup or pasta dishes – the possibilities are almost endless. These squash are low in calories, and high in Vitamin C. We also have some delicate and petite patty pan squash. Mild flavored like its cousins, patty pan adds great visual appeal to a meal. Patty pans also have a few different names – they can be called scallop squash, or button squash. Little kids call them flying saucers, and you can use that to get them to try a new vegetable! Heather Eckhardt at Kinderhook Creek Farm has shared a terrific zucchini appetizer recipe that is great for summer parties and will have your friends begging for the recipe. Heather Eckhardt’s Zucchini Appetizer Mix oil, eggs, Bisquick, parsley, salt and pepper together. Stir in zucchini. Spread onto a cookie sheet (with a high lip, or a jelly roll pan), single layer. Then layer the onion, pepper, and tomatoes, as though it were a pizza. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 350 F for 30 – 35 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into squares with a pizza cutter. I slice squash up, and depending on how hot it is, grill them with olive oil and fresh basil in a grill pan over a low flame, or oven roast them the same way. All of the summer squashes can be made this way – fresh basil, a little sea salt to finish and you have the tastes of summer on your plate. Zucchini and yellow squash are great for kabobs with a delicious Certified Angus Beef steak. You can add some fresh herbs and spices in for a little extra flavor.Certified-Angus-Beef-logo Summer Sizzle Steak Combine dressing, mustard, herbs and ginger in a close-able plastic bag or bowl with a cover. Add meat and vegetables to the dressing. Allow to marinate for 2 hours, refrigerated. Thread onto wooden or metal skewers. Note – wooden skewers should be soaked in water for an hour before use. Grill kabobs 5 minutes each side until meat reaches desired doneness. With the addition to Growler Stations to some of our capital region stores, we are happy to invite you to tastings throughout the month of July featuring 21st Amendment Brewery, Blue Point Brewing Company, and Druthers Brewing Company. 21st Amendment Brewery is based out of San Francisco, California and started in 2000 by Shaun O’Sullivan and Nico Feccia. 21st Amendment Brewery’s goal is to rebuild the culture lost during prohibition, one beer at a time. Blue Point Brewing Company is located on Long Island in New York and is named after the favorite oysters of Queen Victoria. Their goal is to continue to brew beer their fans want to drink. Druthers Brewing Company is located in Saratoga Springs, New York and they are driven by rewarding those who live grandly and honestly with good beer. Make sure to check out their new brewpub on 1053 Broadway, Albany, New York! Ommegang Brewery located in Copperstown, New York was built in 1997 on what used to be a hop farm. Their Ommegang Summer of Love Tour Bus, will make a stop at Market 32 in Clifton Park to highlight their new Hopstate NY American Pale Ale made with hops only grown in New York State! All attendees must be at least 21. Check below for times and locations of these tasting events! 21st Amendment July 17th -21st Amendment Brewery featuring Hell or High Watermelon 4-6pm Market 32 in Wilton, NY 6:30-8:30pm Saratoga, NY (Route 50 Store) July 18th-21st Amendment Brewery featuring Hell or High Watermelon 12-2pm Malta, NY 3-5pm Market 32 in Clifton Park, NY July 19th-21st Amendment Brewery featuring Hell or High Watermelon 12-2pm Market Bistro in Latham, NY 3-5pm Slingerlands, NY blue point July 24th– Blue Point Brewing Company featuring Blue Point Summer Ale 4-7pm Malta, NY 4-7pm Market 32 in Clifton Park, NY 4-7pm Market 32 in Wilton, NY July 25th– Blue Point Brewing Company featuring Blue Point Summer Ale 12-3pm Saratoga, NY (Route 50 Store) 12-3pm Market Bistro in Latham, NY 12-3pm Slingerlands, NY brewery-ommegang-85412382 July 30th- Ommegang Summer of Love Tour featuring Hopstate NY 11am-12pm Market 32 in Clifton Park druthers July 30th-Druthers Brewing Company featuring All-In IPA 3-5pm Saratoga, NY (Route 50 Store) 5:30-7:30pm Malta, NY July 31st-Druthers Brewing Company featuring All-In IPA 3-5pm Market 32 in Wilton, NY 5:30-7:30pm Market 32 in Clifton Park, NY August 1st-Druthers Brewing Company featuring All-In IPA  12-2pm Market Bistro in Latham, NY 2:30-4:30pm  Slingerlands, NY     It’s that time of year again-our Tools for Schools program is back! Price Chopper has committed over $500,000 to this effort with the goal of supporting schools in the communities we serve.  The portion of what your school earns depends on the participation of parents in the program.  HOW TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS WORKS:

1. Register your AdvantEdge card and designate a school at the Guest Services desk at your Price Chopper, at your school, or online.

2. The program beings on Sunday, July 29, 2012 and runs until Saturday, March 30, 2013.

3. All purchases using your AdvantEdge card will be automatically credited to your selected school.

4. Every dollar spent at Price Chopper earns you one point. Purchase brands in our brochure and receive double points!

Earn double points for your school on Brands you buy every day! All purchases using your AdvantEdge Card will be automatically credited to your selected school.  Your points are combined with points of others who have chosen to support your school (now that’s team work!).  HOW DO I GET STARTED? Registration for this program is simple!  If you enrolled last year, no need to enroll! New to the program? Register your AdvantEdge Card and designate a school at the guest services desk at your Price Chopper, at your school, or online. TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS SUPPLY DRIVE

Our tools for schools supply drive is back, too! 7/29 through 9/15, customers can purchase school supplies to help students and schools in need. Purchased supplies can be dropped into a specially designed cart at the front of each store.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Do I have to sign up again if I signed up in previous years?
If you enrolled last year, no need to enroll. Visit pricechopper.com to confirm enrollment or to change your school.
 
Do I earn points on everything that I buy?
Yes. Everything you buy will contribute points toward tape value your school can redeem for equipment. Earn double points on brands in this brochure.
 
How much can my school earn?
Price Chopper has committed over $500,000 to this effort with the goal of supporting schools in the communities we serve. The portion of what your school earns depends on the participation of parents in the program.
 
Where do I find my school code?
The Guest Service Desk at Price Chopper has a book containing all the school codes, or visit pricechopper.com
 
How do my points increase my school’s share of the over $500,000?
You earn points every time you use your AdvantEdge Card. Your points are combined with the points of others who have also chosen to support your school. The total is compared to the totals amassed by other schools to calculate what percentage of the over $500,000 your school will earn.
 
Must I have children in school to participate?
No. In fact, all shoppers are encouraged to help local schools get needed equipment through our Tools for Schools program. Support your community and enroll on behalf of your neighborhood school whether or not you have children attending school.
 
Can I check how many points I have earned?
Yes. Check your receipt for your Tools for Schools point balance.
 
My school isn’t listed. What should I do?
Contact school officials and tell them about the program. If school administration supports the effort, your school is far more likely to earn needed equipment. School administrators can contact a Tools for Schools representative at (800) 352-4658.
 
What is the school program coordinator’s role?
Each school is asked to have a school program coordinator, whose role is to promote the program by distributing information in school, communicating the program goals and entering AdvantEdge Card numbers provided by parents into the program.