This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

While I’m not the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day (*ahem* Singles Awareness Day), I can always get behind some chocolate covered strawberries, no matter the time of year! Even better — they are about the easiest treat to make and only require three ingredients.

I purchased my ingredients at my local Albertsons. But if you’re short on time, any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons, offer a wide variety of options for Valentine’s Day, including pre-made chocolate-dipped strawberries, custom floral designs, wine, meat and seafood, custom bakery treats, and more.

And if you want to make things even quicker, Albertsons and Safeway also offer Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go for convenient ways to shop! I’ve used this service before and it truly is simple, fast, and efficient.

The strawberries available at Albertsons were bright, plump and shiny — perfect for making these chocolate covered strawberries. Combine semi-sweet chocolate chips and a little coconut oil and you’re ready to rock!

First, wash the berries and make sure they’re dry. You can either let them air dry or dry them with a kitchen towel, but it’s important that they’re no longer wet, otherwise your melted chocolate won’t stick to them.

Next, melt your chocolate along with the coconut oil, taking time to stir between heating time in the microwave. After the chocolate is totally smooth, get your dry berries set to dip, and prepare a small baking tray covered with parchment paper to place your chocolate covered strawberries on.

The key to a good dip is to hold the strawberry by its green top and then dip and swirl the berry around in the melted chocolate. Try to ensure that the chocolate comes as close to the green top as possible. If you have excess chocolate on the berry after its covered, just gently wipe one side on the side of your chocolate bowl and then place that side down onto your parchment paper.

Repeat the process until all the berries are covered and then pop those beautiful little treats into your fridge to set.

Lastly, try not to eat them all before you give them as a surprise. (But I do recommend a quality control sample or two. ) And, it’s totally legit to surprise yourself with these — treating yourself well as a single person is important, too.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

 

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Prep time

3 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

6 mins

 

Chocolate covered strawberries make for an easy, fast, beautiful dessert!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Makes: approximately 22 medium berries

Ingredients

• 16 ounces fresh strawberries
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

1. Wash the strawberries and let them air dry completely, or dry them off with a clean dish towel or paper towel. (Chocolate won't stick to wet strawberries.)
2. Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small microwave safe bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring well after each heating, until the mixture is melted and smooth.
3. Dip strawberries into the melted chocolate, one at a time. Hold strawberry by the leaves, dip into chocolate, swirl, and coat all sides.
4. Lift the berry and allow any excess chocolate to drip off. Place the berry onto a parchment-covered baking sheet.
5. Repeat until all strawberries are chocolate-coated. Transfer the dipped strawberries to refrigerator and let the chocolate set for about 15 minutes.

Notes

Store berries in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, enjoy within one day of making.

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

The dawn of a new year traditionally invites people to clean the slate, so to speak. And many folks use this as an opportunity to introduce healthy practices into their lifestyle. (Happy New Year, by the way!) While I’m a huge proponent of living mindfully and healthfully, I’m also not one to push for diets or fads or changes that cause you to just beat yourself up. That’s the opposite of healthy. All that said, if you want to introduce some better choices into your routine, whipping up this healthy green smoothie is a great way to start!

And when I say whip it up, I mean whip it up. This delicious smoothie comes together in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients! The recipe was made even quicker by the fact that I took advantage of Albertsons‘ DriveUp & Go for a super convenient way to shop.

As I mentioned above, the smoothie requires just five ingredients — a banana or two, frozen peaches and frozen mangos, spinach and some water. As someone who is mindful about what I put into my body, I opted to use O Organics® brand peaches, mangos, and spinach, which are all certified USDA organic.

But what does that actually mean? According to the USDA’s website:

USDA certified organic foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives. Organic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible.

Produce can be called organic if it’s certified to have grown on soil that had no prohibited substances applied for three years prior to harvest. Prohibited substances include most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Pesticides are no joke, so when I can’t grow my own food, I purchase organic to avoid ingesting a dangerous pesticide cocktail.

This healthy green smoothie makes about one large serving or two small ones so you can share with a friend. I love it because it’s an easy way to get some greens into my system, without needing to eat them in a salad. And, I can assure you, this smoothie in no way tastes like spinach. It would also be a great way to sneak greens into kiddos, too! (I’ve heard some folks get their kids excited by the green color and tell them it’s a Shrek drink – smart!)

Overall, this recipe is light, bright, and fruity. If you’d like to add a little extra protein in your drink, feel free to toss in a bit of plain, low fat greek yogurt and just increase the water so your smoothie isn’t too thick.

Once you’re ready to go, throw all your ingredients into a blender, puree away and you’re set! Enjoy at breakfast, as a healthy snack, or (my personal favorite), after a workout.

I shopped at Albertsons in my local area to score these ingredients, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

Healthy Green Smoothie

 

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Prep time

3 mins

Total time

3 mins

 

Whip up a healthy green smoothie in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Makes: 1

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 bananas (I usually opt for 1)
• ½ cup O Organics frozen peaches
• ½ cup O Organics frozen mango
• A couple large handfuls of O Organics baby spinach
• 4 to 8 ounces of water, depending on how thick or thin you prefer your smoothie
• 4 ounces non fat, plain greek yogurt (optional)

Instructions

1. Add all your ingredients to your blender, layering heavier ingredients at the bottom.
2. Add enough water to blend, and enjoy!

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

Baked apples aren’t typically a “wow” of the dessert world. But I’d like to help you change your opinion on that with some baked Honeycrisp apples. These baked apples are perfectly cooked (not mushy!) still retain a slight al dente feel to them, but have all the taste and goodness of hot apple pie. And they’re super easy to make! Not a lot of prep, no crust to toil over and roll out — what’s not to like?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love pie. Like LOVE. And I love making a traditional pie with a homemade crust. But sometimes you just want something quick, easy, satisfying and ultra cozy. (And maybe slightly healthier. ) That’s where baked apples come in.

I honestly don’t usually think of Honeycrisp apples as a variety you’d want to bake. But, I think for this recipe, you’ll find that they’re the perfect apple — they’re sweet, they don’t fall apart when baking, and they’re pretty easy to find.

Speaking of which, I shopped at Albertsons in my local area to pick up these apples, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Safeway, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

The virus is still running rampant in Missoula, so I opted to stay out of the store and use Albertsons DriveUp & Go for a convenient way to shop, which I really appreciate. (Also, the folks who bring out my groceries are always so nice! And yep, masks are always in place — both on them and on me.)

After picking up my apples and ingredients for this recipe, it was a pretty quick make!

Just wash your apples (always wash your produce!), cut off the tops, and remove the core (plus just a little extra) from the inside of each apple. (Those little extra bits are tasty!) I found it easiest to do this with a melon baller tool, but you could also use an apple corer or a paring knife. Just make that that you don’t pierce through the bottom of the apple. Retaining that base will help the apple keep its shape and prevent it from becoming waterlogged.

After you’ve got your apples ready, mix the apple “stuffing,” and pack it in to each apple when it’s all set to go.

At this point you’re almost done!

The last step is to top each apple with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of the sugar mixture, admire your handiwork and then pop those beauties into the oven for about a hour.

Truly — this is an easy and delicious recipe. Side bonus: your house will smell soooo good.

Once the apples are tender, remove them from the oven and serve warm in a small dish (you’ll want to be able to scoop up the caramelized goodness). You may even want to throw some ice cream into the mix. And enjoy!

Baked Honeycrisp Apples

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Baked Honeycrisp apples are an easy, delicious dessert!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Makes: 4

Ingredients

• 4 Honeycrisp apples, washed
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• Dash of salt
• 4 Tablespoons butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Slice the top portion off the apples and scoop out the core with an apple-corer or melon-baller tool, leaving a well in the center. Be sure not to cut through the bottom of the apples.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, cranberries, walnuts (or pecans), and salt until blended.
4. Reserve about a teaspoon and half of the brown sugar mixture, and stuff each apple with ¼ of the remaining mixture. It's ok to pack it in if you need to and mound the top a little.
5. Place the apples in a deep baking dish (an 8"x8" baking dish works well). Top each apple with 1 Tablespoon of butter and a sprinkle of the reserved brown sugar mixture.
6. Pour about ½" to 1" of water into the baking pan around the apples, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until apples are tender.
7. Serve the apples warm. If you'd like, top them with whipped cream, a caramel sauce, or serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Notes

After baking, cover and refrigerate the apples for up to 4 days, then warm at 325° before serving.
You can also reheat Individual apples at 50% power in a microwave.

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of my all time favorite side dishes to celebrate autumn harvest and to make for holiday celebrations is browned Brussels sprouts with lemon. These are so good I could easily eat the entire recipe all in one sitting. (But shhh, don’t tell anyone I said that.) And Albertsons is your simple solution for your own holiday planning. You can purchase ingredients for your holiday meals (like these Brussels sprouts), prepared foods from the bakery and service deli, holiday treats, party trays, décor, greeting cards, gift supplies, etc. — all from Albertsons.

Even better? These Brussels sprouts are easier than easy to whip up, they don’t take lot of cook time, and they’re cheap!

If you want to up the ease factor, take advantage of Albertsons Grocery Delivery or DriveUp & Go services to order your groceries ahead of time and pick them up — all without having to go into the store yourself. That’s what I did for this recipe to save a little time, which was a huge bonus! Don’t forget to visit the Albertsons website for recipes, shopping, meal orders, etc.

Once you’ve got your veggies and any other ingredients you need back home, preheat your skillet, be sure to wash the sprouts, trim the bottoms off and discard any outer leaves. (You might want to give them another rinse after this step, too, just to ensure you’re cleaning off any residual dirt.) Then, slice your sprouts in half (or quarters if you’d prefer).

Once your skillet is nice and hot (I love my cast-iron skillet), add the oil and butter and sprouts and you’re off to the races! But don’t get too fired up yet — let the sprouts chill for a bit to give them their first browning.

Then, get your stir on. Shuffle those sprouts around a few times to evenly brown them on all sides. (I like mine extra browned, which you can see in my images. If you prefer a less-browned sprout, stir them more often.)

To give your sprouts the perfect bite — not too hard, not too soft, juuuust right — you’ll want to steam them. Toss in the water, put a lid on it, and let those little gems soften.

Last, but not least (because this is my absolute favorite part and what really makes this recipe sing), season your sprouts to taste with salt, pepper, (the optional pinch of nutmeg), and the ever-magical lemon juice.

I absolutely love a sprout that’s a little tart, so I opt for the larger amount of lemon juice. If you’re unsure how you’ll like it, start small and add more juice to taste. A large half of a lemon will typically give you plenty of juice. (And that leftover second half of the lemon will come in handy when you decide to immediately make this recipe again.)

Serve the sprouts warm and try not to devour them too quickly!

I shopped at Albertsons in my local area to get my ingredients, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb, Safeway, and Vons.

Browned Brussels Sprouts with Lemon

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

16 mins

Total time

26 mins

 

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Side dish

Cuisine: American

Makes: 8

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• Kosher salt
• ¼ cup water
• 2 to 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I like mine tart so I usually use 4)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat (I love my cast-iron pan for this). When it’s hot, add the oil and butter. As soon as the butter melts, add the Brussels sprouts and spread evenly around the pan. Sprinkle with salt and cook without disturbing until browned on the first side, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the pinch of nutmeg if you'd like, and continue to cook, stirring the sprouts occasionally, until they’re well browned all over, another 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the water, cover partially, and cook until tender, another 4 to 5 minutes (if the water evaporates completely during cooking, add more, 2 Tablespoons at a time). Don’t overcook; the sprouts shouldn’t be mushy.
4. Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately or keep warm for up to 20 minutes. These are also delicious as leftovers.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now that autumn is here and the temperatures are rapidly dropping, is there anything that screams fall more than pumpkin pie from scratch? Pumpkin pie is such a simple, satisfying dessert to make, and in this recipe, we take it up a notch by using our own pumpkin puree from a sweet pie pumpkin!

I shopped at Albertsons in my local area for my pumpkin pie ingredients, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

Currently, Albertsons has small pie pumpkins for sale in their Pumpkin Patch display. When I visited, there were also a variety of other baked goods to choose from, like pumpkin spice cupcakes and macaroons. So if you need a whole dessert smorgasbord to complement your pumpkin pie from scratch (think Thanksgiving or a Halloween party), there are plenty of additional options to choose from, too!

To make your pie from scratch you can prep several of the ingredients ahead of time to make things a bit easier. For your pumpkin puree, you’ll need 3 cups for your filling. You can typically get 3 cups from a small-t0-medium sized pie pumpkin. Be sure to choose a pie pumpkin instead of a jack-o-lantern, as pie pumpkins are sweeter. They’re also smaller.

If you have a pressure cooker, place the pumpkin inside with some water and pressure cook until the pumpkin is soft. If your pumpkin is too large, you can cut it in half. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can boil your pumpkin or roast its halves face down on a baking sheet to soften the flesh.

Be sure to scoop out the seeds and discard (or save if you like to eat them). Then, scrape the flesh from the skin, place it in a bowl and puree to a smooth consistency. The flesh might be a little watery – that’s ok, as long as it’s not too thin. (See the above photo, third from the top row, for an image of the consistency of the puree.)

Measure out the puree until you have 3 cups. You can either use this immediately in your pie filling or bag and freeze it so you can have from-scratch pumpkin pie whenever you’d like!

In my pies, I prefer to make my crust from scratch, too. However, if you’d like to save time by purchasing a store bought pie crust, that’s perfectly fine too. Basically, choose your favorite crust or crust recipe and line a 9-inch pie dish with it.

Mix your pie filling ingredients and pour the filling into your prepared pie shell. Instead of using evaporated milk in this pie recipe (like many pumpkin pie recipes to), I like to keep it simple and use half and half instead.

Bake following the recipe instructions found below.

Let the pie cool to set. Enjoy warm or chilled, and treat yourself to a little whipped cream topping, too!

Don’t forget to tell your friends that this pumpkin pie is made with real pumpkin! Did you know that lots of canned pumpkin is actually a mixture of winter squashes like butternut, hubbard, and golden delicious?

And, don’t forget – Albertsons and Safeway also offer Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go for convenient ways to shop if you don’t want to have to spend time shopping for your pie ingredients!

Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 40 mins

 

From-scratch pumpkin pie is absolutely delicious!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Makes: 12 slices

Ingredients

Pumpkin Puree

• 1 small to medium sized pie pumpkin

Pie crust of your choice

Pie Filling

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups pumpkin puree from a cooked pumpkin
• 1½ cups half and half

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extrat

Instructions

Pumpkin Puree

1. Make your pumpkin puree, either in a pressure cooker, by boiling the pumpkin, or by roasting it. The goal is to soften the pumpkin flesh until it's easy to scoop away from the skin and puree into a smooth consistency. Don't forget to remove the seeds. The easiest way to puree the pumpkin is with an immersion blender, but a standard blender will work, too.
2. Make enough puree to equal 3 cups.

Pie Crust

1. Roll out your pie dough until it is slightly larger than your pie dish. Place into your pie dish with about an inch overhang all around the edge of the dish. Flute the edges of the dough.

Pie Filling

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Mix all filling ingredients well using a hand whisk or electric mixer. The mixture may appear very runny, but it will thicken up in the oven.
3. Pour the filling into your pie crust.
4. Place the filled pie into your preheated oven and bake at 425 degrees F for the first 15 minutes. (Prior to placing the pie into the oven I like to put a pie shield around the crust to prevent it from over-baking and getting too dark. If you don't have a dedicated pie shield, you can simply cover the edges of your crust with a loosely-draped layer of tinfoil. I leave my pie shield on the crust for the entire duration of the bake time.)
5. After you have baked the pie at 425 degrees F for the first 15 minutes, turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F. Bake for another 45 to 60 minutes (I usually end up at about 60 minutes), until a clean knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean.
6. Cool the pie.
7. While it cools, get your whipping cream ready.

Whipped Cream

1. Place all whipping cream ingredients into a bowl. Whip at high speed for about 3-4 minutes until stiff peaks form. (Be careful not to over-whip, though.)
2. Top your pie slices with the whipped cream and sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon.

Notes

If you have more filling than your pie dish will hold, you can use this extra to make a few smaller crustless pies. Simply grease some smaller baking dishes, pour the extra filling in to a depth of about 2 inches and bake along with your regular pie. You'll likely need a shorter baking time for these smaller dishes, so keep an eye on the consistency of the filling and regularly test the mini pies for doneness.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of the easiest things we can do with the abundance of summertime fresh produce (including fresh blackberries) is to make an easy, healthy blackberry jam with it! I’m also a fan of reducing the amount of refined sugar in my diet, so this recipe speaks to that desire by replacing refined sugar with nature’s candy – honey.

I shopped at Albertsons in my local Montana area to pick up these blackberries, but you can also find a beautiful assortment of fresh produce at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

The best part about this jam is the simple list of ingredients – blackberries and honey! And, really, you could use any summer fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or Flathead cherries are just a few that come to mind. As long as you can boil the fruit down and to a thicker, jam consistency, then you’re set!

Blackberries are particularly nice, though, because they naturally contain a higher amount of pectin than, say, strawberries, which helps the jam to thicken up. What exactly is pectin? Pectin is a carbohydrate found mostly in the skin and core of raw fruit. In nature, it functions as the structural “cement” that helps hold cell walls together. And, it also happens to help hold jams together, too!

Keep in mind that you’ll want to choose a pot with just a little extra headroom (about an inch or so is fine) because the blackberries will start bubbling and producing the prettiest, pinky-purple foam as they begin to cook down. If the bubbling bothers you, you can knock it back by stirring regularly. I used a 3-quart pot and had no issues when making the jam.

Did you know that blackberries are packed fully of Vitamin C? “Vitamin C is integral to collagen formation in bones, connective tissue, and blood vessels.” They’re also high in fiber, a great source of Vitamin K, high in manganese, they may boost brain health, and they help support oral health due to their anti-inflammatory qualities. Lastly, one cup of raw blackberries has only 62 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 14 carbs. (Source: Healthline) Pretty darn great if you ask me!

While most people use jam on toast or in sandwiches, you can always get creative with your jam in other ways too! This healthy blackberry jam is especially tasty on pancakes, muffins, and crepes, and I love to make a healthy dessert by swirling some into non-fat plain greek yogurt for a creamy, healthy treat.

If that sounds good to you, did you know that you can make it even easier on yourself with grocery delivery from Albertsons? Albertsons and Safeway also offer Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go for convenient ways to shop!

What sorts of things do you love to make with fresh blackberries? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Don’t forget to check Albertsons’ Weekly Ad for deals!

Healthy Blackberry Jam

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

32 mins

 

Easy, healthy blackberry jam makes summer produce the star and keeps refined sugar on the sidelines.

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Makes: Approximately 1.5 pints

Ingredients

• 5 cups fresh blackberries (about 2½ pounds)
• ½ cup honey or 1 cup white sugar

Instructions

1. Wash the blackberries well. Add all fruit to a medium-sized sauce pot (about 3 quarts is good). Add the honey (or white sugar if you're using it in place of the honey) to the pot. Stir to combine.
2. Place the pot on medium to medium-low heat and simmer covered for about 10 minutes. (Stir to keep any bubbling down.) Remove the lid and allow the fruit to cook for another 20 minutes while you stir from time to time. Make sure the fruit doesn't scorch. If the fruit mixture looks too thin, keep cooking and monitoring regularly until it's a thicker consistency and most of the liquid has boiled off.
3. Once the jam is gelling, transfer to a glass container to cool. Once cooled, store in the fridge.

Notes

If your jam isn't coming together at 30 minutes, this likely means you're cooking at too low a temperature. But don't give up! Keep cooking until most of the liquid has cooked off and you're left with a jam consistency to your fruit.

If you'd like, you can squeeze 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into your blackberries at the start of your cooking, too.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.

Montana seems to have finally gotten the memo that it’s summer, and the temperatures are thankfully beginning to get a bit warmer after a long, cool spring! With these warmer temps, it’s only natural to crave a refreshingly cool, summery drink to chill down after a hot day in the sun. And my recipe for pineapple-peach mojito mocktails (featuring two new flavors of Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water) will certainly do the trick!

First things first, this is a ridiculously easy recipe to make – you need just five ingredients and you’re set to go! Sugar, fresh peaches, fresh mint, peach flavor and pineapple flavor sparkling water! That’s it!

If peach and pineapple aren’t your thing, keep in mind that Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water is unveiling a bunch of new flavors, including Peach, Pure, Apple, Pineapple, Caffeine Lime, Caffeine Blood Orange and Caffeine Grapefruit. Discover savings and more great items like this here!

I used two cans of peach and two cans of pineapple sparkling water. However, you can get away with just four ingredients by using four cans of a single flavor. For instance, four cans of peach or four cans of pineapple. But I personally love how these two flavors mix together.

Muddling the fresh mint leaves and freshly sliced peaches is and important step to meld the flavors, so don’t skip it! If you’re unfamiliar with what muddling does, “to muddle” means to press the ingredients against the side of the glass with a muddler. Muddling is an essential step in many summer drinks that use fresh produce and herbs because it helps to release the flavors of the fresh ingredients so they bind with your drink better. If you don’t own a muddler (I admit, I don’t), you can muddle the peaches and mint in this recipe either with the back of a wooden spoon, or even a pastry blender. I used a pastry blender and it worked great!

Some of you may also find yourself wondering if mint and peach really go well together. I’m here to answer that question with a resounding, “Yes!” The way this drink is put together ensures that the mint flavor isn’t overly strong – it simply adds a refreshing profile to the overall drink. I promise you, it won’t remind you of toothpaste! (And that is a very good thing!)

On a very hot day, I’d recommend chilling your sparkling water beforehand to make the coolness of your drink last longer (along with the help of the ice cubes, of course).

If you’re someone who’s trying to be more aware of your sugar intake, you could also easily reduce the amount of simple syrup included in the recipe and this drink would still be delightfully tasty, just a little less sweet! Just adjust the sparkling water to taste to account for the reduced simple syrup volume.

Also, did you know that Safeway offers Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go for convenient ways to shop? I haven’t personally used the service, but saving a little extra time is always something that’s worthy of being explored!

Overall, I’m a huge fan of this recipe. It’s quick to put together, unbelievably pretty, really refreshing, and would be such a nice treat to serve at a barbecue or get-together. Or, heck, just for yourself after a day floating the river! And, adding your alcohol-of-choice to this drink would be exceptionally easy, too if you’d prefer more of a cocktail and less of a mocktail.

If you don’t drink it all in one go, it also holds up well over a couple of days in the fridge. You’ll lose some of the “sparkle” of the sparkling water, but there’s still a slight “zing” to it, and the side bonus is that the flavors have even more time to meld, blend, and really do some great things.

I shopped at Safeway in my local area to find these new Soleil flavors, but you can also find Signature SELECT Soleil exclusively at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons. These new flavors are available at most stores within the Intermountain Division. Be sure to ask a store near you if they carry these flavors!

And lastly, enjoy!

Pineapple-Peach Mojito Mocktails

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Drinks

Ingredients

• 1 cup of granulated sugar (mixed with ¾ cup of hot water to form a simple syrup)
• 3-4 peaches, pitted and sliced
• 1 bunch of mint leaves (about 1 cup of loose leaves, saving some for garnish)
• 2 cans Peach Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water
• 2 cans Pineapple Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water
• 2 trays of ice (about 24 ice cubes)

Instructions

1. Make the simple syrup by either turning your faucet to hot and filling up a measuring cup with ¾ cup of hot water, then pour in the 1 cup of sugar and stir until it dissolves. If your faucet water isn't hot enough you can microwave your water until you reach a temperature that will dissolve the sugar (usually about a minute is good).
2. In a medium-sized bowl, add the peach slices and the mint leaves (leaving out a few of both peaches and mint for garnish), and pour half the simple syrup in. If you have a muddler use that to muddle the peaches and mint together until mint leaves are torn and bruised and peaches are mashed down a bit into smaller chunks. If you don't have a muddler, you can do this with the back of a spoon, or even a pastry blender.
3. Pour the muddle mixture into a pitcher, along with the remaining simple syrup.
4. Add the ice into the pitcher, pour in the peach and pineapple Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling waters, stir the mixture a few times, and you're done!
5. To serve, pour the mojitos into glasses and spoon in a few peach slices and mint sprigs for garnish, and enjoy!!

Notes

You can add an alcohol of your choice to turn the mocktail into a cocktail.
You can substitute 4 cans of peach Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water, or 4 cans of pineapple Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water for a more concentrated flavor of one or the other.
You can reduce the sugar in the simple syrup and replace with additional sparkling water for a less-sweet drink.
Be sure to serve promptly to retain the bubbly nature of the sparkling water!

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

Even though I was born in and currently live in Montana, I will always hold a soft spot in my heart for the midwest where I spent a good chunk of my formative years. And Wisconsin’s dairy culture is especially ingrained in my DNA. Cheese, ice cream, milk – you name it, Wisconsinites love it. And I still do too, even though I’ve since returned to my home state of Montana.

So, when Albertsons reached out to me to let me know that Signature SELECT is unveiling new deliciously fun flavors of ice creams, including: Unicorn Cotton Candy, Cinnamon Churro, Lemon Cheesecake and Black Raspberry Chip, I was excited to taste all of them! With summer right around the corner (*hint hint*, Montana – warm up!), it’s the perfect time to enjoy these new flavors! And even better, Signature SELECT ice creams are quality, affordable, new and exclusive to Albertsons and the Albertsons Companies family of stores.

These flavors are all pretty sweet, and even though I’m typically more of a fan of an ice cream that isn’t quite as sugar-forward, the ice cream is still super tasty, albeit in smaller amounts (at least for me anyway).

One of the ones I was particularly curious about was the Cinnamon Churro flavor. It reminds me a bit more of cinnamon rolls than churros, but I really enjoyed the cinnamon swirl that meanders throughout the ice cream – it has just the right satisfying crunch to it! Churro chunks star in this ice cream, too.

One thing that I particularly liked about this flavor is that I think it would go perfectly with some coffee as an after-dinner treat. Gotta love mixing hot and cold together!

In a very different direction is the Unicorn Cotton Candy flavor. As someone who loves color, opening up this container to see that pink and blue together made my color-loving heart skip a beat! I can only imagine how this would really appeal to the little kiddos in your life (or the big kiddos at heart!).

Even more fun is that when the pink and the blue colors of the ice cream melt together, they turn a lovely pastel purple shade! I can totally see why they branded this with a Unicorn!

This ice cream tastes shockingly like cotton candy (to be honest – I really didn’t know what to expect here), and is studded throughout with bright little sprinkles. I’ve got to think that this would be a hit at a summer birthday party! Can you imagine all those adorable little blue and pink faces? :)

One of the nice things about these new flavors is that they are available at most stores within the Intermountain Division. Being in Montana, I’m pretty used to watching from afar as my friends in other locations enjoy the newest of the new. So it’s great to see that these flavors are available to even those of us “in the middle of nowhere!” Be sure to ask an Albertsons store near you if they carry them!

I was also excited to try the Lemon Cheesecake and Black Raspberry Chip flavors – and the more I thought about it, I realized that these two flavors would go especially well with one another. The lemon balances the sweetness of the raspberry, and it really does make for a delightful dessert that you can enjoy in your backyard, soaking in the long evenings that make Montana summers so amazing. I ended up making a little parfait and alternated layers of the Black Raspberry Chip with the Lemon Cheesecake. It turns out it was both pretty and tasty! When raspberries are in season, throwing a few fresh ones on top as a garnish would complete the look!

One of the things I liked best about the Lemon Cheesecake flavor was the cheesecake bites that are included. Sometimes cheesecake added into frozen treats can be too hard or not even taste like cheesecake, and that’s definitely not the case here. The cheesecake bites actually tasted creamy and cheesecake-y, and were nice little surprises to run into.

And, as someone who always loves a little chocolate, the flakes of chocolate in the Black Raspberry Chip were a welcome treat, too.

Believe it or not, I only paid $2.49 per flavor (they were on sale from a regular price of $4.99), and you really can’t beat that at all! (Keep in mind that this was a deal local to me and my store, and pricing will vary depending on your location.) I shopped at Eastgate Albertsons in Missoula to snag these new flavors, but you can also find Signature SELECT ice creams at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

Last, but not least, did you know that Albertsons also offers Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go for convenient ways to shop! I haven’t personally used this myself, but I know more and more of my friends who are (especially during these odd pandemic times), and they’ve been thrilled that they can get their grocery shopping taken care of with minimal effort!

Don’t forget, you can always discover savings and more great items like this here!

Stay cool, folks, and here’s to summer, just around the corner!

I’m not entirely sure what it is about the humble meatball that just makes me go ga-ga. I mean, it’s a ball of meat. That’s not entirely glamorous. (Though, speaking of gaga, perhaps this lady might disagree.)

But, I swear – it’s a magical ball of meat. (Note to self: never say that phrase again. Ever.)

When eating out at an Italian place and perusing the menu, I oftentimes find myself having a difficult time dodging any sort of meatball offering because I’m so tempted to see if they can get them right. Are they unctuous? Do they melt in your mouth? Do they make you feel less badly about yourself for loving a ball of meat?

Anywho. Suffice it to say, I really do adore meatballs.

So, for some odd reason, now that it’s the first of May, I had a hankering to make my own. Finally. For the first time ever in the history of my existence.

Yep – I’ve never made meatballs before in my life!

And what better classic pairing than spaghetti and meatballs of course?

These came together easily with fresh ingredients, and were even simpler to make with the help of a slow cooker (a la, the slow cook function on my Instant Pot).

This recipe can take a little time to prep, but once everything’s in the pot, it’s pretty hands-off from there. And mmm mmm mmm, does it ever make your house smell good while it’s simmering away!

This would also go great with a thin slice of crusty bread, slathered with some garlicky butter, and a tasty green salad. Not to mention, it’s some seriously lovely comfort food if you need it to get through a busy or challenging week. (This recipe makes enough to feed a small crowd!)

But enough chit chat – on to the recipe! Enjoy! Stay safe and healthy, folks!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

 

Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

5 hours

Total time

5 hours 30 mins

 

Slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs is a tasty, easy dish and makes a boatload for the whole family!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 2 pounds ground beef
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup minced flat-leaf parsley
• 2½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Sauce:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ yellow onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 4 Tablespoons dried basil or 4 large fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
• 6 ounces tomato paste (1 small can)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 56 ounces canned crushed tomatoes (2, 28 oz cans)

For the Other Essentials:

• 1 pound spaghetti cooked according to package directions & drained
• Grated parmesan cheese for serving
• Minced flat-leaf (Italian) parsley for serving

Instructions

For the meatballs:

1. In a large bowl, stir together all the meatball ingredients until combined.
2. Form meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands into roughly the size of golfballs. Set aside.

For the sauce:

1. Heat the olive oil using the lowest heat level with the sauté function of your instant pot (or in a large skillet set over medium heat). Add the onion and oregano, and cook until the onions are starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
2. Add another small splash of olive oil to your pan or instant pot. Then add the tomato paste, salt and pepper to the onions and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the basil.
4. If your sauce is not already in your slow cooker (or instant pot), transfer it to your slow cooking appliance.
5. Add in all your meatballs to the sauce and gently push them down into it without mashing them together too much. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't totally cover all of them.
6. Set the instant pot to the slow cooker setting on HIGH (the "more" setting), close the lid, set the seal to "venting," and cook for 3 hours. After 3 hours, open the pot, gently stir the sauce being careful to keep the meatballs intact, and readjust your slow cooker heat to LOW (the "normal" setting). Slow cook on low for 2 more hours.
7. Start boiling your water and cooking your pasta about half an hour before the meatballs and sauce are ready (at the 4 hour 30 minute mark).
8. Serve the sauce and meatballs over the spaghetti. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired.

Notes

If you like a little spice, you can add a teaspoon or two of red pepper flakes to your sauce before starting your 5 hours of slow cooking.

Adapted from a recipe from the Cookin Canuck.

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Yeeesh, time really flies, doesn’t it? It’s been a while since my last post (apologies!), but better late than never to share this Instant Pot chicken noodle soup recipe, yes?

Anyway, as you may have heard, there’s this mega virus touching all parts of the globe right now (yes, the sarcasm is alive and well here). And, unfortunately, the Coronavirus has landed in Missoula. The last I heard is that we’ve got two presumptive cases, which means that there’s likely quite a few more people out there who have come down with it, too, and are contagious.

While I refuse to fall prey to the panic and paranoia that many people have succumbed to (I did not buy massive amounts of toilet paper), I am approaching this virus thoughtfully, rationally, and carefully.

It’s not hype to socially distance myself from the general population, as we all should be doing if we want the spread of this virus to flatten. (Flatten the curve, anyone?) So, I figured that if I were to get sick, I obviously shouldn’t be wandering around in public places, most especially a grocery store. Which means that this weekend I decided to go to the store to pick up some ingredients to make some Instant Pot chicken noodle soup, to have on hand if I were to get sick. (I plan to freeze this.)

I probably shouldn’t have been surprised by what I saw at my local, neighborhood grocery store, but it still was odd to witness. I walked in and immediately noticed that all the bananas were gone (except one lone one, who, I joked with the cashier was practicing excellent social distancing from all the other, nonexistent bananas).

The onions and potatoes were completely gone, all the large carrots had vanished, as had most vegetables. Nearly all the pasta and rice were gone, and the store had limited customers to two chicken breasts apiece.

The toilet paper, unsurprisingly, was also nonexistent, with a sign on the empty rack saying that all purchases were final and refunds would not be offered.

Weird times, folks. Weird times.

Wash those hands!

Anyway…back to the main point of this post. Apparently, I, along with many of my fellow Missoulians, had the same idea and we were all making loads of soup this past weekend, hence the run on the onions and carrots.

The Instant Pot chicken noodle soup recipe that I made is flipping awesome, and I wanted to be able to share it with you here, in case you, too, wanted to have a stockpile of soup on hand that you can freeze and access when needed. Also, it’s way nicer to be eating this soup than the canned stuff, and I’d argue that this is healthier, cheaper and goes a lot farther than a small can ever would. (It nearly filled my 6-quart instant pot!)

Normally, I’d want to make this with large carrots (as I think they have better flavor), but all the large-sized carrots were gone when I went to the store, and the only thing left was a few one-pound packages of baby carrots. They worked in a pinch, but in the future, I’d use the regular-sized carrots.

Side bonus? Your house smells wonderful as the soup cooks! Turn on Simon and Garfunkel’s Scarborough Fair, revel in the scents of the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme wafting about, and dance around your kitchen as you get ready to take a taste of this delicious soup! And, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can whip up some easy rustic dutch oven no-knead crusty bread bread to go along with it!

Without further ado, here’s the recipe!

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Instant Pot chicken noodle soup is quick, healthy and easy to make!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Soup

Makes: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion chopped
• 4 medium carrots peeled and cut into small pieces, or 1 pound of baby carrots chopped small
• 4 ribs celery chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste (I ended up using about 1½ teaspoons)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste (I likely ended up using about ¾ teaspoon)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (I make mine with 4 cups of water and 4 teaspoons of Better than Boullion)
• 4 cups water
• 1 to 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 ounces egg noodles
• chopped fresh parsley optional, for serving

Instructions

1. Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and add your olive oil to the pot. Once the pot and the oil are hot, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies start to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your volume of vegetables. Stir in the garlic.
2. Press "Cancel" to turn off the Instant Pot.
3. Add the dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, dried parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir and toast the seasonings with the vegetables for about a minute.
4. Add broth and water to the pot. Stir. Nestle the chicken into the broth. (Chicken can be frozen - see notes on cooking times for frozen chicken.)
5. Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the valve to the sealing position. Pressure cook on high pressure for 7 minutes if chicken is fresh. The Instant Pot will take about 20 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will begin counting down.
6. When the cook time ends, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes (i.e. let it sit for 10 minutes without doing anything). Then, carefully release the remaining pressure by turning the steam release valve to the venting position using the handle of a long spoon or while wearing thick, protective oven mitts.
7. When the pin drops down, open the Instant Pot lid. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Remove the chicken to a clean plate, bowl, or cutting board. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes and then shred the chicken.
8. Press "Cancel" to turn off the warm setting and then press "Saute" and set it to high. Add the noodles to the pot and let them simmer for about 5 minutes, until just tender. Turn the Instant Pot off.
9. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup. Taste soup and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve soup with fresh parsley, if desired.

Notes

To make this recipe with frozen chicken, increase the pressure cook time to 12 minutes, and continue with a regular 10 minute natural pressure release.

If using bone-in fresh chicken, pressure cook for 10 minutes followed by a 10 minute natural release.

To cook chicken noodle soup on the stove top, follow the recipe as written except instead of pressure cooking, simmer soup on the stove (covered) for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to shred, and add the noodles to the pot, simmering until noodles are cooked. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and serve.

Recipe slightly adapted from Kristine's Kitchen.

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