Mia Teal
Marketing Coordinator, Paid Media
It’s June – do you know what that means? It is National Dairy Month! We are celebrating all the creamy goodness of dairy this month, ranging from milk, cheese, ice cream, and everything in between! At Price Chopper and Market 32, we have a surplus of dairy products to offer, including our new PICS pint ice cream! Be sure to check them out at the end of this article.
National Dairy Month was originally just “National Milk Month” as a way to encourage people to drink more milk. However, this eventually became “National Dairy Month” by the National Dairy Council as a way to promote the benefits that dairy products provide to us. We have so many recipes on our website for all our dairy lovers! Let’s take a look at a few…
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches: Nothing beats an ice cream sandwich on a warm summer day! Be sure to check out our PICS ice cream for a wide variety of flavors.
Baked Buffalo Cheese Sticks: The best appetizer right at your fingertips!
Caramel Milkshake: This four-ingredient shake is sure to be a fan favorite!
Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza: In a hurry? No need to worry! This pizza is easy to make and perfect for celebrating National Dairy Month!
Lucky Charms Frozen Yogurt Pie: Looking for something fun to make for your July 4th celebration? This frozen yogurt pie is flavorful and festive. Beware: This will go fast!
Philly Cheesesteak Dip: Take your homemade dip to the next level with this Philly Cheesesteak Dip!
How to Build Your Own Charcuterie Board
Charcuterie boards present a thoughtful selection of meats, cheeses and accompaniments that make for low maintenance, snack-style meals. They’re perfect for entertaining and encourage mixing and matching of ingredients that create unique, flavorful bites. The art of composing a charcuterie board can be as simple or as sophisticated as you’d like. Use these quick tips to create your ultimate charcuterie board.
Meats
The heroes of the board, charcuterie meats range in taste from mild to spicy and come in varying textures from delicate to thick and chewy. Rich, cured charcuterie meats are excellent in small doses, so choosing two to three meats to feature is sufficient. Try melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto, smoky salami, spicy chorizo or zesty pepperoni.
Cheeses
When selecting cheeses, consider texture, flavor, type and style. Draw inspiration from your meats – mellow out rich meats with soft cheeses like mozzarella, Brie or goat cheese. Pair milder varieties, like prosciutto, with complex cheeses that have eclectic profiles such as pungent blue cheese or sharp Manchego.
Fruits & Preserves
Seasonal eating applies to boards too! Sliced fresh fruit and berries are perfect for summer boards while winter boards give citrus, grapes and dried fruits a place to shine. No matter the season, our home.grown. produce offers the freshest, locally sourced, in-season fruits year-round. For a spreadable, fruity component, give our Pear Mostarda recipe a try!
Bread & Nuts
Slices of toasted bread or assorted crackers can balance the tastes of your board’s strongly flavored ingredients. Nuts can also intensify the crunch factor. Use shelled and salted varieties such as pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios and almonds.
The best charcuterie platters have a little bit of everything – so don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with different components. For more charcuterie inspiration, see page 30 of our Ready magazine!
Shop Charcuterie Essentials
Celebrate Cheese During National Dairy Month
Maureen Rowan Murphy
People around the world have a love affair with cheese, and it’s easy to see why! Cheese is a flavorful and
healthful addition to many dishes. Most cheeses are a good or excellent source of calcium, a nutrient that many
people are lacking in their diet, and cheese also provides other essential nutrients like phosphorus and high-quality
protein. These three nutrients are particularly important to help build and maintain healthy bones.
With so many varieties to choose from, there is something to please everyone’s palate, and cheese can fit into most healthy eating plans. Those watching sodium in their diet, can choose softer, less-aged cheeses as they generally require less salt than harder, aged varieties. There are also cheeses available that are lower in sodium and fat available. Even people with lactose intolerance can enjoy cheese by choosing natural, harder cheeses like Cheddar, Colby, Swiss and Monterey Jack.
Cheese is a complex food made with just a few simple ingredients.
Did you know?
It takes 10 pounds of milk to make just 1 pound of cheese
There are more than 300 different cheeses in the U.S. and 2000 varieties in the world
Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese in America while Mozzarella is the most popular globally
Cheese is the 2nd largest source of dietary calcium for Americans
The most popular cheese recipe in the United States is “macaroni and cheese”
Some varieties of cheese like mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss and American, may help prevent tooth as it promotes saliva flow which leads to the elimination of sugar and acids form the mouth
1 ½ oz. natural cheese or 2 oz. processed cheese is considered a serving about 4 dice-size cubes
Tips for Serving and Storing Cheese
Take cheese out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes before serving for best flavor and aroma
Create a delicious cheese platter by choosing up to 5 cheeses that differ in texture, flavor, size and shape
Arrange the cheeses from mild to strong and soft to hard and provide separate knives for each cheese to keep the flavors distinct
Choose a simple cracker without excess salt or flavors to enhance the flavor of the cheese(s)
Choose crusty breads for mild cheeses or a heavy fruit or nut bread with an aged or more complex selection when serving bread
Serve cheese with your favorite fresh fruit
Grapes can be served with almost any cheese
Pears go great with blue cheese, gorgonzola or aged Gouda
Fresh berries go nicely with a soft ripened cheese such as brie or camembert
Fresh or dried figs pair deliciously with Spanish Manchego or Reggiano Parmesan
Store cut cheese, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator, away from other aromatic foods as it absorbs other flavors, and also loses both flavor and moisture when exposed to air
Cooking with Cheese
It is easier to shred or grate natural cheese when cold
Four ounces of ungrated cheese yields one cup when grated
When preparing sauces and soups, cook over low to medium heat and add toward the end of preparation as cooking over high heat, or for long periods of time, will cause the cheese to separate
For casseroles and baked dishes, sprinkle the grated/shredded cheese over the dish the last ten minutes of baking
Cheese can be enjoyed as an appetizer/snack or at any meal, and here’s a few recipe ideas.
At Price Chopper and Market 32, we know one thing – making sure we have the best quality foods in our own brands brings value and enjoyment to our customers and communities. In business over 80 years, we also know that working with our local agricultural producers is a great way to deliver on that promise, and our PICS long process, naturally aged, award winning cheddar is a great example.
Did you know – the most popular cheese in America is cheddar? This spring, with friends from the American Dairy Association Northeast, I visited the cheese makers that create this wonderful cheese, and saw firsthand how hard they work to make it. We partner with Great Lakes Cheese Company, located in Adams, NY, in the heart of New York dairy country. They have been here over 40 years, and are committed to the New York North Country, so much so that they doubled production capacity in 2009. Experts that have crafted their process over time, they make several types here – mild, sharp, and extra sharp New York cheddar cheese to name a few. They also process the whey portion as part of sustainability efforts and for new product ingredient markets.
John Jennings, Plant Manager for over 40 years, and Nathan Pistner, Assistant Plant Manager, were proud to show us the inner workings of this modern facility, and most proud of their 122 employees. There is a lot of workmanship in this cheese – over 300 years of combined expertise on first shift alone!
By the numbers, they receive 2,500,000 pounds of high quality milk from local dairy farms like Murcrest Farms per day, which becomes over 87 million pounds of cheese per year. (Cheese heaven?!) The farms they work with must meet high standards for cow care. Like the farms, this is a 24- hour, 365 days per year operation – cows don’t take any days off. They use natural ingredients, and move the cheese through the process using air, to protect the curd integrity and texture. These steps ensure a premium, reliable, delicious cheese on your table every time!
The tour showed us all of the work and time that goes into making this cheddar – there are quality tests built into every step, and they continue throughout the entire year of aging. Once they have the cheese in production, and process the whey, they turn the remaining liquid back into clean water that helps keep the plant clean – another sustainability process they are very committed to. Tradition and technology are part of making sure they are serving their own communities and partners well.
You will be sure to enjoy these wonderful cheddars, as a great snack, or as part of a new recipe – check out the links below for some delicious ideas!
https://www.pricechopper.com/recipes/7865/Jalapeno-Cheddar-Cheese-Corn-Muffins
https://www.pricechopper.com/recipes/14338/Mini-Apple-Pies-with-Cheddar
https://www.pricechopper.com/recipes/10988/Cheddar-Stuffed-Mini-Meatloaves-with-Chipotle-Glaze – this would be a great stuffed burger, too!
—
Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN Senior Nutritionist
Submitted by our home.grown. friends at Cabot Creamery
Farmers are a dedicated group. For generations they have staked their livelihood to working the land and feeding America. For us at Cabot Creamery Co-operative, that tradition began in 1919 when a group of 94 farmers came together to bring their excess milk to new markets in a way they could as individual farmers.
That spirit of hard work and cooperation remains at the core of Cabot nearly 100 years later. The cooperative now includes 1,200 family farms spread across New York and New England. These farmers live in your local community. They serve on school boards and volunteer fire departments. They work 365 days a year to deliver the highest quality milk to our creameries, which in turn is made into award winning cheese and dairy products. Just this year Cabot Sharp Cheddar and Cabot Greek Yogurt took home ‘Best in Class’ at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin.
![image1[1]](https://www.pricechopper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/image11.jpg)
Price Chopper and Market 32 are also dedicated to bringing local products to local communities. In conjunction with their Homegrown Flavors program, the farmer-owners of the Cabot Creamery Co-operative have had the chance to visit their local store and sample their cheese and dairy products.
These in-store interactions are valuable. They provide the farmer a chance to meet folks in their community and provide shoppers with an opportunity to try Cabot products and meet the people behind them. As a cooperative, our farmers truly own the business and any profit made goes back to the farm. When you buy Cabot products, you are supporting local farms and their ability to farm into the next generation.
The farms that make up Cabot vary in size and location throughout the Northeast, but at the core of each one is family. Whether it’s the Ziehm family of Tiashoke Farm in Cambridge, New York or the Tully family of Tully Farm in Dunstable, Massachusetts, each farm is connected to their local community. They are committed to producing high quality milk and are proud of the Cabot products that are made using that same milk.
If you’re in a Price Chopper Market 32 and see Cabot handing out samples, be sure to stop by, say hello to your local farmer and try some of our award-winning cheddar cheese!
Visit our home.grown. web page for more information on our local growers and producers.
Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN
We are savoring summer at Price Chopper and Market 32, and continuing to celebrate July’s summer entertaining season with an amazing array of cheese! Our Big Cheese, Chris Boyle, is an explorer extraordinaire, and his passion brings you everything you need to build a delicious summer cheese adventure.
We carry local, artisan, domestic and imported cheeses from around the corner and around the world. Explore with us, and discover a world of flavor and fun!
There are some basics to the anatomy of a cheese board. Generally, you should choose about 5 -7 different cheeses, and accompany them with something sweet, savory, and crunchy.
Some tips, tricks and twists to merit oohs and ahhs from your partygoers:
- Know your guests – are they into basics or excited to try new things? If you have a mix, plan on some favorites like aged New York cheddar, and something different like Red Apple Sriracha Cheddar.
- Consider a theme – all cow’s milk cheeses, or cheese from Italy, or cheese that starts with the letter “B” – it is fun and inspiring.
- Choose a range of textures and flavors – textures from soft to hard, and flavors from mild to intense. This is where the store cheese monger can be a great resource.
- Savories – charcuterie like prosciutto lends a salty-sweet element; olives or cornichons add a light vinegar kick to cleanse the palate.
- Sweets – dried fruit, fruit paste or preserve, fresh fruit like grapes or sweet cherries (in season!) are easy and their jewel colors decorate your cheese board. You can take it up a notch by roasting or grilling fruits – roasted grapes on the vine are easy, delicious and dramatic. Honeycomb is another sweet idea.
- Bread and crackers – Slice baguettes up just before your guests arrive. Or, drizzle with a good olive oil, and toast on a cookie sheet. Crackers are as diverse as cheese – look for multigrain types with seeds like sesame or flax, to bring in a nutty flavor that also has some nutrition benefits.
- Speaking of nuts – they are another way to put crunch on the board. Marcona almonds, toasted walnuts or pecans bring texture and taste.
- Cut cheeses ahead of time – use a wire cutter for soft cheeses like blue and brie, and a sharp knife for harder cheeses. Avoid cubing – they do not sit well on crackers or bread.
- Finally – summer food safety. Cheese should be served at room temperature, BUT -summer’s warm temperatures can impact the time you keep cheese out – experts recommend about a two hour time frame. If you see a sheen on the cheese, it is starting to lose fat and flavor. I love the ice filled trays that can be placed under plates and boards – consider using one to balance temperature on very warm days.
Cheese is a world of heritage, flavor and tradition in Italy. We have some truly premium Italian cheeses such as Sottocenere, a sheep’s milk cheese that follows a Venetian preservation tradition of aging under ash. Slivers of black truffles are embedded through Sottocenere, and the ash is mixed with spices, such as nutmeg, cloves, anise, and cinnamon, which subtly convey their flavors as well. You can also enjoy Pecorino Ginepro, a hard artisan cheese with a fruity/salty/savory flavor that comes from the juniper berries and balsamic vinegar it is submerged in while aging. The cheese is white with a burgundy rind, a beautiful and delicious addition to your table. Taralli crackers will remind you of a cross between a bagel and a pretzel. It can be sweet or savory, and comes in different sizes. Serve them all together on a tray with fresh grapes, olives, and dried apricots or cherries – a lovely tapas sampling of Mediterranean flavors.
Make everything special when you share premium Butter of Parma – easy to swap into any recipe, it can elevate any meal. Then, gelato, traditional Italian ice cream, crowns our celebration of Italian foods with a wonderful finish. Lower fat than American ice cream, it is slow churned, denser and has a more intense flavor. The balance of sugar and water in gelato ensures it never completely freezes – it is meant to have a creamy texture between hard frozen and soft serve ice creams. Gelato comes in a wonderful variety of unique flavors. Enjoy it year-round as a treat that can truly transport you – Vive Italia! Written by Jane N. Golub
Director In-Store Marketing Programs
GREEN GIANT BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES & BAKED VEGGIE PUFFS
SARGENTO TASTINGS
BEECH NUT BEST 
SARGENTO SHREDDED CHEESE
Written by Jane N. Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs
HOMESTYLE CLASSIC CAKE
WISPRIDE EXTRA SHARP CHEDDAR SPREADABLE CHEESE