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Strawberry Salsa

Try this sweet and spicy salsa at your next backyard BBQ.

Strawberry Salsa
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Grilling Guide: Pork Chops

Our Meat Department has a case full of chops and this recipe for Grilled Lemon Rosemary Pork Chops is delicious!

Grilling Guide: Pork Chops
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Balsamic Glazed Strawberries

Strawberries are one of the tell-tale signs of early summer. They're plentiful at the farmers market, and they're plentiful in the Produce Department. If you haven't tasted the flavor of strawberry with reduced balsamic vinegar, prepare for a party for your taste buds. This dish is delicious served over vanilla ice cream or yogurt.

Balsamic Glazed Strawberries
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Toffee Matzo Brittle

Whether or not you celebrate the Jewish holiday, Passover, we dare you to only eat one of these sweet and salty treats!

Toffee Matzo Brittle
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Natural Easter Egg Dyes

If you look forward to dyeing eggs every Easter, but like to avoid chemicals too, try these simple dyes made from food items. We used white eggs, but you can use brown, too. Just keep in mind that the colors will be darker and perhaps brighter.

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Wine Season: Holiday Gifts

by Laurene Sorensen, Moscow Food Co-op Board of Directors

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 Wine season is in full swing, and the Co-op has you covered with a great selection of all your favorites. Read on for some fun seasonal gift ideas!

From now through New Year’s, wine makes the perfect hostess present. Add a bow, grab and go. Keep some extra bottles on hand for those “oops” moments when someone stops by with a present for you and you didn’t get them anything, but do have some La Riojana under the sink and a cute sack to put it in (the Co-op sells those too!).

Here are a few creative wine gift ideas:

  1. Pair wine and protein. Cheese is traditional, but meat works, too. How about a ribeye steak and some Shiraz or Cabernet? A turkey and Beaujolais Nouveau or rosé? A duck and Pinot Noir?

  2. Make a brunch kit. Prosecco and orange juice equal mimosas. Add bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon, freshly ground coffee, and seasonal fruit.

  3.  Give bottles of one varietal from multiple countries. Or, if a friend is planning a trip to a wine-growing region in the United States or abroad, help them acclimate by introducing them to the local product.

  4. Spotlight one producer, such as La Riojana (they’re a co-op too!), Maryhill, Indian Creek, or Colter’s Creek. Mix it up by giving multiple vintages of the same varietal, or wines from different price points in a producer’s line.

  5. If you have a basket with a lid, you can make a gift hamper in the grand style. Inspiration can be found here: https://www.fortnumandmason.com/t/categories/hampers/themes/wine-hampers

Keep an eye out for in-store wine promotions. Broaden your knowledge at Tasteful Thursdays —the first three Thursdays of December from 4-6 p.m.— and at in-house tasting events, where bottles are often offered at a discount. And don’t be shy about asking our wine buyer, Peg Kingery, for suggestions to complement your menu or budget. 

See you at the wine aisle of the Co-op!

Entertaining with Cheese and Spreads

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If there's one plate of food that says “party,” it's the cheese platter. Enticing and satisfying enough to carry a celebration on its own, the cheese plate is also the perfect attraction for introducing guests to one another before the main course.

Putting together a spectacular cheese platter is easier than you might think, especially with great deals in your Co-op like Divina fig spread for just $3.99, and Mediterranian Organic olives for $2.99.

Here are a few tips:

The cheese platter

  • Serve cheese at room temperature. The cold from the refrigerator inhibits its flavor, so take your cheese out half an hour before guests arrive to allow it to “bloom.”

  • Provide a serving utensil for each variety of cheese on your tray.

  • Serve a selection of three to five contrasting cheeses. Think different tastes, colors, and textures, like mild with robust (like Brie with blue cheese), fresh with aged (like Boursin with aged Gruyere), or soft with hard cheeses (like chevre with Parmesan).

  • Create a themed tray by offering cheeses from one region or source, or showcase an array of cheeses made from different milks (cow, goat, sheep).

Accompaniments

Whether you serve them individually or on the same platter, some foods are perfect complements to cheese. These include:

  • Fresh and dried fruits

  • Crostini, flatbread, and other crackers

  • Hearty and crusty breads

  • Olives

  • Nuts

  • Honey

To create an antipasto platter, include a mix of marinated vegetables and cured meats.

Wine and beer cheese pairings

In general, a wine that comes from the same geographic area as the cheese will be a good match. Here are some other pairings:

  • Goat cheeses and dry red wines

  • Cheddars with sweet wines and pale and brown ales

  • Fresh, medium, and hard cheeses with crisp, fruity red or white wine

  • Cheeses with bloomy rinds (like Brie) and fruity red wines or light, dry champagnes

  • Swiss cheeses with dark lagers, bocks, and Oktoberfest beers

  • Feta and wheat beers

  • Sweet cheeses with fruity beers

Check out the cheese offerings—especially any local cheeses—at the co-op. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the array of choices, just ask the staff for recommendations (including wine pairings). Then just sit back and wait for the doorbell to ring—your celebration will be off to a flavorful start!