Fall has arrived and it’s time for some football!  Throw that beer in the fridge and start planning what football-friendly food to serve while watching the game. Make up some Game Day Pretzels for that crunch that every gathering needs, this is one that you need to make a couple of days ahead so plan accordingly. If the kids are watching the game with you it might be fun to make Sloppy Joe Nachos (the adults will love these too). Make our simple but tasty Sloppy Joe recipe, next make our Queso recipe, again really simple. Now you are ready to assemble your nachos. Layer a platter with tortilla chips and spoon your hot Sloppy Joe mix over the top of the chips and drizzle hot Queso over the top. Serve the remaining Sloppy Joes in buns and you also have plenty of Queso for dipping. Buffalo Wings seem to … Continue reading

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Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and many of us celebrate with picnics, parties, weekend getaways and other popular summer activities over the holiday weekend. Food is what ties most of these events together so lets get busy and figure out what to serve! If you have weekend guests you don’t want to fuss with a complicated breakfast, best solution an oven breakfast that some of the work can be done the night before serving. This recipe for Bacon, Tomato and Cheddar Breakfast Bake with Eggs is perfect for beginning the day whether breakfast or brunch. Leave lunch up to our Deli team and pick up a couple of The Grillers for lunch, throw them on the grill for a short time and you have an awesome sandwich that you can enjoy between activities. After activity filled days you should plan on some appetizers. A staple for any … Continue reading

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  I’m always looking for simple ideas for entertaining and it seems that I often come back to serving cheese and wine with crusty baguettes. Some of my favorite cheeses of late come from Sartori in Wisconsin. Their Bellavitano Reserve Cheeses are heavenly.  Here are some descriptions of the line that we carry at Festival Foods, my personal favorite is the Balsamic: BellaVitano Gold begins in the mouth like a premium Parmesan and finishes in award-winning style with hints of melted butter. Balsamic BellaVitano, the sweet, nutty, fruity flavors of our most-sought-after BellaVitano become even more desirable when blessed with a few prized drops of Modena balsamic vinegar. Merlot BellaVitano weds this rich, creamy cheese to the berry and plum notes of Merlot, creating a marriage of flavors destined to make your taste buds say, “I do.” Raspberry BellaVitano is soaked with handcrafted Raspberry Tart ale. The bright notes of … Continue reading

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Nothing gets our team energized more than holidays! Since we are all passionate about food, food is always a focal point of how we celebrate with our family and friends. Our associates bring that passion and joy of food to our stores, presenting you with ideas and solutions to make celebrations specials and everyday life a little easier. This week the Deli offers a fabulous value with our 8-piece bucket of chicken either seasoned grilled or fried for only $6.99! Combine the chicken with our special Homestyle Potato Salad and you have a delicious, easy meal without turning on the oven! If you have a large crowd we have our 50-piece chicken available as well as many family style salads that you may order on line at this link. We have a Family Style Catering brochure to help you with your planning and if you prefer phoning your order call … Continue reading

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  We had to show Dad the love on Father’s Day so that means cooking a favorite meal and watching a movie together. Planning our Father’s Day meal was easy, we chose one of his favorites  – Kung Pao Chicken with Noodles. We love this recipe and usually make it with Smart Chicken®. These products are raised without animal byproducts, antibiotics, or hormones, and are processed using purified cold air instead of adding a non-potable water as most other chicken products are processed. One note about this recipe, a single batch never works around our house, we love the leftovers! We try to always have the pantry ingredients available because this meal can be prepped reasonably fast when the mood strikes. Here is the recipe link. Marinating the chicken with the corn starch and sesame oil coats the chicken and helps adhere the sauce to the chicken.   We are always looking for … Continue reading

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With our pork Baby Back Ribs on the ad this week it wasn’t too difficult to figure out an easy meal idea! All of our fresh pork is ALL Natural, that’s all we sell. U.S.  source verified no added hormones no antibiotic growth promotants, no artificial ingredients! Several years ago we spotted these fabulous smoker bags at a food show and we have been selling lots of them ever since. I love them for either fish or ribs and make for a quick and easy clean-up. We carry these by our chef/fish counter for your convenience. Our Store Director, Rick Ubel prepared these ribs this week so we asked him for his technique using the smoker bag with the Baby Back Ribs: Put your favorite rib rub on both sides of ribs (we use either McCormick’s Pork Rub  or Tom Douglas Pork Rub) Put ribs in either Alder smoker bag (a … Continue reading

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  We are always brainstorming about how to make food prep and cooking easier for our customers.This week we introduce our Pineapple kabob, a juicy fun treat for the grill! We included a buttery marinade recipe on the package that you might enjoy as well. Our Premium Choice Black Angus Top Sirloin Kabobs have been a customer hit for years providing a quick meal on the grill. All you have to do is season them and put them on the grill. Chicken kabobs are another customer favorite and our team makes all of these kabobs extra special. If you are looking for a side dish to accompany something you are grilling, perhaps you would like our vegetable kabobs, another item that you may season or marinate and toss on the grill for a quick side. I can’t think about summer food without thinking about our Corn Tomato & Avocado Salad! A … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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  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 … Continue reading

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