http://www.themarketsllc.comRSS feeds for The Markets LLC60http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/120/Well-Its-Actually-Good-For-You.aspx#Comments0http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=124&ModuleID=547&ArticleID=120http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=120&PortalID=0&TabID=124http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/120/Well-Its-Actually-Good-For-You.aspxOr So I Tell Myself... Taking in the Vancouver Olympics could mean taking in all the wonderful ethnic dining choices in trendy, worldclass Vancouver. But I'm talking about a treat I've dismissed before, and now I've circled back and become an enthusiast.  We're talking chocolate-dipped apples, and we're talking about the juiciest, freshest-tasting Granny Smith green apples, coated in milk chocolate.  Or dark chocolate.  Or first dipped in caramel.  How about chopped almonds and coconut on top of all that?  Cinnamon red hots lavishly melted all over?  Chocolate candies, jimmies, sprinkles, gummi bears.  Bite into the crunch and savor the smooth coatings. Let's not forget the cute chocolate beavers, a Canadian symbol, with lush dense dark chocolate teeth and a cute face, or the football in white chocolate with all kinds of frosting decorations.  All these treats come on a stick, easy to eat as you stroll along Robson Street or Granville, making your way through the crowds to the Olympic sites.  I think you could make a dipped apple at home pretty easily, and decorate it however you like.  There were gold, silver and bronze medallions on some apples, too.  Judging by the lines out the door of this particular candy shop, the apples were like gold. All I could think is how healthy this snack is, compared to what I might have eaten.  An apple, right, and the chocolate just makes it cross over to dessert treat.  Oh, Canada...you had me at first glance, and I plan to return for more!foodmavenMon, 22 Feb 2010 21:50:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:120http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/119/A-FoodCentric-Time-of-Year.aspx#Comments0http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=124&ModuleID=547&ArticleID=119http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=119&PortalID=0&TabID=124http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/119/A-FoodCentric-Time-of-Year.aspxRed Rice and Beans...Peking Duck...Dark Chocolate? There is a  trio of foodie opportunities if you like to cook according to the season and the event (and I do). Yesterday marked the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon.  I had the great opportunity to watch a master chef prepare a Chinese New Year feast, and it was memorable.  From the Peking duck to the Winter Wolfberry Soup, the Coconut Pudding and the poached whole fish, the Chinese pancakes and a crisp Pinot Grigio, there was some excellent eating and lots of cooking tips, as always. I immediately prepared the Winter Wolfberry Soup.  The smell of the simmering broth, with hefty slices of ginger, onions and mushrooms in a chicken-based stock, perfumed the house.  Once done, fat skimmed and chicken removed, I followed the chef''s instructions and chopped the chicken into small pieces, added green onions and sliced mushrooms, some crunchy water chestnuts, goji berries,tiny bits of winter melon and a dash of red pepper.  On a chilly and dampish Northwest afternoon, it was completely satisfying.  I will try the duck next, and am confident that the end result will be equally delish. Next up, Valentine's Day.  I like to make a memorable and easy meal that includes favorites, rather than going out to a restaurant.  It seems more relaxing, and by now, you have probably figured out I'm a little persnickety about my food.  Following my usual pattern, I focused first on dessert.  I like to know what the dessert is in advance, so I can build my meal around it.  If that sounds counterintuitive, so be it.  I like dessert!  Being Valentine's Day, I had to prepare something chocolate.  I opted for chocolate-dipped strawberries, but then decided to make a big batch of deep chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting.  Can I just say that the frosting was the very best ganache I've every tasted?  Three sticks of butter, a cup of heavy cream, confectionary sugar, vanilla and nine squares of semi-sweet chocolate made this the frosting you could really just eat on its own.  But on the cupcakes...ah, totally satisfying and  deeply, darkly rich.  I skipped the chocolate-dipped strawberries and just served them sliced in a nice dish.  The rest of the meal: mahi mahi lightly grilled and sharply seasoned, a fresh baked Idaho potato and some of the new asparagus in a ponzu-based (citrus and soy) sauce completed a basic, but just right meal.  There was a green salad, too, with a sprinkling of slivered almonds and small slices of clementines. Now it's on to tomorrow's Mardi Gras meal, supposedly the excess before the minimalism of Lent begins.  I am thinking of red beans and rice.  It's another hearty choice, it lends itself well to lots of spices, like file powder,  to make the flavors really pop, and you can toss in sauteed celery, onion, carrot, okra and even some greens if you want.  Now, if you add a big and bold spicy sausage, your Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday meal is ready to rock those taste buds.  Bread pudding is a traditional New Orleans favorite, but I've got more of those smooth chocolate cupcakes secured at home. This is a food-centric time of year, and it comes at the right time, when we're about ready to leave winter behind and longing for some warmth.  Take a leap with the three February celebrations with your menu and see if it doesn't brighten up those grey mornings. foodmavenMon, 15 Feb 2010 21:28:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:119http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/118/MDA-Shamrocks-Against-Dystrophy-Begins-Today.aspx#Comments0http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=124&ModuleID=547&ArticleID=118http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=118&PortalID=0&TabID=124http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/118/MDA-Shamrocks-Against-Dystrophy-Begins-Today.aspxHelp Local MDA Kids Attend Camp This Summer You may recall seeing the green shamrocks in The Markets and other retail stores and restaurants around this time of year.  For the ninth year, The Markets will be hosting MDA Shamrocks Against Dystrophy in each of our stores.  (MDA stands for Muscular Dystrophy Association) Your checker will ask if you'd like to "buy" a green shamrock for $1, a gold one for $5 or a platinum one for $10.  The money raised in our stores will help send kids to a week of camp at Lake Stevens, Summer camp offers a host of activities specially designed for young people who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility.  Activities include swimming, boating, baseball, horseback riding and talent shows, all at no cost, thanks to fundraising campaigns like Shamrocks Against Dystrophy. The money you donate also supports several local MDA programs in our communities.  These include support groups for those with muscular dystrophy and their families, research for cures at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Medical Center, as well as free loaner items, such as wheelchairs, and financial support to repair necessary equipment.  There are two MDA clinics, one at Children's Hospital in Seattle and one at the University of Washington, both supported by fundraising. In western Washington, MDA serves over 2,000 children and adults affected by the 43 different types of neuromuscular diseases.  These diseases are characterized by a progressive degeneration of voluntary muscles.  Two of the more familiar diseases include amyotrophic lateral schlerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Entertainer Jerry Lewis has raised millions of dollars through a Labor Day Telethon for many years, focusing on MDA.  As a voluntary health agency, MDA receives no government funds and its work is dependent on donations from the communities it serves. So when your checker asks if you'd like to buy "Good Luck for a Buck", remember your dollar, five dollar or ten dollar gift can go a long way to help someone whose mobility is limited.  You can make a difference for families right here in our communities.  For more information, check out www.mda.org   The Shamrocks Against Dystrophy campaign runs through March 17.Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:01:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:118http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/117/Customers-Open-Their-Hearts-to-Help-Haiti.aspx#Comments0http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=124&ModuleID=547&ArticleID=117http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=117&PortalID=0&TabID=124http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/117/Customers-Open-Their-Hearts-to-Help-Haiti.aspxThe Markets wants to thank you, our loyal and generous customers, for your donations to the American Red Cross Haiti relief fund. Over the past four weeks, you have reached deep and donated a total of $7,325!  We want to thank our amazing front end team, who asked their customers if they wanted to add a little bit to their grocery bill to help the victims of Haiti's devastating earthquake. But the donation won't end there:  our partners, Western Union, offered to match our donations one for one through their nonprofit arm, the  Western Union Foundation (foundation.westernunion.com ). So that means that we have collectively raised $14,650!  This is exactly why we think we have the best customers anywhere!   Thank you! Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:53:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:117http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/116/Is-the-Superbowl-Really-About-Food.aspx#Comments0http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=124&ModuleID=547&ArticleID=116http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=116&PortalID=0&TabID=124http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/116/Is-the-Superbowl-Really-About-Food.aspxWell, Not Completely, But Food's a Big Part... Another Sunday, another Superbowl.  In the heart of winter, here comes the Superbowl, just when we turned our thoughts to basketball, the baseball hot stove leagues, and this year, the Vancouver Winter Olympics, football takes center stage once more. Superbowl parties and get-togethers are a big part of the day, and the tried and true foods include chips, dips, wings, beer, chili and the entire snack food category.  You don't want to give up valuable time away from the game to prepare lavish meals, but the timing of the game, beginning at 3 p.m., means it's before dinner but definitely after lunch.  Snack time, or can it be more? If I'm feeling lazy, it's quite enough to soften a block of low-fat cream cheese and mash up some minced garlic for a chip dip that's ridiculously easy and irresistible.  You can partner it with another cream-cheese based dip, this time with pimento-stuffed green olives, all chopped up, with a good bit of the olive liquid added to the mix.  It's very salty, but if you love olives (and I do), it doesn't last long.  Chicken wings are a great addition to the food feast, too.  My take on chicken wings is that our stores do them much better than I can:  apricot sauce, buffalo sauce, plenty of meaty bites per wing...I'd rather buy them and heat them up than go to all the trouble of preparing them at home.  Less expensive, too! This year, I'm thinking of food inspired by the two teams.  New Orleans is so food-rich I don't know where to start.  How about a Sazerac, a rum-based kind of elegant drink, to accompany a batch of light and powdered sugar beignets, or donuts you can prepare in advance?  A thick, lavishly loaded gumbo can be simmering during the game and accompanied by homemade corn bread.  Gumbo is such a great filling meal in itself.  You include chicken, spicy andouille sausage chunked up, celery, lots of okra (a vegetable that inspires lust and hate equally), file powder,(a special Creole spice mix,) maybe some crawfish or shrimp, pinto beans, and topped over white rice.  You couldn't find a more filling dish than gumbo, or one more iconic to New Orleans. But if you lean towards Indianapolis, you must celebrate the foods of the Midwest.  We're talking beef here:  slow-cook a pot roast or beef short ribs with big winter vegetables like parsnips and turnips and winter onions, in a liquid braising that includes some garlic olive oil, a vibrant red wine and a dash of worcestshire sauce or dried onion soup mix.  Freshly baked bread and beer, of course, followed by an old-fashioned apple pie topped with cheddar cheese, take this choice home. Either of these two options will fill your home with wonderful aromas, pique your guests' appetites, and require very little of the cook-in-charge, who has wisely done his or her shopping and prep work before the game begins.  The cook can rest and enjoy the game, because the food is about as easy as it comes.  I love the spicy, French-inspired foods of New Orleans, but I'm a Midwesterner at heart, so I'll be choosing the beef option this Sunday.  It's going to be short ribs, cooked until the meat just melts off the bones, accompanied by some paprika-seasoned fingerling potatoes and a nice little formation of fresh sauerkraut.  There will be carrots and parsnips pureed on the side for color and flavor.  Of course, we'll be so full of snack foods that we may find ourselves eating most of this the next day!foodmavenThu, 04 Feb 2010 19:36:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:116http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/115/Those-Nickels-from-Reusable-Bags-Really-Add-Up.aspx#Comments0http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=124&ModuleID=547&ArticleID=115http://www.themarketsllc.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=115&PortalID=0&TabID=124http://www.themarketsllc.com/Eat/Recipes/tabid/124/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/115/Those-Nickels-from-Reusable-Bags-Really-Add-Up.aspxThe Market at Anacortes was proud to present Skagitonians to Preserve Farmlands (www.skagitonians.org) with a check for $2,182.20 recently. This amount reflects the many, many nickels our green-spirited customers have donated at The Market.  Every time a customer brings his or her own grocery bag, there is the option of having a nickel deducted from the grocery bill at checkout...or donating that nickel or nickels (depending on how many bags used) to Skagitonians.  Skagitonians is a nonprofit group that protects farmers, farming and farmland in Skagit County.  We have partnered with them for several years, and our customers in Anacortes clearly see their value, leading the way with little donations that really make a difference. We offer a "pay it forward" nickel rebate for using your own grocery bags at each of our stores.  The nickels in each store go to a different, local nonprofit environmental group.  It's the perfect win-win:  the environmental organization receives much-needed funds and we all work together to reduce the number of plastic or paper bags we use.Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:05:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:115