Ideal Market Store Blog

Holiday Recipes!

alpineideal — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:39:36 +0000

Here are some recipe picks from our Team Members that are great for the holidays!

Herb Seasoned Roast Turkey

Ingredients

Herb Seasoning Rub:

· 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

· 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

· 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

· 2 teaspoons dried rosemary

· 3 cloves peeled garlic

· 1 teaspoon salt

· black pepper, generous grating

· 2 bay leaves

· 1 turkey: 12 -13 pounds

Make the Herb Seasoning Rub:

Combine all ingredients in the mixing cup of a hand blender and blend thoroughly. (Or, chop ingredients finely by hand and mix together with the oil.) Set aside.

Preparing the Turkey:

Prepare the turkey by removing the wire that holds the legs in place. Take out the neck and giblets and set aside. Remove any fatty deposits around the body cavity and excess skin around the neck cavity.

Rinse the turkey, neck and giblets thoroughly in cool water, running your hands over each piece as you rinse them. Dry the turkey and parts thoroughly. Fold the wings under the bird with the tips resting against the back.

Line the roasting pan with heavy foil. Place the rack inside. Set the bird breast side down on the rack. Rub some of the seasoning rub into the back and sides of the turkey. Flip the bird over and continue with the remaining rub on the top and all interiors of the bird.

Roasting the Turkey:

Place the bird in the 350 degree oven. Start the timer for 2-1/2 hours. The bird is done when a meat thermometer registers 175 to 180 degrees at the thigh. If you don’t have a thermometer, then the juices should run clear when you prick the bird between the thigh and body. Let the bird rest 20 minutes before carving.

Cranberry-Orange Relish

Ingredients

· 1 bag (12-ounces) fresh cranberries

· 1 medium orange

· 2/3 cup honey

· dash ground cloves

· dash ground ginger

· 1/2 to 3/4 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Cut the orange into 8 sections, keeping the peel on. Remove and discard any seeds. Place half the cranberries and half the orange sections in a food processor. Coarsely chop, pulsing the blade, being careful not to chop too finely. Pour the mixture into a medium mixing bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients to the processor, pulsing again until coarsely chopped. Add to the mixing bowl. Stir until both batches are mixed together. Chill until ready to serve. Stir before serving.

Rice Stuffing with Fruit & Nut

Ingredients


1 cup (brown) long grain brown rice 2 cups water 1 Tb olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 basil 1/2 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts 1 cup dried apricots, chopped 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Rinse rice in 2-3 changes of cold water.In a large bowl pour 2 cups boiling water, add apricots and cranberries, soak for 30 minutes. Place rice in a medium saucepan and add 2 cups of water, cover with lid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer for 20 minutes. In a large skillet, saute onions, celery, garlic and peppers in olive oil until limp. After the fruit has soaked, drain water, add rice and onion saute, mix together; add basil, curry powder, salt and hazelnuts, mix together until well blended. Preheat oven to 350°F. Stuff mixture into the cavity of bird. Bake for at least 30 minutes or until juices run clear and meat is done. Stuffing can be baked in a lightly oiled baking dish for a vegetarian side dish at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (covered).

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

1-1/2 medium heads garlic
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle garlic with olive oil, then wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop. Stir in butter, milk, salt and pepper.

Remove the garlic from the oven, and cut in half. Squeeze the softened cloves into the potatoes. Blend potatoes with an electric mixer until desired consistency is achieved.

Classic Green Beans Almondine

1 1/2 lbs. green beans
4 oz. almonds
2 tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper

Saute almonds in butter until lightly browned; do not burn. Steam the green beans. Toss with almonds and season with salt and pepper before serving.

Rustic Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1 9-inch pie crust
2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 organic eggs
1 teaspoon organic vanilla
3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup plain, unsweetened whole milk yogurt

Prepare pie crust and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together pumpkin puree and sugar until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk to combine. Stir in seasonings, then yogurt. Blend completely, then pour into prepared pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook until set, about 35-40 minutes more.

Bouquets for Breast Cancer

alpineideal — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:51:16 +0000

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month! This disease has touched the lives of many, at Ideal Market, in the Boulder community, and around the globe. At Whole Foods Market we are doing our part to support continued research into, and education about breast cancer. Our Bouquets for Breast Cancer is one way we, as a company, are contributing to and supporting this most important cause.

Give a bouquet as a sign of strength, of love, of determination, of survival. When you buy one of these beautiful floral arrangements, Whole Foods Market donates two dollars to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength. We also have many other products throughout the store that support and benefit this cause. Come on in and see what’s new!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

alpineideal — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:34:40 +0000

With the first snow falling in Boulder yesterday, and it still only being the beginning of fall, thoughts may be turning to seasonal festivities and delights, ski mountains and winter activities, and snuggling in the warmth of your home with family and friends. Whatever your plans for these beautiful seasons, bring Ideal Market along.

Ideal Market is offering a full realm of catering services for this holiday season. Save time and delight your guests, with our holiday catering; from side dishes and desserts, to full meals ready for your re-heat. Menus are available in store and on line.

Also, don’t forget to stock your pantry with cold weather yummies to satisfy your soul; soups and cocoa, a variety of local Conscious Coffee, Big B’s local apple cider-serve it warm, the smell and taste will please your senses- and don’t forget your pumpkins, ours are local from Munson’s Farm. Check the Whole Foods website for exciting recipes to inspire and and excite all of your food creations.

Pumpkin Patch at Ideal!

New Twitter Services!

alpineideal — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:03:15 +0000

We have recently added a fun new service to our Twitter page - here’s how it works: If you tweet “@idealmarket specials” we will automatically bounce back some of our best deals in the store. If you tweet “@idealmarket events” you’ll be able to see a few of our upcoming events in the store. If you are looking for basic information about the store - tweet “@idealmarket hours” and we’ll automatically send you some info. We’ll be adding more keywords as we go along to make it as easy as possible for you to get info about Ideal!

If you’re not already following us on Twitter, check us out! Our handle is “IdealMarket.”

Vital Farms Eggs

alpineideal — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:00:22 +0000

Have you ever wondered how your eggs are produced? With Vital Farms Eggs, it is easy to see where your breakfast is coming from. The hens at this Austin, Texas farm are pasture-raised and moved onto fresh grass every few days. Everything they eat is 100% organic and GMO Free - they are happy hens! If you’re looking for them at Ideal, they are on the bottom shelf of the egg set in the dairy cooler! You can check out some pictures and learn more about the farm here.

We’re Back!

alpineideal — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:18:17 +0000

After too long of a break, Ideal Market is back to blogging! We will be posting profiles of local vendors, talking about the stories of some of our favorite products, and giving you the skinny on upcoming deals amd fun things happening in the store! We hope you’ll keep an eye on us here in the blogosphere, and we would love to hear any feedback that you have about what you would like to see!

If you are looking for something to read up on until our next post, take a look at what Whole Foods stores across the country are doing to help make school lunches better! In the past couple of months, the customers of Ideal Market have helped us raise more than $4000 to improve school lunches right here in Boulder!

Team Member Profile - Anthony A. Parker

alpineideal — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:40:35 +0000

This is the first installment of an ongoing series of team member profiles. Our hope is that anyone who is interested can learn more about some of our team member (we have some pretty interesting team members). The first profile is that of Anthony A. Parker. Here it goes:

What is your title?
      Grocery and Frozen Specialist
How long have you been at Ideal?
    7 months
What were you doing prior to working here?
    I was a grocery team member at the Fort Collins and Belmar stores. I started at the Pearl St. store in 2000; prior to that I completed my undergraduate.
What made you want to work at Ideal?
     I love Boulder, and live in Boulder. Ideal is a great store, and great location - only 3.7 miles from my house, so I have a smaller carbon footprint working here.
What do you enjoy most about the store?
    The team members, customers, and the community.
What is your favorite product or favorite thing to cook?
   I love to grill, ribeye steak and yerba mate.
What do you like to do when you’re not at the store?
    Spend time with my son, play outdoors - mountain bike, snowboard, hik, skateboard, rock climb, surf when at the coast! Be healthy - live, love.
What’s your favorite movie and TV show?
   TV show: Boondocks
   Movie: Hero
What is your favorite outdoor activity?
   Surfing

Inauguration time

alpineideal — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:22:41 +0000

It’s getting close to being time for the incredibly historic inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, and we’re all very excited about it here at Ideal. Check out this patriotic cupcake done by Susan in our bakery. We’ll be selling these and other similar bakery items this week to show our enthusiasm for Obama’s inauguration. So whether you are doing it in support of Obama, or are just looking for that excuse to eat something sweet, come check out the Ideal bakery!

Your Ideal community, Your Ideal blog!

alpineideal — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:48:48 +0000

At Ideal Market, we like to think of ourselves as offering the best of both worlds: all the conveniences of a modern specialty grocery store with the friendly service of a quaint, old-fashioned neighborhood market that’s been in the community for 68 years. This blog is an extension of that spirit - and to that end - we want our customers and readers to help shape the blog. So, we’re putting the question out there to you, our future readers; what do you want featured in the blog: recipes, deals, customer comments, funny stories? Let us know!

An introduction

alpineideal — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:02:06 +0000

Hello everyone! I thought I should give a quick introduction for the new Ideal Market blog. Here you’ll be able to find all things Ideal. We’ll be posting info about the store, recipes, wellness tips, ideas for going green, events, and anything else that pops into our heads. We’ll be keeping it updated as much as possible, so keep checkin’ back. Let the blogging begin!