10 Creative Chocolate Covered Treats for Valentine’s Day
It’s the week of Valentine’s Day and we can’t seem to get these “chocolate covered” thoughts out of our heads. After all, ‘tis the season for showing your love and appreciation through sweet treats. With this in mind, we thought we’d give you a roster of fun ideas for creative chocolate covered goodies this year.
Dip into our 10 chocolate covered treat ideas below!
- Chocolate Dipped Fruits: Our hand dipped in-store chocolate strawberries are an essential this time of year. Same goes for our chocolate covered pineapple. However, apple slices, orange slices, watermelon slices and bananas are also fantastic when covered in chocolate. You can’t go wrong with pretty much any sweet or tart fruit.
- Chili Peppers: The flavor of a chili pepper mixes beautifully with the savory taste of chocolate. A sweet pepper could be an interesting choice, but a spicy pepper adds a perfect contrast to the sweetness. Give it a try.
- Pie: Yes, pie. The whole pie. Whip up your favorite key lime pie recipe and cover it in chocolate. You’re at the top of the dessert game! Congrats.
- Potato Chips: This one’s easy. The saltiness of a potato chip combined with the sweet flavor of chocolate is addicting!
- NEW Market 32 Pretzels & Graham Crackers: We’ve introduced these before here on our blog, but seriously, we just can’t get over how satisfying they are! Get them before they’re gone!
- Pickles: This might seem questionable at first but the sweet and tangy flavors mix well. You have to try it yourself to fully understand!
- Filet Mignon: If you’re interested in going all out for Valentine’s Day why not combine dinner with dessert? It’s a thing. Trust us. If you try it, let us know what you think!
- Peanut Butter Crackers: Peanut butter crackers are a top tier snack by themselves, but dip them in some chocolate and you’ve added a dynamic star to your romantic snack game.
- Edamame: If you’re looking for a healthier treat to snack on for Valentine’s Day and beyond, try chocolate covered edamame. Edamame is a nice alternative to common salty snacks like chips, so it’s ok to go ahead and add some chocolate.
- Strawberry Cookies: Everybody loves chocolate dipped strawberries, but how about chocolate dipped strawberry cookies? It’s a simple, yet creative spin on a Valentine’s Day classic.
Chocolate treats are always in our minds around Valentine’s Day. We hope you enjoy these unique ways to try chocolate like you never have before. Need a chocolate mix to get started? Find it here.
Happy chocolate-covering!
Redeem your AdvantEdge Rewards points for MasterChef Knives*!
At Price Chopper and Market 32, we’re committed to helping home cooks thrive. For the sharpest deal in town, starting February 9th, you can redeem your AdvantEdge Rewards points for MasterChef Knives*! These high-end knives are versatile and dependable. And nothing makes meal preparation easier than a brand new set of professional kitchen knives.
MasterChef Knives* feature full tang, three rivet handle construction, and are ergonomically designed for comfort. Their blades offer an angled bolster design for precision control so that you can prep like a pro! Each knife is made for a specific function that enhances your knife skills and everyday meals. Choose from the following knives:
Large & Small Santoku: Meaning “three uses,” Santoku knives originated in Japan. They’re versatile and best for slicing, dicing and mincing veggies, meat and fish. With a thinner blade, they’re adept at more refined slicing.
Bread: Serrated bread knives are ideal for slicing through hard exteriors. Use them on everything from crusty bread to squash, melons and tomatoes.
Utility: A smaller version of a chef’s knife, utility knives have 6- to 8-inch long blades. This all-purpose knife can be used for chopping fruits and veggies, carving poultry or mincing garlic, onions and delicate herbs.
Cook’s: Cook’s knives are the go-to knives for professional chefs. Their broad and sharp blades are perfect for a variety of kitchen tasks, including chopping herbs, prepping meats and vegetables and much more.
Steak: Combining sleek design with superior performance, MasterChef steak knives are extraordinarily sharp and sturdy, offering precision and ease with every cut.
Start your MasterChef Knife collection* with just 750 Rewards points. Promotion runs 2/9/2020-4/18/2020 or while supplies last.
Visit pricechopper.com/rewards for terms & conditions.
Learn about other essential knives in our Kitchen Knives 101 blog!
©2020 MasterChef and the MasterChef logo are trademarks of Endemol Shine and licensed by Endemol Shine IP BV. All Rights Reserved. Used under license by TCC Global N.V., World Trade Center Amsterdam, Zuidplein 84, 1077XV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. *MasterChef the TV Series range of knives.
Location, Location…Location? The home.grown. Story of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
We provide a wide variety of home.grown. products to our customers, but did you know that one of America’s favorite cream cheeses is one these products? Philadelphia Cream Cheese is actually the product of small town Chester, NY, not Philly. So why is this tasty spread labeled Philadelphia when its roots are in NY? This is the tale of Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
As you can imagine there are a lot of myths of how Philadelphia Cream Cheese got its name. Tales such as “it originated in Philly then was stolen and brought to Upstate New York,” or “it’s from Philadelphia, NY” float around, but are untrue. According to the research done by world-renowned cream cheese expert Rabbi Jeffrey Marx, the name “Philadelphia Cream Cheese” is nothing more than a clever marketing scheme.
In the 1880s, Philadelphia was the country’s goldmine for all things dairy, producing the highest quality products due to its fertile land. At this time, many American dairy farms were producing a fresher, un-aged version of what in Europe is known as Neufchatel, a soft, crumby, mold-ripened cheese. Philadelphia was a hotbed for cheeses of this kind and had earned itself quite the reputation.
Meanwhile, in Chester, NY, dairyman William Lawrence was boosting the cream content in his cheese recipe, creating something new simply called, “cream cheese.” Lawrence was doing well, selling enough of his recipe to run a solid business, until he met New York cheese broker Alvah Reynolds. Reynolds pitched the idea of adding Philadelphia to the name of the recipe for better advertisement. Lawrence was intrigued, and “Philadelphia Cream Cheese” was born. Lawrence’s product became a booming success and eventually turned into the product that we love today.
Fast forward to the present day and cream cheese is still celebrated in neighborhoods in our region. In Lowville, NY, just a few miles from our Carthage Price Chopper, they host an annual Cream Cheese Festival featuring recipe contests, games, music, and more. Every year the event is a hit!
Craving cream cheese? Now that you know its rich, home.grown. history…it’s time to enjoy some! Find it at your local store or on our website, and check out our recipe picks below for some treats that put cream cheese in the spotlight!
7 Valentine’s Day Essentials Beyond Flowers and Candy
Valentine’s Day is approaching and love is in the air at Price Chopper and Market 32! We always enjoy the classic flowers and chocolates to help you put a smile on the face of your valentine. However, this year we thought we’d introduce you to some new Valentine’s Day ideas…you know, just to keep your special someone on their toes.
- Hallmark Cards: Never has there ever been a time when someone received a Hallmark card and it didn’t make them feel warm and fuzzy inside. You can’t go wrong with Hallmark, especially on Valentine’s Day when displaying your appreciation is imperative. Luckily, we have these joyful cards available at your local store for you to do just that!
- Hot Sauce: Hot sauce is definitely a Valentine’s Day sleeper. Just a small bottle makes a fantastic gift, and can heat up more than just your food. Check out our variety of hot sauces, from our classic PICS Hot Sauce to the fiery Hoff Sauce from our friends at Hoff and Pepper out in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- NEW Market 32 Chocolate Covered Pretzels & Graham Crackers: Our bakery team took it into their own hands to add a new element to the chocolate covered treats game. Introducing NEW Market 32 Chocolate Covered Pretzels & Graham Crackers: trust us, they taste even better than they sound. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to give them a try!
- Chocolate Dipped Strawberries: What more can we say about these? A Valentine’s Day classic that always has us looking forward to this time of year. We hand-dip them ourselves in store!
- Chocolate Dipped Pineapple: It all started during a strawberry shortage. Jim R., a former Produce Team Leader in our Newburgh, NY store never panicked, deciding to dip pineapple rings into chocolate as a substitute. His idea was a hit and the rest is history! We’ve offered these unique treats in our Produce departments around Valentine’s Day every year since then.
- Local Craft Beer: We partner with a wide variety of craft brewers in our region: folks like, Ithaca Brewing Company in Ithaca, NY, Stony Creek Brewing in Branford, CT, and Magic Hat Brewing in South Burlington, VT. Did you know you can build your own six pack in our stores? Combine all of your loved one’s favorite local flavors into one, and let them sip their way to Valentine’s Day glory.
- Price Chopper & Market 32 Limited Edition Valentines: Send your Valentine one of our custom sweet nothings before they run out! Visit our Instagram page here to view our latest set of custom valentines. Screenshot them and send them to your special someone!
Flowers and candy are great, and you can order flowers from us here, but there are a bunch of other ways to showcase your feelings this Valentine’s Day. Get creative and try something new from this list!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Our February home.grown. Brewer of the Month: Brooklyn Brewery
We love all things local, and one of our favorite sectors of local food is local beer. There are so many different brews, flavors, and styles, and so many stories to tell! That’s why we’ve embarked on an exciting home.grown. adventure: to bring you fresh craft beer stories each month from our Northeast region. Our region is home to some of the best craft breweries in the world, and we’re telling their stories to our craft beer fanatics here on our blog.
Up next: Brooklyn Brewery!
When good beer is hard to find, sometimes you have to make it yourself. That’s exactly the story of Brooklyn Brewery. In 1988, Steve Hindy took his homebrewing knowledge from his days as a foreign war correspondent and started the business with his friend Tom Potter. Together they hand-delivered the first batches of Brooklyn Lager to a handful of local bars.
Today Brooklyn’s beers now travel to more than half the U.S. and over 30 countries. Brewmaster Garrett Oliver, a James Beard Award winner, and his team brew everything from classic styles to bold experiments, collaborating with their peers across the globe to keep pushing the boundaries of beer.
Brooklyn believes that great beer should be delicious, unpretentious, and support the community where it is enjoyed. This belief is engraved within the combination of flavors in its Brooklyn Lager. Toffee, toast, and caramel all unite with a dry-hopped aroma of grapefruit, flowers, and pine to represent the hometown.
Whether it’s at home or on the road good beer is always present at the best celebrations. That’s exactly where Brooklyn’s quirky Rosé de Ville shines. This sour ale harnesses perky raspberries and a tart edge, leading to a satisfying balance of sweet fruit and clean acidity. It’s bright, bubbly finish, and brilliant pink hue leaves your worries behind and lets the good times take over.
Interested in trying some Brooklyn brews?
Check out our in-store tasting schedule below to sample Brooklyn’s craft beer, take home some custom home.grown. coasters and more.
Saturday, 2/1: 11am-2pm at our Warwick Price Chopper
Saturday, 2/8: 11am-2pm at our Market Bistro Growler Station
Saturday, 2/15: 11am-2pm at our Clifton Shopper’s World Market 32 Growler Station
Saturday, 2/22: 11am-2pm at our Altamont Ave Price Chopper
Saturday, 2/29: 11am-2pm at our Newburgh Market 32
Interested in visiting the brewery?
Make the most of everything Brooklyn Brewery has to offer! Visit brooklynbrewery.com/ for taproom hours and menu, info on brewery tours and more.
Brewery House Address: 79 N 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
The Big Dinner Game
Here comes the Super Bowl, and you want to have some great food, but need time to make your party game come together. We have some plays that will set you up for a win on Sunday and all week long!
First Quarter – start the week with this slow cooker pulled pork recipe Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sliders. Pair up with Bakery Cornbread. Shred the pork, season with spices or your favorite PICS BBQ Sauce, and freeze the rest for game day. Check out the home.grown. section of the store for some great local sauce options – put them out with the remaining pulled pork and offer a pulled pork slider bar! Some fresh Market 32 coleslaw completes that part of your event.
Second quarter – White Chicken Chili, another versatile meal that can be an easy weeknight meal. The recipe can be doubled/frozen/served on game day. Add fresh color with some chopped avocado, PICS Sour Cream and PICS Tortilla Chips and add to your game day buffet!
Third Quarter – Buffalo Rotisserie Chicken with an Iceberg lettuce Wedge Salad/Marzetti Blue Cheese dressing combo play add points to the board and points to your AdvantEdge card.
Fourth Quarter – PICS Hummus, Market 32 Fresh Guacamole, Market 32 Fresh 7 Layer Bean Dip, Fruit Burst Bowl and a fresh Veggie Platter team up create a snack play that everyone loves. This strategy means you have great snacks for the week and for the game.
Celebrate your win – Sweet treat Bakery fresh Gourmet Brownies and Halo Clementines make the final play fresh and fun!
The New Year and new decade has begun! Keep everyone happy and healthy eating together as often as possible, and enjoying some fun new meal and snack ideas. Using the new Know Your Colors nutrition guide can move your whole family toward eating well with smart choices that are also the easy choice.
Kick off the day with the Kids Cooking Club Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie.
Made with fresh strawberries and PICS Milk or PICS Almond Milk, you will power up everyone’s taste buds and morning energy with this fun PBJ combo. Need something with more protein? Get the benefit of probiotics and over 15 grams of protein when you pair PICS Icelandic Yogurt with Strawberries, Blueberries or Blackberries in a fresh yogurt parfait. Sprinkle some PICS Pumpkin and Flax Seed Granola (the bag you have been hiding in the pantry 😉) for whole grain crunch and flavor!
Sheet pan dinners that include Know Your Colors Protein and Heart Smart lean Pork Tenderloin or assorted pork chops, roasted with Empire apples, Carrots and Onions, checks all the boxes for great taste and great for you. A super side of PICS Quinoa and Veggie Bowls adds whole grain goodness to this hands-off, smiles-on meal.
Love Buffalo Chicken? Love Ravioli? Check out this mash-up fun twist on these favorites – fresh Market 32 Buffalo Chicken Ravioli! Find it in the fresh pasta Deli Case. Enjoy with a PICS Blue Cheese Dressing-topped Fresh Express Salad, or pair up with crunchy carrots and celery and that same PICS Blue Cheese Dressing to dip.
Snack Smarter with PICS Trail Mix and Market 32 Produce Snack Trays. Both are easy to grab and go – on the school bus, on your work break, or after your workout.
Four Food Strategies for a Game Day Win
When hosting a Super Bowl party there is a ton to consider. Providing food and drinks for guests, making sure the house is tidy, putting together an ample and comfortable viewing setup, and more go into preparing for the big party. It can be overwhelming and that’s why we are here to help. We’ve taken four food strategies from our playbook for easier shopping and preparation for the big game!
1st Down: Catering
Our catering services put you way ahead of the game. Offering a variety of foods that will delight even the toughest of critics. From 6-inch subs and spicy meatballs; all the way to gourmet chocolate dipped cookies and banana cream pie, we have everything you need to make your party super! Simply set the date and time you would like to pick up and we will have it ready for you to take home. Your guests will be wowed with a professional food experience! Place an order for game day here: http://bit.ly/2NPL07E.
2nd Down: Recipes
Take a look at our abundant recipes page for all the inspiration you need. Our wide variety of choices include something that will please everyone at your party! Simply filter through the categories to figure out what you’re looking for. Not sure what you want to cook? No problem! You can browse with ease. Search through mouthwatering game day ready recipes like baked buffalo cheese sticks, and when you find that winning recipe you can add all of those ingredients directly into your virtual shopping cart. From there, you can take advantage of our pick-up or delivery options. The recipes on our website are a great way to try something new with the assurance that it will be a flavorful bite to eat.
3rd Down: Pick-up
We understand how important your famous guacamole dip is to the success of your party, even when time is running low. Save time by submitting a grocery pick-up order on our website. Choose a time and location for pick-up, pay online, and park in one of our marked grocery pick-up parking spaces at your selected time. Once you submit your order, our in-store shopper navigates the aisles grabbing exactly what you need to make that tasty dish. Shoppers are trained to handpick the highest quality and freshest groceries to ensure your satisfaction. Learn more about grocery pick-up: http://bit.ly/38vG4wv.
4th Down: Delivery
Scrambling late in crunch time hoping for a Hail Mary play? We’ve been there. That’s why we will deliver the food you need for the game! Hop onto our website and select the groceries that you need for the evening. Proceed to checkout, put in your address and what time you want the grocery items delivered. We will bring them right to your doorstep while you can relax and finish your last-minute cleaning. Learn more about grocery delivery: http://bit.ly/2Rm04MF
These four strategies are here to help remove some of the stress that naturally comes with hosting friends and family. Regardless of the level of trouble you are currently in, we have a reliable, simple and smooth solution to bring you to a game day win. For more gameday ideas check out our Ultimate Big Game Savings or our Ultimate Big Game Youtube Playlist.
Happy hosting!
10 Heatseeking Ways to Use Hot Sauce
January 22nd is one of our favorite days of the year: National Hot Sauce Day! In celebration, we’re letting you in on ten of the best, most unique ways to enjoy hot sauce. Hot sauce is extremely versatile and there are endless ways to add some spice to what you eat.
Make it a goal to try all ten of these at least once in 2020!
Stir it into Soup: It’s wintertime and temperatures here in the Northeast are currently freezing. Foods to warm up with are a necessity. Stir some hot sauce into your soup for a kick of heat and flavor and make your winter blues disappear! This works best with chili, tortilla soup, black bean soup, or any Mexican or Asian-style soup.
- Make Mexican Hot Chocolate: Hot chocolate is another popular way to warm up during the winter. Turn it into Mexican Hot Chocolate by simply adding a dash of hot sauce! Cayenne pepper hot sauce is the way to go here as it mixes well with the chocolate taste and creates a delicious blend.
- Heat Up Hollandaise: We love a breakfast with hollandaise sauce. Mix in some hot sauce to give your Eggs Benedict that extra boost!
- Create Salad Dressing: There are a few creative ways to incorporate hot sauce in salad dressing. Our favorites are either whisking some sauce into vinaigrette or mixing it with ketchup and mayo for yummy Thousand Island dressing.
- Boost a Burger: Hot sauce fits very well on this American classic. Simply mix some Sriracha into your ketchup and your burger is brought to a whole new level!
- Get Brining: Brining is fantastic for adding flavor to meats. Spice up your chicken or turkey with a mixture of a gallon of water, a ½ cup of kosher salt, and 4.5 tablespoons of Tabasco Sauce. Let it sit for 8 hours before throwing it in the oven. The result will be an intense, well-rounded flavor.
- Add a Dash to Ribs: The smoky aroma of good, tender ribs is excellent for mixing with hot sauce. The heat and smokiness come together as one for an intensely-flavored rack of ribs.
- Serve a Spicy Bloody Mary: We recommend using Sriracha for the best drinkability and enjoyment out of your enhanced Bloody Mary. It brings a strong pepper flavor, and hits with the perfect amount of spice.
- Make Popcorn Pop: Add a few drops in melted butter and douse onto your popcorn. It makes a great snack for movie night!
- Whip Up Some Homemade Wing Sauce: Experiment with your favorite sauce and create your own homemade wing sauce. Exploring different varieties and combinations to see what you like best is always fun. We recommend giving PICS Hot Sauce a try!
There are tons of ways to spice up your dishes with hot sauce: These are just some heat-seeking suggestions. Get adventurous and try some new things out for yourself, starting with the options on this list. Visit your local store to pick up a bottle of PICS Hot Sauce to get you started!
Happy Hot Saucin’!
It’s Paczki Time!
Want to hear something sweet? Paczki are back! We love these Polish treats and they’re one of our main sources of happiness following the holiday season, after we’ve taken our decorations down. Paczki are polish donuts that date all the way back to the 16th century. Back then they were filled with pork fat, but have since evolved into tasty pastries filled with a variety of yummy flavors.
In Poland, some bakers fill Paczki with an almond paste rather than the typical marmalade, and it is said that the person who eats one of these will have good luck for the coming year! On the other hand, the Polish believe a year without having eaten a Paczki donut is bad luck and will leave you unsuccessful in life.
We’ve been offering Paczki of our own for over 20 years and love offering this traditional treat to our customers each year. This year we’re back with a fresh lineup of flavors, including NEW Lemon Raspberry, which was submitted by a Facebook user from Glenville NY and voted Fan Favorite on our Facebook page earlier this year! We’re also introducing Caramel Apple and Chips Ahoy! flavors, and bringing back favorites like Crème Filled Powdered Sugar and Cookies ‘N Crème Filled.
Stop by your local store to pick up mix & match Paczki 4 packs, buy one get one free this week with AdvantEdge Card! We cherish the opportunity to have a part in this long-valued tradition and we hope you love these sweet pastries as much as we do.
Happy Paczki Season!