Category Archives: Menu

Impromptu, informal gatherings with friends for a cocktail and a bite seem to be frequent during the holiday season.  It seems a necessity to have cheese, crackers and baguettes on hand to make a cheese board at the last minute and a couple of bottles of wine chilling in the frig isn’t a bad idea either! Our Big Cheese event is in full swing for the holidays, we offer more than 300 varieties of cheese and have serving suggestions and pairing info in the stores to help you choose a selection for your cheese board or recipes. This event has many other delicious goodies beside great cheese and if you’re looking for some special fare for your guests you’ll find it in our Delis. One of my new favorites is a black olive tapenade/dip and now another staple in our pantry!  A small charcuterie board to serve along side of … Continue reading

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Looking at our weather forecast this week, it seems like we need to serve up some comfort food. In our house that is usually soup or a hotdish! Our Hearty Italian Soup doesn’t take much time but it is rich in flavor, majority of the flavor comes from our fresh Italian sausage; made only at Festival Foods, we prefer the “hot” version of sausage for use in the soup, whatever you do don’t forget the mozzarella for the topping.  Serve the Hearty Italian soup by itself or with a small green salad and a baguette; either way it is an easy dinner to put on the table. If you are looking for a new family favorite Taco Soup may just be the one. Serving the Taco Soup with fresh cut Avocado and some fresh sliced Cilantro along with some crunchy chips makes this extra special. Here is a tasty meatless … Continue reading

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  Well, for the most part. The minute we completed this Bacon Jam we began to imagine all of the food we could pair with this sweet and savory condiment! First things first though we better show how we made the jam. Here is the recipe that yields approximately 16 ounces so you have plenty of Bacon Jam to experiment with. Very simple to make on the stovetop, so no need to whip out the slow-cooker. Our recipe calls for using our own Festival bacon, delightfully flavorful bacon. Start by cutting the bacon into one-inch pieces and toss into the fry pan to brown. When bacon is browned, drain all but approximately 1/4 of the bacon grease and add the chopped yellow onion, continue to cook until the onion is slightly translucent. Now the house will begin to smell VERY good. Now stir in brown sugar; cook until onions are … Continue reading

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Since it seems we will be spending Saturday in the house thanks to snow, rain, and wind and whatever else Mother Nature throws at us, why not do some cooking and snuggle in to watch the Kentucky Derby and some flicks. Time to think about what that menu should look like! We do so many recipes with Buffalo flavor we went searching trends and experimenting for a new take on wings and determined that Jerk Seasoned Wings were the winning flavor. This recipe has the wings marinate in a lovely spicy sauce that infuses some wonderful flavors into the wings. This Jerk Chicken Wing recipe is for 3 lbs. but you may want to double the recipe because these chicken wings are addicting! Serve up some Red Stripe and at least mentally transport yourself to the warmer climate of Jamaica.     We’re going to suggest that you keep this … Continue reading

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Is there anyone who isn’t suffering from Cabin Fever after these long months of snow & cold? Hopefully the weather forecast is correct for the weekend – 70+ degrees by Sunday! The arrival of spring calls for a celebration with some great food and beverage, perhaps even a bonfire with s’mores! If your schedule is packed, perhaps you should have your groceries delivered! One thing for certain is that the grill is coming out this weekend. A Rib Eye Steak Topped with Blue Cheese Butter seems like a perfect way to kick off the grilling season.   No gathering should ever be without Guacamole (at least in our opinion) and we prefer the chunky kind. You can toss together at the last minute before your guests arrive and it won’t be long before the bowl is empty – always a hit!   A Caprese salad with vine-on tomatoes and fresh basil will … Continue reading

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The fresh Halibut season has begun in the US and the fillets have been awesome! One of our favorite recipes for Hallibut is Fish Tacos with Chunky Guacamole. This recipe also works well for Shrimp Tacos, use some shredded Spanish Manchego Cheese for a lovely combination with the shrimp. Guacamole is also a healthy snack that takes very little time to prepare, we have Guacamole at our house at least once per week. Guacamole is a lovely side to so many dishes. Another fabulous recipe for Halibut is Roasted Halibut with Red Bell Peppers, ask our butchers to remove the skin on the Halibut for you to save time. Click on the photo below for the recipe.   Source: eatingwell.com via Festival on Pinterest   Nothing says spring like a delicious dish made with Asparagus! We found this recipe for Absurdly Addictive Asparagus on Food52.com and fell in love, let … Continue reading

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Well we might not be invited but there’s no reason we can’t have our own fabulous “Governor’s Ball”. The menu by Wolfgang Puck for the 2013 Governor’s Ball is somewhat intimidating but there is no reason we can’t whip up some pretty fine fare in our own homes to watch the Academy Awards in fine-tasting style with friends. Rather than their shrimp fritters for an appetizer try our recipe for Beer-Battered Coconut Shrimp with a lovely light batter.   These Italian Sliders would really spice up the evening and make quite an impression, made with our very own fresh Italian sausage -made right in the store. Always on our table when entertaining is Chunky Guacamole and now a new favorite on our table is a Black Bean Dip, a spicy warm delight.   Buffalo flavor something is always on the table as well. For something new pick up some of … Continue reading

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Valentine’s Day is one of our favorite holidays at Festival Foods and it will be here before you know it! Step into our stores and you’ll be swept away by the festive atmosphere of our floral and gift departments and wowed by the selection of especially delicious products throughout the rest of the store to make Valentine’s Day perfect – without reservations! Love is in the air when you serve a breakfast of French Toast made very special by using our Taste of Scandinavia Chunky Cinnamon Bread. Surprise your Valentine with a side of heart shaped bacon, easy to make just cut and shape the bacon and bake it in the oven. Garnish the plate with a Chocolate Dipped Long Stemmed Strawberry for the finishing touch! If a romantic dinner is more to your liking let’s begin with the appetizers; we have some spectacular Maine Lobster Claws, already cooked  that … Continue reading

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Food is an important part of celebrations throughout the world, regardless of culture. The next several days have many celebrations so we’ve been sorting through recipes to share with you that you and your family might prepare together to recognize these traditional festivities. The Chinese New Year begins on February 10 – The Year of the Snake. Kung Pao Chicken with Noodles is one of our favorite chicken recipes and seems perfect for a Sunday meal with your family. The peppers create some lovely heat and the crunch of the peanuts really makes the dish. Another recipe with some heat from crushed red pepper is Chicken with Cashews, my favorite ingredient in this recipe is the fragrant fresh Ginger! Just because we’re not in New Orleans doesn’t mean we don’t love the food and festivities of Mardi Gras! Our favorite restaurant is Commander’s Palace and the House Salad with Creole … Continue reading

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One of our favorite meals is Tacos, no matter what kind! We prefer soft shell tacos and  love to experiment with different fillings. Our favorite new filling is Buffalo Chicken using our favorite wing sauce Wing-Time. We think you will love this Buffalo Chicken Taco with Guacamole recipe. We really enjoy the chicken cubed rather than shredded in this recipe.  Dredging the chicken in the flour mixture makes the wing sauce adhere to the chicken cubes when you assemble the tacos. While many taco recipes have green onions, avocado, cilantro and peppers; we believe it is easier to just make our Chunky Guacamole recipe for the filling. Rather than sour cream we prefer to use Taco Fiesta Top the Tater, a sour cream dip that is seasoned perfectly for tacos. We are also crazy for Fish Tacos with Chunky Guacamole. Again, we use the guacamole for our filling and also … Continue reading

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