Written by Maureen Murphy & Sarah Palmer Empty Pie Crust When it comes to baking a pie, mastering the crust is key! While you can purchase pre-made pie crusts in the dairy & frozen section of our stores, making a pie crust from scratch will make your pie the star of the dessert table!  Below are some tried & true tips to help get you started!     Now that your pie crust skills are feeling confident, fill your crust with this delicious Chocolate-Pecan filling for a sweet pie your holiday guests will love! Chocolate Pecan Pie Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat eggs slightly in mixing bowl.  Blend in sugar, flour, butter and vanilla.  Stir in pecans and chocolate.  Pour into pie shell.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool and serve.  Serves 6-8. Written by Maureen Murphy shrimp.jpgAlthough it’s the season for holiday parties and special meals it’s also the season when many people find themselves gaining an extra 5-7 lbs. from overindulging in sweets, dips, and more. With a few simple tips and modifications your guests will still enjoy the party and their hips will thank you come January!   Simple tips & cooking modifications:   Happy Thanksgiving! From Our Family to Yours! Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year to get together with your family, friends and loved ones. As you gather to celebrate what makes you truly thankful, Price Chopper & Market 32 want to make it easier for you to prepare and enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner! Let us help you with tips, recipes and party planning options so you can focus on what makes you thankful (and not stressed!). holiday_meal THANKSGIVING DINNER PLANNING The Weekend Before: The Days leading up to Thanksgiving: The BIG Day: THANKSGIVING Early in The Day 4-6 hours before Serving 2 hours before Serving 1 hour before Serving 15 minutes before Serving ENJOY YOUR MEAL! Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN, Senior Nutritionist Cranberries, with their sassy piquant flavor and ruby tones, are a wonderful addition to any meal or snack. You will find them fresh in stores each year as we head into the holidays for a good reason – they have a long growing season, March to October, so right now they are peak season! Cranberries grow wild in the optimal natural setting of kettle ponds full of decaying plant debris, (eventually peat) scoured from the landscape by departing glaciers. American Indians, specifically Wampanoag People, found many uses for them, and shared some of them with early settlers. Those settlers gave the berries their current name, an adaptation of “craneberries”, describing the look of the plant and flower, which is reminiscent of the neck and bill of the Sandhill crane. Cranberries became the fruit of choice for sailors and others, as it was noted they warded off scurvy – due to their excellent Vitamin C content. iStock_76670309_SMALL.jpgCranberries have are quite versatile – the original “to-go” meal when used to make jerky-like pemmican, they were also used for coloring rugs and textiles, as well as medicinal uses. Modern medicine has, in fact, proven that compounds in cranberry juice have anti-bacterial action, as well as bioactive compounds that may have anti-cancer properties, like proanthocyanins. The red color of the berry itself is a bioactive compound we benefit from. A former Revolutionary War captain, Dennis Hall, is credited with moving it from wild berry to farming. The industry has grown from Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod to similar marshy regions in New England and other states, like Washington and Oregon, and it continues to innovate, with sustainability at its core. Even more exciting are the wonderful recipes that can be found from all over the country, traditional and new, that invite people of all ages to try them and enjoy the taste and benefits of our American super-berry. Check these recipes out, and make cranberries part of your traditions all year long! https://www.pricechopper.com/recipes/9405/Cranberry-Muesli https://www.pricechopper.com/recipes/9829/Gingered-Cranberry-Raspberry-Relish Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN, Senior Nutritionist The American Heart Association, long known for their efforts to educate Americans about the best ways to enjoy great heart health, began a new tradition several years ago with National Eating Healthy Day. It always falls on the first Wednesday of November, and seeks to help people keep their heart in mind as the holidays begin. The theme this year is “Be Colorful”, to get us thinking about and enjoying more fruits and vegetables at all of our eating occasions. You can add more produce to your diet with these easy, quick tips: eggplant White bean dip with vegetables
  1. Power up breakfast with some dried fruit in oatmeal, like dried cherries and apricots.
  2. Make that morning snack a small apple and a light cheese stick – produce plus protein is perfect!
  3. Add some extra frozen or canned veggies to your lunchtime soup, or mix bagged, chopped salads with romaine lettuce for a quick power salad. Dress with balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil to keep the taste high and calories low.
  4. Hummus and cut veggies make a flavorful, plant-protein and fiber-rich afternoon snack.
  5. Double up on dinner vegetables – double servings of the same item, or mix and match fresh/ready-to-eat vegetables with your favorite cooked ones – with produce, more is always better!
Get your holiday season started with National Eating Healthy Day and give your heart a great gift! https://www.pricechopper.com/recipes/11374/Caramelized-Brussels-Sprouts-with-Lemon https://www.pricechopper.com/recipes/7283/Apple-Date-Squares http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HeathyEating/Nutrition/National-Eating-Healthy-Day_UCM_454414_Article.jsp#.WA-K9fkrKM8       hglogopumpkinmuffins   Written by Karin Reeves of Reeves Farms This is the time of year when things start to slow down a little on the farm: We’re done harvesting all of our vegetables with the exception of some pumpkins and winter squash.  This means that we finally have a little time to do some cooking and baking. I’ve always enjoyed baking more than cooking.  It’s nice to mix up a bunch of ingredients, pop a pan in the oven and wait to see how it come out.  These pumpkin muffins are great because they’re really versatile.  They can be used for a dessert, breakfast or tasty snack. We have tons of pumpkins and squash around the house this time of year.  I usually spend a few hours on a rainy fall day baking up squash and pumpkins and turning them into puree to freeze for the winter.  Everyone in our family is a pumpkin and squash fan including the cat (it’s strange but he loves butternut squash).  For the pumpkin piece of this recipe I have used a lot of different things – pie pumpkins, butternut squash or even buttercup squash.  They all work well so use whatever you like best.  This recipe can also be a good way to use up leftover squash you made for dinner. Start by making the pumpkin puree, which is much easier than you might think. First cut the stem off the pumpkin or squash you have decided to use.  Then cut in half and scoop out the seeds (I like to save the seeds to roast later.)  Place on a baking sheet and bake them at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.  You will know they are done when you can easily pierce the flesh with a fork.  Allow to cool for about 20 mins or until its cool enough to handle.  Scoop out the flesh leaving the skin behind.  Put all the pumpkin flesh in a food processor and blend until smooth.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash up the chunks of pumpkin with a potato masher or a fork.  You will need one heaping cup of puree for this recipe.  Depending on the size of the pumpkin or squash you are working with you will probably have more puree than you need.  You can freeze it for later or you can easily double this recipe to use up more puree. Reeves Family Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients 1 ¾ cups flour ¾ cup granulated sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 eggs 1 heaping cup of pumpkin or squash puree ½ cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla   Baking Instructions   Preheat oven to 375 degrees   Place paper liners in a muffin tin or grease tin using a paper towel with a little vegetable oil.   In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.  Make sure brown sugar is broken up so there are no chunks of sugar in the batter.   In a separate bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, oil, milk and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth   Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold together gently until just combined   Scoop batter into muffin tins so that each cup is about ¾ full   Bake for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a muffin   Let muffins cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan   You can serve immediately or let muffins cool completely before storing in an airtight container   Yield: about 18 medium size muffins.   This muffin recipe is a great base for trying some variations and experimenting a little.  You can add ½ cup raisins or walnuts to add some more interesting textures. For an extra rich dessert, sometimes I frost the muffins with cream cheese frosting or add a ½ cup of chocolate chips to the recipe.  Enjoy! 20161009_181436.jpeg Written by Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN Senior Nutritionist   Great home cooks and chefs alike know that exceptional meals begin with exceptional ingredients, and we have a wonderful assortment of authentic Italian products featured this month. Powering up your pantry with these simple and savory items can help you make a quick meal into a delicious event. Quick is key with Bella Terra Rapido No Boil Pasta – combine that with Botticelli or Rao’s Pasta Sauces for a fast, fun and flavorful meal. You can also get everything you need to make your own pasta sauce (slow cooker power!) – Mutti, Cento and Botticelli tomato products can be mixed and matched in your family recipes. Deepen the flavor of those sauces with Urbani Truffle Sauces, Amore garlic paste, and Racconto Sundried Tomatoes or Pesto. Price Chopper Sicilian and Toscano olive oils bring the Mediterranean to your table with their regional flavor notes – great to use for cooking or salads. Bella Italia Regional Pasta and Sauces transport you virtually to the towns, villages and families that have perfected their flavors and focus into unique items. Fabulous Italian cheeses, so special they earn an internationally recognized seal of authenticity, can start or finish your meal. Grana Padano, Parmigiana and Gorgonzola can elevate your cheese display or recipes beautifully. Think Parmigiano is just for pasta? Check out the potato recipe below, which will complement almost any meal. Finish with a Perla pastry, or a Divino Gelato Novelty, both special endings for special meals. Delizioso!   Parmigiano Reggiano Potato Wedges potato-wedges Preheat oven to 392 degrees F. Slice potatoes into wedges and toss in oil. Mix together rosemary, Parmigiano Reggiano, a good pinch of black pepper and add to the potatoes, mixing to give a good coating. Roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown. Serve sprinkled with more Parmigiano Reggiano and rosemary.   Written by Sarah Palmer The bold, rich flavors of authentic Italian food are back! Join us as we celebrate this exciting event with in-store product sampling, weekly special savings, delicious recipes, plus a customer sweepstakes!   italian.png Our weekly flyer highlights over 50 products imported directly from Italy. Assemble an Italian cheeseboard after you visit our specialty cheese department. We’re proud to offer fresh-cut Parmigiano Reggiano, Locatelli Romano and new Robiola! Fresh Perla pastries are available in our bakery department, light sweet & delizioso! Our grocery department is beaming with the finest Italy has to offer. From authentic olive oils and balsamic vinegars, to unique cuts of pasta and canned sauce, you’ll find it all at a great value now thru October 22nd. Simply look for the special Authentic Italian shelf tags in-store!   Plus, be sure to enter our customer sweepstakes! Have you always wanted to visit Italy? Click here to enter and vote for the historic Italian landmark you would most like to visit. It’s that simple!   We look forward to seeing you in-store for this exciting event! Written by our friends at Cabot Creamery   Cabot Creamery Co-operative, owned by 1,100 dairy farm families throughout New England and upstate New York, invite you to visit a farm on Sunday, October 9th!   As a co-operative, our farm families own the business and all profits are returned to the farmers, which means that when you purchase Cabot products you are directly supporting farmers in your local communities.   That spirit of supporting your community is what cabot-oct-event-2we love about Price Chopper’s Homegrown Flavors program. Cabot is proud to be a part of this program that connects people to local food producers, and for that reason our farm family owners are opening their gates to show appreciation for their neighbor’s support. Every participating farm features different activities, such as farm tours, hayrides, scavenger hunts and games for families. It is a chance to meet neighbors, farm critters and the farmers responsible for the “World’s Best Cheddar”.   Open Farm Sunday events on Sunday, October 9th will run from 11am – 2pm. Visit our Open Farm Sunday event page for more details and find a participating farm near you! cabot-oct-event   Written by Sara Lilkas  Fall in the Northeast means one thing, apples. We love going to orchards and getting apples, literally as fresh as they come, eating apple cider doughnuts, and drinking apple cider too! With the crisp feeling of fall in the air, what could be better? While many of us in the Northeast count down the days until apple season is back upon us, there is one apple product perfect for fall that often gets bypassed, and that’s hard cider. Since the early nineties, hard cider has had its first big popularity push since Prohibition. With Woodchuck Hard Cider from Vermont leading the way in developing the hard cider category. As a beverage choice, hard ciders are crisp, refreshing, and becoming a popular drink option when sitting down for dinner.  Hard cider has also gained momentum as a “beer-like” option for those who do not like the taste of beer or who have a gluten allergy (most are gluten free!) Hard Apple Cider Ale Even though hard ciders are not a seasonal item (with the exception of any limited releases put out) anything featuring apples in my opinion is a “fall item.” Unfortunately, hard ciders are often overshadowed by that other fall seasonal alcoholic beverage, pumpkin beer (not that I’m trying to take away from the pumpkin beers of fall, trust me I love them!). Plus, since the Northeast is known for its apples, many popular hard ciders are produced in the area! Check out some of our favorites below! Woodchuck Cider One of the first Cider Houses to start up after prohibition, Woodchuck Cider moved around a bit before finding their permanent home in Middlebury, VT. They essentially restarted the cider category in 1991. Starting with the Woodchuck Amber, they have since developed a line of seven core ciders including flavors like raspberry and pear in addition to their original Amber and granny smith. Woodchuck also releases seasonal flavors for fall, winter, and summer, as well as, their “out on a limb” line which explores the boundaries of what you would traditionally consider cider. If you are a fan of apple pie make sure to grab the fall seasonal Fall Harvest, it taste like apple pie in a bottle!   Angry Orchard Probably the most widely known brand of hard cider, Angry Orchard, is produced in Pennsylvania and Ohio and their innovation Cider House is located in Walden, NY. The Cider House is located on their orchard in the Hudson Valley and it is where they are constantly pushing the boundaries of traditional cider processes. Angry Orchard currently has five core flavors, two seasonal ciders (one for fall/winter and one for spring/summer), their artisanal cider house collection, and the Orchard’s Edge collection featuring some of the innovative ciders developed at the orchard in Walden, NY. With so many cider flavors to choose from it’s impossible to choose just one! Luckily the fall variety pack features the fall seasonal CinnFul Apple as well as the five core flavors. So which one is your favorite? Nine Pin Cider Nine Pin Cider not only hails from the heart of downtown Albany, but their cidery on Broadway is where all their cider is produced\. Nine Pin cider is a celebration of all that New York State has to offer, sourcing all their apples and fruit from orchards in the Capital Region and the Hudson Valley. In addition to distributing their product (currently Nine Pin can be found in Upstate New York, NYC, and Boston) they have a tasting room where they rotate between their staple ciders and their specialty craft ciders. Currently they are partnering with Ommegang brewery from Cooperstown, NY to create The Lion’s Share featuring their Belgian abbey ale yeast. So are you ready to join the cider revolution? Woodchuck, Angry Orchard, and Nine Pin Ciders are available at most Price Chopper and Market 32 locations. Call your local store for availability. Please enjoy responsibly.