In 3 easy steps you can whip up a delicious meal!
Step 1: Pick an entrée from our menu
Step 2: Select the ingredients
Step 3: Follow our simple cooking instructions & serve!
Chefs’ Menu offers a wide variety of protein options and flavors. Choose from chicken, beef, pork or seafood entrees. Pick-up a brochure and select one of the recipes inside, or mix & match sauces and sides to make a custom meal of your choice! Each entree serves 3-4. Click here to learn more about Chefs’ Menu and view recipes! Written by Maureen Murphy & Sarah Palmer Hosting a cocktail party!
With New Year’s Eve approaching this weekend, you may be hosting your final celebration of 2016! We have some great tips for hosting a simple cocktail party! A cocktail party is a convenient way to entertain guests ranging from neighbors to business associates. The duration of a cocktail party is usually 2-3 hours, and foods usually consist of simple hors d’oeuvres and other finger foods, allowing guests to graze as they mingle.
- Offer a varied menu making sure to include seafood, meat selections, finger food, canapés, hot and cold dishes
- Plan on 8 (if being passed) and 10 (if on a buffet) hors d’oeuvres per person
- When serving cheeses:
- Choose a simple cracker without excess salt or flavors to enhance the flavor of the cheeses(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 are perfect when eaten with a soft ripened cheese such as brie or camembert
- Fresh or dried figs are particularly nice with Spanish Manchego or Reggiano Parmesan
- Use hollowed out peppers as serving containers for dips
- Stock the bar with an assortment of glass styles to cover the type of drinks you plan to serve
- Provide wine charms or even different colored ribbons for wine, champagne and martini glasses to help guests keep track of their glasses
- Have plenty of mixers available – juices (orange, cranberry, grapefruit and tomato), soda, tonic, ginger ale, cola, and Tabasco, lemons, limes, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce
Ommegang Rare Vos is a Belgian style Amber Ale that is brewed with sweet orange peel and grains of paradise to give you a mellow and spicy taste! Ommegang Brewery is based out of Cooperstown NY, not far from one our Price Chopper locations!
Sample and enjoy this beer at our Growler Stations the following days:
- December 22nd
- Loudonville Store (#138): 2-4 p.m.
- Bethlehem Store (#159): 4:30-6:30 p.m.
- December 23rd
- Clifton Park Shopper’s World (#112): 4-6 p.m.
- Malta (#184): 4-6 p.m.
- Saratoga Springs (#158): 1:30-3:30 p.m.
- Wilton (#39): 4-6 p.m.
Genesee Brewhouse Black IPA is noted for its notes of caramel with a combination of roasted and black malts. Its bitterness is balanced with hops from East Kent. With its dessert notes, it is guaranteed to add some warmth to a cold winter evening!
Come and sample this beer on the following days at our Growler Stations:
- December 29th
- Loudonville Store (#138): 4-6 p.m.
- Bethlehem Store (#159): 4-6 p.m.
- Malta (#184): 4-6 p.m.
- December 30th
- Wilton (#39): 4-6 p.m.
- Clifton Park Shopper’s World (#112): 4-6 p.m.
- Saratoga Springs (#158): 4-6 p.m.
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
Another Capital Region store is complete! Our Glenville, NY location officially became part of the Market 32 family on Tuesday, December 13th! We are so excited to have another remodel complete! Check out pictures below!
More on Market 32:
Our new store name is inspired by the year our family-run company was founded – 1932. Over nine decades, we have successfully dedicated ourselves to helping our neighbors feed and care for themselves and their families. With Market 32, our goal is to go one step further and ‘feed your imagination’ with a shopping experience unlike any other.
If you want food prep tips or need product information, our highly trained teammates are always close at hand to share their knowledge. Their focus is on providing you with solutions that make your shopping experience a rewarding one.
For more information on Market 32, please click here.
Written by Maureen Murphy & Sarah Palmer
Holiday Baking
Holiday baking is a wonderful way to share the joy of the season with those we treasure. Start a new tradition with your family this year and bake some special holiday memories! Keep reading for helpful baking tips & time-saving ideas to help get you started!
Baking Tips
Making time to bake is often fun and rewarding, and can be done with proper organization and a few helpful hints.
- Bake in quantity and freeze whenever possible – baked cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 3 or 4 weeks
- Prepare cookie dough when you are able to steal a little extra time – prepared dough will keep at least 3 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Assemble all ingredients and equipment before beginning a recipe
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper to help cut down on clean up
- While cookies are baking, prepare other cookie sheets to go in the oven
- Save time when shopping and measuring:
- 1 lb. box confectioners’ sugar = 4 cups
- 1 lb. box brown sugar = 2 cups, packed
- 5 lb. bag granulated sugar = 10 cups
- 5 lb. bag all-purpose flour = 20 cups
- 1 cup cake flour = 7/8 cup sifted all-purpose
- 1 lb. box seedless raisins = 2 3/4 cups
- 6 extra-large eggs = 8 large eggs
- Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature before using
- Measure ingredients carefully
- Do not over-mix cookie dough
- Chill dough well when instructed so the dough will be easier to work with
- Allow at least 2 inches of space between cookies on cookie sheets, and at least 2 inches around the sides of the oven for proper heat circulation
- Use bright, shiny aluminum cookie sheets rather than dark colored cookie sheets to prevent over browning
- Bake cookies on a rack in the middle of the oven; for best results use only one rack
- Do not over-bake – a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when a cookie is baked
- Allow cookie sheets to cool before baking more to prevent the edges of the cookie from spreading out and becoming too thin
- Cool cookies on a wire rack
We’ve lined up an exciting group of local producers for each store on 12/3, including Perreca’s Bakery at our Altamont Ave Price Chopper and Mapleland Farms at our Wilton Market 32. Each store will have a local brewery in-house to chat with guests and offer tastes of their New York brews!
Tune in to WGNA on event day: they’ll be broadcasting the event live on site at Hamilton Square Market 32 from 10-noon.
Check out the event roster below to see who’ll be in the house at your store:
Altamont Avenue Price Chopper
Flavor of Schenectady Schenectady NY
Horseshoe Hot Sauce Rhinebeck NY
Perreca’s Bakery Schenectady NY
Davidson Bros Brewing Glens Falls NY
Ole McDonald’s Honey Farm Fultonville NY
Barkeater Chocolates North Creek NY
Blue Hill Farm Morrisville NY
Harney & Sons Tea Hudson NY
Wilton Market 32
Saratoga Peanut Butter Saratoga Springs NY
Nettle Meadow Farm Warrensburg NY
Saratoga Brewing Saratoga Springs NY
Dellavale Farm Pattersonville NY
Mapleland Farms Salem NY
Shoppers World Market 32
Old World Provisions Albany NY
Death Wish Coffee Round Lake NY
Schmaltz Brewing Co Clifton Park NY
Vermont Hydroponic Florence VT
Pixie’s Preserves Waterford NY
Russo’s Grill Amsterdam NY
Hudson Valley Plaza Market 32
Snacks101 Bethpage NY
Brown’s Brewing Troy NY
Larry’s Sauces Slingerlands NY
Dominick’s Gourmet Sauce Guilderland NY
R & G Cheese Troy NY
Hamilton Square Market 32
Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
Valente’s Restaurant Watervliet NY
The Peanut Principle Albany NY
Vital Eats Saratoga Springs NY
Our Daily Eats Albany NY
WGNA (radio onsite!) Albany NY
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!).
THANKSGIVING DINNER PLANNING
The Weekend Before:
- You’ll need to decide what you’re preparing, and let others know if you’d like them to bring a dish!
- Assigning dishes ahead of time allows for family members to know what they are expected to bring. And if you don’t need them to bring anything, you can suggest something like delicious PICS Sparkling Juice. For the kids, it makes them feel like an adult, and for the adults…well, it also makes for a great mixer!
- Develop your shopping list. You can do this right on pricechopper.com!
- Shop for items that can be purchased ahead of time.
- Stock your pantry with canned goods and non-perishable items.
- Extra napkins, cups or even silverware is a good idea, just in case!
- Prepare and freeze anything that can be made in advance.
- Grab any type of party game for a fun family activity (board games, Jenga, or cards)!
- Now is the time to purchase any of your fresh items!
- Make sure you leave enough time to thaw your turkey, if you’re buying a frozen one. More tips on that here!
- Set your table and serving areas
- You can set your table, including your utensils ahead of time
- Set up your beverage area
- Measure out any non-perishable ingredients for recipes, cover and set aside in order to make the next day of cooking easier!
- Click here to view our We Know Turkey Guide
- This handy brochure has information about appropriate roasting times for the size of your turkey. Be sure to include 30-45 minutes rest time when calculating.
- Make up a “menu” and set it in a place where everyone who is helping to cook can see. That way, no food gets left off the table and you don’t have to worry about forgetting anything!
- Remove the turkey from refrigerator, unwrap and remove the giblets. If you are using the giblets for anything, make sure you set them aside.
- Wash turkey and place in roasting pan. Refrigerate until ready to roast.
- Pick up any prepared food
- Peel and cut potatoes. Cover with cold water until ready to cook.
- Prepare stuffing
- Cook giblets if using
- Plate condiments such as cranberry sauce, olives, carrots, celery and pickles
- Add any finishing touches to make-ahead recipes
- Remove turkey from oven and allow to rest
- Place stuffing in oven to bake (unless stuffed in turkey)
- Drain potatoes, add salt and fresh water. Cook, drain and mash. Place in ovenproof casserole dish and keep warm in oven
- Make gravy
- Carve turkey
- Bake rolls (according to instructions)
- Pour beverages
- Place condiments on table
- Add any finishing touches to side dishes
- Light candles
Cranberries 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:
- Power up breakfast with some dried fruit in oatmeal, like dried cherries and apricots.
- Make that morning snack a small apple and a light cheese stick – produce plus protein is perfect!
- 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.
- Hummus and cut veggies make a flavorful, plant-protein and fiber-rich afternoon snack.
- 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!