What says summer more than a fresh cooked bratwurst on the grill?  Well, we think we have an answer – a really great fresh prepared bratwurst!  Our butchers have been making the Famous Festival Fresh Bratwurst for many years right in the store. Great sausage making is really a lost art and fresh sausage right in the store is almost unheard of.  We are keeping the tradition alive and our fresh butchers continue to deliver tasty links for the grill.  Stop in today, pick up some fresh brat buns from the bakery and your favorite toppings from kraut to onions and more!  Enjoy a traditional treat on the grill with your family and friends.

If you have family members who prefer chicken  pick up some of the new Chicken Bratwurst from Gold N Plump!

Busy weekend with opening fishing AND Mother’s Day.  Don’t fret you can get everything you need at Festival. The Orchids are amazing, outdoor baskets, Russell Stover candy. To really dazzle and show your love pick up one of our Fresh Strawberry Pies!

Happy Mother’s Day!

On April 19 Festival Foods was honored to receive the “Minnesota Grown Retailer of the Year” award! Pictured is Minnesota Grown spokesperson Carrie Tollefson, Rod Borden Director of Produce and Jason Herfel Vice President of Fresh Foods at Festival Foods. As a small local business we understand perhaps better than the chain stores that our local farmers are an important part of their communities just as our stores and associates play an important role each community they are located.

While Whole Foods & other chains define local as “only products that have traveled less than a day (7 or fewer hours by car or truck)” our definition at Festival Foods is a lot closer to home. Here are some of the wonderful families and farms  that have provided our local produce for many years.

• Axdahl’s Garden Farm-Brian and Leslie, Stillwater MN
• Pahl Farm- Gary and Brian Pahl, Apple Valley MN
• Martin’s Greenhouse-Tom & Laura Martin, Grasston MN
• Svihel Vegetable Farms- John and Julie Svihel , Foley MN
• Costa Farms- Ron & Karin Costa, White Bear Lake MN
• Riverside Farms- Joe Nathe, Elk River MN
• Nagel Produce – Mel Nagel, Apple Valley MN
• Vine Valley – John Tanata, Stewartville MN
• Zywiec Farms – Joe Zywiec , Cottage Grove MN
• Pepin Heights Apple Orchards – Dennis Courtier, Lake City MN
• Pine Tree Apples Orchards- Bill and John Jacobson –White Bear Lake MN
• Ed Field & Sons – Ed Fields, Andover MN
• Anderson Truck Farms – Judy Anderson ,Mankato MN

We have a new recipe that will become a regular at our house “Buffalo Chicken Burgers” made with ground chicken. So good we just had to put it on the menu this week, give the recipe a try and let us know what you think. We also included our Griller (sandwich) on the menu this week. The Griller is available Friday – Sunday in our Delis and all you have to do is throw it on the grill for a short time.

Please check out our weekly menu complete with shopping lists for each day.

Happy Monday!

One item always on our shopping list at this time of year is Asparagus, we had it for dinner three times last week! Steaming and roasting the asparagus are my favorite methods to cook the Asparagus. Roasting is so simple just wash and trim the Asparagus toss to coat with olive oil and a tiny squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of kosher salt. Lay flat on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Another simply delicious recipe is Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Eggs. Asparagus would be a wonderful side dish to many of our recipes included in our menu for the week.

We thought we should highlight some foods around the store that you may not have tried yet:

Piacci Fior‑di‑Latte, or “flower of milk,” offers delicate flavor, reminiscent of handmade fresh Italian Mozzarella. Perfect to toss with tomatoes and fresh basil for a caprese salad. This item is carried in our Deli departments.

The Orca Bay frozen fish line is a handy item to have in your freezer to serve fish with your fresh vegetables. They are 10 oz with a nice variety in the line. This is a nice option if planning for fresh fish in your busy schedule is too difficult.

Another item we are delighted to have in the store are Kale Chips. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse and these chips offer a healthier snack option.  Kale is rich in powerful antioxidants, phyto nutrients and carotenoids and an excellent source of Vitamin A, C, K, B6, Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Potassium, and fiber. Kale Chips are located in our Produce Departments.

Busy families have a challenge for fitting breakfast into their schedule. Unfortunately this means breakfast on the go. Try the belVita Breakfast Biscuits, they are portable and easy to keep on hand.

Check out this Article on Livestrong.com The 20 Best Foods in Your Grocery Store and add them to your shopping list!

Have a wonderful week.

One of the dishes this week is Speedy Baked Ziti. I was a fan of the Sopranos on HBO and all of the characters loved Carmella’s Ziti and a dish that brought the family together for Sunday dinner so when I ran across this recipe in Food and Wine, I had to give it a try!

Another recipe this week is our Southwestern Pot Roast, a very simple recipe for the slow cooker that we serve with  provides another great meal with leftover pot roast used for Shredded Beef Quesadillas, here is our video for the quesadillas.

The perfect accompaniment to either of these meal is our recipe for Cilantro Lime Rice:

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:

1 Cup Basmati Rice – Rinse lightly in cold water, then cook according to instructions located on the rice package.  Using the optional salt suggestion about ½ tsp.  Vigo Brand is good to use.

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 Lime(Or 2 if they are small)

4 Tbsp Cilantro = Fresh Chopped(Or more to your taste)

Salt to Taste

A stovetop wok works well with a lid so all of this is a one-pot side dish.

After the rice is cooked, make a well in center of rice in the bottom of the pan and heat the oil.  Then mix the oil into the rice until it is coated.  Recommended on low to medium heat.

Then once coated with oil, squeeze in the juice of a lime, as you prefer.  The limejuice really offers a vibrant taste!

Add the chopped cilantro and toss right before serving.  Cilantro offers a completely fresh flavor and really makes the dish!

Cabin season isn’t far off and people are beginning to plan their “work” weekends to get docks and boats put in the water. When your friends and family gather for those weekends we thought we should start sharing some simple recipes to serve your guests. Erica from our White Bear store graciously offered her Easy Egg Bake recipe, a single recipe bakes in a pie tin, a double recipe is for a 9 x 13 pan for a larger crowd.

There are many good pancake mixes, I like a complete mix where all you have to do is add water, a quick and easy way to feed the family for dinner, add some “little sizzlers” or bacon with a giant glass of milk and your family will be very happy.

That glass of milk can also help save BIG money at the gas pump as well. Save 10 cents per gallon of gas for EACH gallon of milk you purchase this week (see details)through our Pump Perks program.

Another breakfast for dinner on our weekly menu this week is a French Toast BLT, rather than preparing your own vinaigrette, I suggest using the Marzetti® Roasted Garlic Italian Vinaigrette Dressing to save time. We hope you enjoy the weekly menus and try some new recipes! Our home grocery delivery service Festival Express is a great time-saver to allow you to spend more time with your family eating healthier meals.

Our Premium Quality Double Smoked Bone-In Ham is a holiday tradition for many families. Our ham is fully cooked; twice smoked over hard wood you may simply bake covered with foil or lid at 325 degrees for approximately 15 minutes per pound to an internal temperature of 140 degrees. This video featuring Festival team members Ray and Jason explains the advantages of purchasing and serving a premium quality ham. Leftover ham from your dinner may be used for these tasty crowd-pleasing sandwiches, this fabulous carbonara or this yummy appetizer!

If you prefer a simple glaze on your holiday ham this recipe has been a hit for years. I recently saw this recipe in Bon Appétit magazine for Easter Ham with Golden Breadcrumbs and Madeira Sauce and it sounds delicious so I plan to prepare this for our holiday dinner.

Another elegant and easy meal that our family enjoys for the holiday is a bone-in Rib-Eye Roast (Prime Rib) served with Béarnaise sauce. Our cutting edge butchers hand cut, trim and tie these roasts like pieces of art for your table! Here is a video explaining how to prepare the prime rib and here is the link to the Perfect Prime Rib recipe.

The kids at your table will love our Bunny Cake (order while supplies last) and we are sure the rest of your guests will enjoy Taste of Scandinavia’s Hummingbird Cake.

We didn’t forget our suggestions for the rest of the week’s meals, here is our menu for the week with a shopping list for your holiday meal that we hope you will find helpful! Pick up one of our gorgeous potted orchids when you’re shopping – you deserve it.

Choose the best way to save on groceries and gas with Festival Foods. Our Pump Perks program offers the greatest savings per gallon of any of our competitors!

Happy Easter!

We start off with some news this week that is worthy of reviewing and sharing. Recently in the media, there have been some reports on ground beef that have raised some questions with our customers. We appreciate all of your questions and know if we have heard from some of you, there may be others that want to know about our ground beef. We want you to know and be confident when purchasing our ground beef, it is 100% fresh ground beef with no fillers or additives. We grind our fresh ground beef daily in-store to make sure the quality lives up to our standards and delivers on what you, our customers expect. In addition, we have now confirmed all fresh ground beef that we purchase pre-packaged and sell in our stores is 100% ground beef with no fillers or additives.  Spread the word.

On the menu for this week on Tuesday night is Mom’s Meatloaf! You may not think of popping a meatloaf in the oven when you get home, but our own Chef Melanie gave us a tip that works just great! Take the whole meatloaf and pour it out of the pan before baking onto parchment paper. Slice the meatloaf in 4 or 5 slices for a one pounder to 7 or 8 slices for a two pounder. Place the slices on parchment paper on your baking sheet. Pop them in the oven at 350 degrees and in 30 minutes or until 160 degrees or great you have meatloaf!  Fully cooked, slices of meatloaf ready to serve. It makes meatloaf a simple weeknight meal!  Click here to check out a quick video.(Cooking spray is optional if you think it might stick)

As the weather changes, we are changing up our weekend line-up of meals made easy! Starting this Friday March 30th, the Griller Sandwiches will be back in the Deli department! These fully prepared and wrapped grilled sandwiches are perfect for a weekend night meal, fun appetizer or lunch on the go. These sandwiches can be grilled or baked and serve 4 to 6 depending on serving sizes. Click here to check out a quick video.

With warmer weather comes the craving for a cold treat! We have two new options that are now available in our frozen foods treat section! The first is the new Sno-Blitz from Kemps! It is a soft serve treat that comes in four flavors! Brownie Batter, Cookies & Cream, Cookie Dough and Peanut Butter Cup. Take them out of the fridge, let them warm up a little, stir and have fun eating them! They are cost effective way for the family to have a soft serve treat without getting in the car and making another trip! Once stop at Festival, second stop on the deck!

Then comes the new Yasso Frozen Greek Yougrt Bars! These new treats are are All Natural, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Low in Sugar. With all of these attributes Yasso made a tasty bar that tastes good and gives you that little break you were thinking about! Check them out now in our frozen foods section!

The weather in Minnesota, a great reason to make simple and delicious meals!

Nothing says spring on the table quite like fresh asparagus, and Festival Foods has wonderful fresh asparagus available right now in our produce departments!

Fresh asparagus at Festival Foods!

Speaking of barbecue, Festival Foods has what is likely the best barbecue sauce you will ever taste: Big Rick’s! This is the real deal, direct from Kansas City, and once you’ve tried it you’ll be hooked. It’s perfect on the grill with your favorite meats!

Big Rick's Barbecue Sauce

And like their amazing barbecue sauce, Big Rick’s now has an equally amazing salsa. Beware! It’s not for the tender palate, but it’s not just about the heat. This salsa brings the flavor! Big Rick’s Hyper Hot Black Dog Salsa. If you love their barbecue sauce you’ll love this salsa.

Big Rick's Hyper Hot Black Dog Salsa

And here’s another fun, new favorite at Festival: Sparking Ice Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water. It’s light and refreshing, and has zero calories. Sparkling Ice is perfect as a healthy thirst quencher on warm days.

Sparking Ice. All natural and no calories!

Save time and money with our new grocery delivery service, Festival Express! Get the same great quality you’ve come to expect at Festival Foods with the lowest-priced grocery delivery service in the Twin Cities! And it’s easy! Check out the best grocery delivery service in town here.

Festival Express. Ready when you are!

Irish Soda Bread and Pumpernickel Bread – Made from scratch favorites fresh out of the ovens at Taste of Scandinavia!  For a limited time we are baking loaves of Irish Soda Bread.  If you have not tried it, it is definitely worth the try!  A heavier bread with currants that can be served at room temperature or toasted with butter.  Just a heavenly bread eating experience  most would not expect. If you are planning a party, you can order a loaf to reserve yours online by clicking here.

Delicious with butter or toasted with butter!

Irish Cheeses are some of the finest and most flavorful cheeses you can buy!  They get a lot of attention around St. Patick’s Day, however most of them are available all year long!  Most of the cheeses available are generous with flavor and characteristics that are wonderful alone or make any meal more enjoyable!  Check out these tasty looking Potato Bites made with Dubliner Cheese, click here for the recipe.

Deli Certified Angus Beef – Corned Beef to make great Reubens.  Not ready to cook a corned beef brisket, make them simply with fresh sliced corned beef from the Deli department.  A high quality beef packed with great flavor!  Here is an easy and delicious recipe for Reuben with Russian Dressing!

Our Deli Fresh Bake at Home Pizzas are prepared fresh with great ingredients.  Easy to add to the shopping list and have a weeknight meal that is pop in the oven simple and delicious!  This week, we are preparing a Reuben Style Pizza with the traditional Reuben ingredients including the Sauerkraut!  Stop in and bring home some St. Patrick’s Day fun without the bun!

Sauerkraut lovers unite!  We do know that not everyone like Sauerkraut, not sure why but it is true!  Frank’s is now making a singles packet!  Check this out and they are now available in our Meat Departments.  Beyond St. Patrick’s Day these are going to be a hit for brats, dogs and more this summer!  Fun tip, try it on your next burger fresh off the grill! 

Last but not least, what do you serve with all of these great foods!  Coleslaw!  You can add this as a side dish or even topped on a corned beef sandwich to add a crunch and flavor burst like no other!  Haven’t tried it?  Add it to your must try list!  Whether you start with fresh cabbage and shred, buy the shredded coleslaw mix in produce, there is a dressing out there grandma can be proud of!  Wee Willy’s, another Minnesota Company makes a really fine coleslaw dressing!  It is in the grocery aisles and the flavor is a taste of Minnesota!

Enjoy!

If you are in the mood for chicken and looking for a side dish to accompany the chicken, what could be more Minnesota than Wild Rice? We thought it was time to share a recipe highlighting Minnesota’s official state grain. This is a delicious Wild Rice Casserole recipe that we wanted to share with you. Another reason beside this delicious recipe is the nutritional information below from mnwildrice.org that shows why Wild Rice might be a better nutritional option than rice.

One of favorite products at Festival is Lefas brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is a ” first cold press Special Reserve Olive Oil” direct from Greece, containing 100% olive oil. It is pesticide and herbicide free no additives or mixtures of other varieties of olives other than the Kalamata olive. It has a delightful buttery flavor. Be sure to try this little gem.

A new product that we are excited about to make cooking quick and easy for you is the new Fresh Take by Kraft. A mix of cheese and breadcrumbs to use for coating chicken, pork or fish. The product is now available in our Dairy department. Here is a link to coupons from Kraft for this product so give it a try.