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!
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Green Beer on St. Patrick’s Day: What’s the Story?
Two of the most popular associations with St. Patrick’s Day are beer and the color green. People love to enjoy their favorite brews while celebrating in festive green attire. It’s all well-known tradition. However, what’s perhaps lesser known is the combination of the two that is becoming a St. Patrick’s Day hit!
Green beer is a fun option for some St. Patrick’s Day creativity and Americans have latched on to the idea. It’s super easy to make, and anyone can do it at home. Simply crack open a light-colored beer and add a drop of green food coloring. It doesn’t change the flavor or any of the beer’s characteristics, only its color.
Surprisingly, the idea of colored beer originated a while back. It is said that in 1914, coroner’s physician and eye surgeon Dr. Thomas Curtain first colored beer for a St. Patrick’s Day party at the Schnerer Club of Morrisania in the Bronx in 1914.
Today, the idea lives on, even beyond St. Patrick’s Day. Green Beer Day began at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Participants dye their beer green and commonly begin festivities as early as 5 AM. It’s celebrated annually on the Thursday before Spring Break.
When it comes to choosing the right beer, light-colored brews are best for getting the strongest green coloring. However, if you play around with a darker beer you will see an interesting effect. Stouts and dark beers are too dark to show off much of a green hue, but the head will take on the green coloring and turn the foam green: although it may not last long it’s cool to try.
If you haven’t jumped on the green beer wagon yet, give it a try this year. Not only is it creative and fun, it’s an easy way to find more holiday spirit. Don’t forget to stop by your local store for all things St. Patrick’s Day: we have food coloring and beer, plus lots more festive foods like scratch-made Irish Soda Bread!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
21+. Please drink responsibly.
Tis the season! Each year November rolls around and we begin to prepare for the holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and more: it’s a certainly a busy time. Recently a new holiday has emerged into the mix and seems to gain popularity every year. This holiday is now known as Friendsgiving!
Friendsgiving is a product of the millennial lifestyle. Breaking traditions and doing things differently is common among younger generations today, even in the celebration of holidays. Some may live and work away from their families and some may not have the time and means to travel for Thanksgiving. Sometimes it’s simply more comfortable and more fun to celebrate with friends. Plus, these days the definitions of family are expanding and close friends are often turned into chosen family.
In many cases, Friendsgiving is celebrated not in place of Thanksgiving, but in line with it: Friends gather together the weekend before or after Thanksgiving with their favorite cuisine. This is something that has gone on for a long time, but somehow it’s become its own holiday, and the celebrations continue to grow larger.
The popular TV show “Friends,” has been given some credit for the emergence of Friendsgiving. People watched Monica, Chandler, Rachel, Joey, Phoebe, and Ross celebrate Thanksgiving together each year, and decided they wanted to do the same. Yet, it can’t be confirmed that this is the exact origin of the holiday. In fact, Merriam-Webster points out that the term “Friendsgiving” can only be traced back to 2007, while “Friends” ended in 2004. Either way, the show portrays the perfect picture of what Friendsgiving is all about.
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Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays, but we also love Friendsgiving. Is there anything better than hanging out with close friends while enjoying a delicious meal? Plus, if you happen to celebrate both Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving, you get to enjoy basically double the amount of incredible food. Hats off to you if you celebrate both!
If you haven’t celebrated Friendsgiving yet, we recommend giving it a go this month. We’re here to help you get everything you need! Visit your local store or find all your essentials at shop.pricechopper.com.
While there is something to be said for tradition, it can get a wee bit monotonous, but a tweak here or there preserves it while allowing some creativity. One way is by simply changing your tablescape. Envision your table as a blank canvas and use it to set the stage for your holiday meal i.e. mix and match dishes, vary patterns but stick to the coordinating colors, etc. Make a dramatic statement or keep it simple!
Create a tablescape with pastels and seasonal décor. A small Easter egg tree with hollowed out eggs or edible ornaments makes a great centerpiece while eggcups can be used as mini vases or placard holders. Small chocolate bunnies or eggs can be used decoratively as well, and then enjoyed as a special take-home treat.
A spring-inspired tablescape is another option that lends simple beauty. A vase filled with fresh flowers brings a bit of the outdoors in. Lilies, daffodils, and my personal favorite tulips, are all wonderful harbingers of spring.
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Author: Maureen Rowan Murphy, Manager Consumer Trends, Nutrition and Lifestyles
Written by Maureen Murphy
Although 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:
- Serve veggies, pretzels, or baked pita chips for dipping instead of potato chips
- Serve shrimp cocktail and a veggie tray for lighter snacks
- Use low fat or nonfat dairy products to replace higher fat counterparts
- Serve whole grains – breads, rolls, pasta, etc.
- Flavor roasts and vegetables with fresh herbs and a little grated Parmesan cheese instead of butter and/or salt
- Roast meats and poultry on a rack in a roasting pan
- Skip the gravy entirely or at least skim fat off (every tablespoon of fat discarded amounts to 120 calories and 13 grams of fat)
- Use fat free milk or reduced sodium chicken broth when making mashed potatoes, and add garlic and herbs to enhance the flavor
- Season vegetables with herbs, spices, balsamic vinegar and/or lemon juice instead of butter or heavy sauces
- Reduce sugar called for in a recipe by a third
- Substitute an equal amount of applesauce or prune puree for at least half the oil, margarine, or butter in baked good recipes
- Substitute a graham cracker crumb pie crust for the traditional pastry crust, and use half the butter or margarine called for in the crumb crust recipe, adding a little liquid to moisten if too dry
- Have water or diet soda available for guests to choose instead of higher calorie and sugar beverages like alcohol, soda or juice
- Skip dessert and serve fresh fruit for a light end to the meal
Written by Jane N. Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs
GARELICK FARMS LIMITED HOLIDAY ITEMS
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Garelick Farms Holly Nog is a creamy egg nog flavored beverage perfect for any holiday gathering. Garelick Farms Holly Nog starts with Garelick Farms reduced fat milk and has fewer calories than regular egg nog.
The Garelick Farms Limited Holiday Items are sure to win over kids and adults alike! Try both TruMoo Lowfat Chocolate Peppermint Milk and Garelick Farms Holly Nog while supplies last.
Visit www.GarelickFarms.com for more information.
POM WONDERFUL BLENDS
More Americans were introduced to pomegranate products last year than any year in history. POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice is the nation’s best-selling
pomegranate juice and helped kick off the country’s pomegranate craze more than a decade ago. POM Wonderful is launching new blends to complement its pure pomegranate juice with delicious flavor varieties that appeal to the whole family.
POM Hula evokes an off-the-map beach getaway with a mix of pomegranate, pineapple and organic apple juice. POM Mango offers a delectable mix of pomegranate, mango and pear juice. POM Coconut mixes pomegranate juice, coconut water and pineapple juice.
The new blends slip POM’s iconic curved bottle into eye-catching tropical graphics in a convenient 12 oz. size. POM Hula shimmies into a green grass hula skirt, POM Coconut pairs POM’s signature red wrap with white coconut and green leaves, while POM Mango features a splash of yellow with green leaves.
Look for POM Wonderful Blends in the Produce Department. 
The Lake Placid Holiday Village Stroll Committee and Price Chopper are happy to announce that we are giving away two Family Weekends to the Lake Placid Holiday Village Stroll! Lake Placid will be hosting this year’s Fifth Annual Holiday Village Stroll December 7th-9th, 2012. This destination village is known for its majestic mountain setting and for hosting two Olympic Games. Two lucky families will be chosen to stay in Lake Placid and enjoy the endless activities, nightlife, shopping, dining, and entertainment throughout this special weekend.
We are asking you to nominate a family you know who could really use a special weekend getaway. Tell us why this family is in need by posting on our facebook page and commenting on our blog below. As a special thank you from Price Chopper, the nominator of each winning family will also receive a $100 Price Chopper gift card! Entries must be submitted by Tuesday, November 13th at 5:00pm. Please post your entry both on our Facebook Page and on our Blog to be qualified.
Some of the highlights of the weekend include:
- Holiday skating party with free skate rentals
- Children’s holiday crafts at High Peaks resort
- Holiday gift wrapping and wine tasting
- Story time at the Mirror Lake Inn
- Yule Log Hunt at High Peaks resort
- Mids Park Holiday Celebration with a tree lighting and Santa
- Santa’s Arrival in Mids Park
- Gingerbread House at Generations
- Free Matinee Viewing of Polar Express
- One family will win a two night stay at the High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid with breakfast each morning in the Dancing Bears Resturant. This package is valid for the Holiday Village Stroll Weekend (December 7th-9th, 2012). Make sure to like the High Peaks Resort on Facebook!
