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Kid Friendly Hanukkah Holiday Recipes

Posted on December 1, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone

The holiday season usually means that the boys want to share something Hanukkah related with their friends at parties. While I often go into school to read a story and/or play dreidel with the kids, I wanted something new and different this year. The kids and I saw some holiday recipes and baking ideas that we hoped to personalize for The Festival of Lights. To get ready for Hanukkah, the boys and I went to Price Chopper together. We were on a mission to get baking supplies for kid friendly #HolidayAdvantEdge recipes. Thanks to #CollectiveBias we were looking for ingredients to make Marshmallow Dreidels and Hanukkah Cookie Pops.

When we arrived at Price Chopper, we went right to the baking aisle. The boys immediately found the Betty Crocker cookie mix that would be perfect for our project. We also grabbed some marshmallows, icing, powdered sugar, and gel for decorating. That’s where we saw a sign that let us know to head over to the front of the store where there was a Favorites for Baking section with additional items for the holidays. In this area, we found the Crisco Shortening Sticks (alternative to butter), holiday Hugs and Kisses from Hershey, along with winter sprinkles. The only items we had to go back for were pretzel sticks and Hanukkah gelt.

No Bake Marshmallow Dreidels

For years, we have seen photos of people that made Marshmallow Dreidels, but we have never made them. We had planned on making our own glaze, but it did not want to work. Thanks to our oven dying the night before Thanksgiving, I was lucky when Nana and Papa had frosting that we were able to use. This ended up being a great substitution because I can see making these as a snack with kids in a classroom.

Ingredients:

Large Marshmallows
Hershey Hugs or Kisses
Frosting (food coloring optional)
Pretzel Sticks
Sprinkles or Colored Sugar Crystals

We set up bowls with all of the ingredients so the kids could just grab what they needed. Knives to spread the frosting was the only additional item that was needed. First, we took a marshmallow and put a pretzel stick about 2/3 of the way into it. Once this was secure, it was time to frost the outside of the marshmallow. We selected blue, but any color would work, including regular chocolate or vanilla frosting. Once a thin layer was all the way around the marshmallow, a slightly larger amount was placed onto the bottom. This acted as the glue that held the Hug or Kiss into place. The last step was to put some sprinkles or colored sugar on the outside to make it more colorful.

Hanukkah Cookie Pops

Cake pops are still really popular, but they are more time consuming and not as kid friendly. We decided to make cookie pops for Hanukkah that the kids would decorate for themselves. If I was taking these to a party, I would make the cookie pops ahead of time and pack them to bring with supplies for the kids to finish making at the event.

Ingredients:

Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
Cookie Icing
Egg
Water
Crisco Shortening Sticks (Butter Flavored)
Crafting sticks (soaked in water for 20-30 minutes)
Sprinkles, Hanukkah gelt, and other decorations
Parchment Paper

We followed instructions on the package of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix. Since we were using Crisco instead of butter, we read how to substitute that on the side of the Crisco box. For the half cup of butter, we used half of a Crisco stick and a tablespoon of water. This was mixed with the egg really easily to form the dough. JSL then helped me to make tablespoon sized balls of dough while our crafting sticks soaked in water.

When it was time to put the sticks into the dough balls, it helps to flatten them ahead of time with a water glass. Then you place the wooden pop stick at least half way into the raw cookie dough. It is crucial to keep these spread out on your cookie sheet with parchment paper.

The cookie pops baked at 375 for 8-10 minutes. They should just get a little brown on the edges and need to set. Once the cookies were baked and had cooled, it was time for the kids to decorate. They used the cookie icing and then put sprinkles, gel, and Hanukkah gelt on them to make them festive.

What are some of your favorite holiday recipes to make with your kids? Be sure to let me know and leave links to your posts to share in the comments below.

Disclosure: I am a member of Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. I am a frequent Price Chopper customer and have written about them on my blog in the past.

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baking food glorious food holidays sponsored post

Back to School Snacks and Savings

Posted on September 1, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

It’s hard to believe that the summer is over and kids all around will be back in school. Over the last month or so, Price Chopper supermarket has been helping parents like me to get ready. In addition to their back to school savings, they have great recipe suggestions to help everyone transition back to the more hectic autumn schedules.

Snack time is important at our house. I want to get something nutritious into the boys to give them energy to head outside to play and get homework done. After a long day at school, it helps to have a variety of options available. To get ready for the first week back, the boys and I went to Price Chopper together. We often go shopping as a family, but this time we were on a #PriceChopperB2S mission for snacks thanks to #CollectiveBias.

NHL and JSL had ideas of their own. They asked us to buy ingredients to make smoothies for warm days after school. They both agreed on vanilla Yoplait Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, and bananas. In addition to that, I told the boys that I wanted to try to make a trail mix with a twist. My idea was to mix Honey Nut Cheerios into different flavors of Yoplait Greek Yogurt and freeze them. These would then be added to some more traditional trail mix items. The boys had fun going up and down the aisles looking for different choices to put into our trail mix. In the end we picked out roasted edamame (NHL has braces and can not eat nuts), pretzel sticks, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. The next big decision was what flavor of Greek yogurt to select. NHL asked for blueberry and JSL requested strawberry. TechyDad and I also allowed the kids to get a splurge item because we rarely have juice pouches in the house. The new Capri Sun Super V Fruit & Vegetable Juice Drink looked interesting and will help on Hebrew School days when we are rushing.

FYI, did you see that sign in my photo above about winning an iPad mini? Price Chopper customers can enter a first day of school photo contest running from August 17 to September 20. You can vote on your favorite from September 21 to 27. The five winners with the most votes and five random winners will each receive an iPad mini.

Yogurt Covered Cereal Trail Mix

The boys adore Greek yogurt, but they take it in their lunch most days. To switch it up and have something munchy, crunchy, and fun we made a trail mix that included frozen Greek yogurt covered Honey Nut Cheerio clusters. These need to be made ahead of time and added to the mix right when the kids are ready to eat. They will melt, but the cool snack adds a fun twist to a family favorite.

We set up the kitchen into a mini assembly line. A large cookie sheet was covered with wax paper ahead of time. Each of the boys opened up their container of yogurt and we mixed the cereal in. We put half a cup into each 5.3 ounce container. Once they were mixed well, we put small dollops onto the lined sheet. This was placed into the freezer. After about half an hour they were set and ready to go.

If you are using this snack later on, I suggest taking the clusters off of the cookie sheet and storing them in a freezer safe container. The yogurt clusters will melt if it is warm and that defeats the purpose of the snack. Just mix some of each ingredient into a bowl and voila – it’s snack time! Of course, some kiddos many like a bowl of yogurt clusters on their own. The boys enjoyed the twist on this snack and also asked for some left over Yoplait Greek Yogurt with a quarter cup of Honey Nut Cheerios in it for breakfast the next day. Score!

What are some of your favorite snacks for after school? I would love to hear your ideas and whether or not you get the kids involved in the process.

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food glorious food school shopping sponsored post

Market Bistro by Price Chopper

Posted on February 27, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Living in the Capital District, I have shopped at Price Chopper for most of my life. During my blogging tenure, I have written about shopping at Price Chopper for Passover and gone to several of their social media events. On Tuesday afternoon, I was invited to a meet up to tour their nearly completed Market Bistro in the Latham, NY store. I was not required to blog, but I really am excited to share about this unique venue in the Capital Region.

When I arrived at the store, I walked into the Market Bistro area. I had to stop and look around for a minute because it truly was like nothing else in the area. It was not like a food court at the mall. The atmosphere was calm, the lighting perfect, and it called people to come and explore.

Of course, it was not time to check everything out. We were brought back into the cooking school that will eventually be opened and host classes. The room was inviting and beautiful. I can see locals groups getting together there to explore cooking, baking, decorating, and other culinary options. While we waited for everyone to arrive, we were handed the Shopping Directory for Market Bistro. As you will see, there is a large variety of dining choices for all different tastes.

Once everyone had arrived we heard from Mona Golub, Neil Golub, Jerry Golub, and Lew Shaye. They explained the history of how Market Bistro came to Latham, NY. Price Chopper knew that they wanted to add their own twist to the restaurant experience. They wanted to continue with the success of the Ben & Bill’s New York Deli in their Slingerlands store. This time, their focus was twists on American favorites. They looked at all of the different foods that we enjoy and added their own twists in the venues that will be a part of Market Bistro. We are all looking at ways to simplify life and now we can dine at Market Bistro and then shop for groceries in the store that we need.

Market Bistro will make all items fresh for customers when ordered. Breads within the Bistro Blvd are made special by Price Chopper. The smoke house is something new to Price Chopper. My favorite fun fact that really hit home was how Market Bistro will aim for a theme park atmosphere.

I do believe they have hit this out of the park. While walking around Bistro Blvd., I felt like I had been transported to Seasons in The Land at Epcot where you have an amazing variety of different foods at your fingertips. Why yes, it’s like Orlando, Florida has come to Latham, NY!

Then it was time to go on a tasting tour of Bistro Blvd. We learned that there will be limited time only items on menus to keep things fresh. This will be wonderful for those that are close enough to pop in for meals on a more regular basis. While walking around, we were treated to a beverage from Starbucks, sub samples from Subtown, salad taste from Veggies & Greens and Lots of Things, and some tastes of globally inspired burritos and quesadillas from Out of this World Burritos.

We continued along to The Plump Hen to try their wood smoked ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. Then there were burgers, specialty hot dogs, onion rings, and french fries from Custom Burgers. Back Bay Fish Fry allowed us to try out their signature lobster roll (delish). After this, a colorful display of sushi was waiting for those who were adventurous to taste.

Looking for cheese? Look no further than the Artisian & Gourmet Cheese Shop where they have 300 varieties that are unique to this Price Chopper store. Oh and right next to this, check out the The Growler Station where you can fill up favorite brews that are on tap.

The Italian Market has a a wide variety of sausages, fresh made pasta, premade specialties, and more.

We continued along to see options that are available to take home from Chef Meals. Items available here will rotate and be limited time only and for $6 you select one entrée and two sides. Next up we tried NYC deli sandwiches, pickles, and potato pancakes from Ben & Bill’s New York Deli. Like the one in Slingerlands, this one has a wide variety of items like you would be able to get in NYC. One of our last stops was at Stone Fired Pizza where we also had some slices.

Next, we learned about the Chef’s Grill that will be opening shortly. Then it was time to end with a sweet treat. We went over to Scoops & Smiles where we were treated to a hot fudge sundae and smoothie sample. Price Chopper makes their own hot fudge and whipped cream. I personally would have loved a big bowl of just the whipped cream as a treat, but that may just be me. The smoothie is definitely something I can see getting again on a warm summer day. Of course, I know my boys will love walking into Market Bistro and seeing the ice cream shop.

So what are my thoughts? I can not wait to bring my entire family back to Market Bistro. I think it will be a fun family dining destination where we will all find options that fit our individual tastes. I know that we will be back soon to work our way back around Bistro Blvd. trying new specials and familiar favorites.

Disclosure: I was invited to the Price Chopper Market Bistro tasting tour to learn more about their latest addition to the Latham, NY store. I was not compensated or expected to write any reviews. All opinions are my own. I did receive a bag of goodies, to thank me for coming at the end of the tour.

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food glorious food Local Business local event

Disney Food, Wine, and Music

Posted on October 9, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I am a huge Disneyphile, yet I have a confession. In all of my visits to Walt Disney World over the years, I have never been to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. I dream of being able to walk around Epcot and try all of the amazing specialties that are available. Each year, I watch the new items added to this special time of year and know that one day, it will be my turn to experience this magical time of year. For now, I will continue to dream and think of previous delicious experiences from our trips to Disney.

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

Categories:
Disney food glorious food travel

Mandatory Trip to Menchie’s

Posted on August 9, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Dole Whips. While typing this up, I can already visualize walking through the Magic Kingdom and heading over to Aloha Isle to wait in line for a delicious Dole Whip Float. Yum! For Disney fans that adore this treat, you know that finding them outside of Disney parks is very tricky. There had been very few locations beside Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the Dole Pineapple Plantation in Hawaii. Last week, Lisa from Babes in Disneyland posted about a new discovery. She found out that a frozen yogurt chain called Menchie’s carried Dole products. Before you could say pineapple, I was on the Menchie’s website to see where they were located. That’s when I saw there were three stores in the Capital Region area. What I did not realize at the time was that the Colonie Center store was opening that very weekend.

Opening day of the new Menchie’s was also TechyDad’s birthday. He was curious and wanted to try to go there. Since they were giving away free yogurt for the first few hours, the place was packed and there was a giant line. We decided to go and have lunch and head back later. Of course, when we went back we were not hungry. We went inside and stumbled upon the manager of all of the local stores. He confirmed that the Capital Region locations do in fact have the pineapple Dole variety and it will be in the rotation of flavors. We were told that they would be updating their Facebook page with flavors. My guess is the first week has kept them on their toes and this has not been done, but I am hopeful that it will show up one day soon.

While JSL was in camp, NHL and I went out and he begged to go to Menchie’s to try something. So lunch that afternoon was a stop in Menchie’s. We had good timing with a quiet store so we could explore the flavors (no pineapple), toppings, and more.

NHL finally decided to have ICSB, which is ice cream sandwich. He added some fruit, popping boba, cookie dough, a chunk of brownie, and whipped topping. I decided to have a cake batter variety with strawberries, blueberries, popping boba, and a little cookie dough. NHL and I both enjoyed our creations and decided that we would have to go back another day when they have Dole Pineapple flavor to enjoy it with JSL and TechyDad.

So my question to you this week:

Have you ever been to a Menchie’s? I would love to know your dream creation there or at any other frozen yogurt destination.

It's Me

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this Friday fun. These days, Pamela at A Renaissance Woman is reviving the fun Friday Meme. Head over there to link up and join in the fun.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life