Enjoy our delcious Ukrop's Homestyle Foods Cupcakes with Peppermint Candies

The Christmas holidays can create food fun well into the New Year!  Finding creative and clever ways to recycle your leftover treats can lead to fun food projects that the entire family can enjoy!

Peppermint Candy Cupcakes

Each year do you look at broken and crumbled peppermint candy canes and wonder what to do with them?  Try this nifty trick with cupcakes that is easy to set-up and clean-up!

Ingredients

1 six pack of Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods cupcakes with vanilla icing

1 six pack of Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods cupcakes with chocolate icing

1 cup of crumbled peppermint candy canes

Place individual cupcakes on plates.  Have your kids take a teaspoonful of candy crumbles per cupcake.  Add the crumbles to the cupcake icing either by placing them in a pattern such as a monogram, a heart or a circular pattern.  For the more abstract food art fans, sprinkle on the crumbles in a free form design.  Serve for dessert or an afternoon snack!

October may tickle you pink as you see signs of pink ribbons all around town.  The month, has for the past 25 years served as the primary starting point for the promotion of breast cancer awareness, information sharing on the disease and efforts to provide greater access to screening services.  Many people look for ways to show their support for this worthy cause through the purchase of items emblazoned with the pink ribbon.  At Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, we have prepared a suite of items design to show how much you care and each can be personalized with your own message.  From our delicious cupcakes to our beautiful cake to our new pink ribbon message cookie, finding just the right way to show how much you care is as easy as 1-2-3.  Find all three products at your local MARTIN’S bakery or order online.  While October is recognized as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the http://www.NBCAM.org Web site is a year-round resource for breast cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and the general public. We encourage you to visit our site in October and regularly throughout the year as we add updated breast cancer information and resources.

Preparing for parties can take some simple planning and a quick trip to the bakery at your local MARTIN’S.  Each season, new custom themed cupcakes are added to the selections and finding the one that is just right for your parties takes a few simple steps.  You can simply visit in the in-store bakery kiosk or better yet, search online and place your orders at any time of the day or night! 

For perfectly pink parties, plan to host a Hello Kitty collectible party and feature our pink/white custom Hello Kitty Cupcakes!  Invite guests to come dressed in pink, ask them to bring their favorite Hello Kitty themed item, and serve the cupcakes, strawberry flavored ice cream and pink lemonade!  Each cupcake comes with a great party favor already included to add to their collection!  Fans of the popular Pinkalicious children’s book series can also think pink by ordering our custom Pinkalicious cupcakes!  Invite guests to bring their books and have a round robin storytime or arrange a book swap! 

Are you headed to a party and want to leave a perfectly pink impression?  Order a set of cupcakes and gift them to the host!

Football season is already underway, and it’s a great time for families to gather around the gridiron.  Watching sports with your family can be an enjoyable experience as you cheer for your favorite teams, learn about historic moments in sports and spend quality time together!  It’s no secret that sports and food go great together, but watching a game doesn’t mean that you have to be on junk-food overload. 

 Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods prepares or makes a variety of great appetizers for small viewing parties with just the family—to big gatherings with friends and neighbors during major events. 

Spice up your routine and add some of our great game-day “starters!” 

• Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Enjoy a dip that’s a blend of spinach and artichokes combined with cheddar, Monterrey Jack and Parmesan cheeses.  Goes great with fresh pita, pita chips or water crackers; for an added touch serve it in hollowed-out artisan bread.  Chop the bread into cubes and watch it disappear!

•  Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods Buffalo Chicken Dip

Get your chicken fix without messy bones to clean up!  Our great-tasting buffalo chicken dip is made with all white meat chicken, cream cheese, ranch dressing and flavorful spices!  We’ve kicked it up with hot sauce and topped it with cheddar cheese!  Serve with fresh veggies!

•  Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods 7 Layer Dip

We’ve taken the guess work out with our hearty dip made with refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, black olives, shredded cheese and more!  Heat and eat and serve with our salsa and tortilla chips!

 Find these items are your local MARTIN’S store in our convenient pans that can be heated in the oven or the microwave!

Ukrop's Homestyle Foods Fresh Cut Fruits Make Refreshing Drinks

 As the summer weather continues to heat up, finding a cool and refreshing drink to help quench your thirst should not leave you bottled up!  No one doubts how easy it is to pick up a bottled soft drink, tea or a fruit juice, but you sometimes compromise in many areas including calories, sugars and fats while also contributing to more environmental waste due to empty cups and bottles.  Whether you want to start your day with a fresh smoothie, want a refreshing midday milkshake or an anytime is fine frozen fruit creation, incorporating Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods fresh cut fruits is a great place to begin.  Our fresh cut fruit is gathered from select growers, we check sugar levels in the fruit daily to ensure optimum freshness and we also provide convenient sizes from our grab and go cups up to 3 lb. containers!  Watermelon, pineapple, melons and more provide a great foundation for a refreshing drink.  The Essentials:  Each drink should have a base of at least 1 cup of milk, yogurt, ice cream, crushed ice, juice or a banana to begin.  Make sure that your blender is capable of handling crushed ice before you combine the ingredients.  Fresh fruits provide wonderful flavor, but check to be sure that large seeds are extracted before use to make your drink smoother.  Use fruits that have different textures in order to make your drink more robust and do not be afraid to go with a single fruit or a mixture of fruits.  Complimentary groupings help you to bring a color and a little bit of variety to you summer drinks.  We suggest some of the following combinations:  Honeydew Melon with Cantaloupe, Mangoes with Oranges and Pineapples, or Mixed Berries including Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries and Blackberries.  Add a splash of citrus using either orange, lemon or lime juice to help layer your flavors.  Garnish in a nice reusable glass with a fresh mint leaf, whipped topping or granola.  Search online for great recipes to help you to get started or use your imagination!   

Visit your local MARTIN’S to see our wide selection of cut fruit to start begin making your own smoothies!

I had a work luncheon recently and knew exactly what to bring to please the crowd— Ukrop’s Chicken Salad with famous White House Rolls.  It’s funny, when Richmond folks see the Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods salad container, it’s a reassuring sign—like an old family friend that’s always there at every event.

Even though Martin’s purchased Ukrop’s Super Markets, the Ukrop’s brand is remains behind to reassure us all that the flavors we’ve grown to love are still here for us to enjoy!

Old Fashioned Potato Salad, Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad and Southern Watergate Salad are just a few of the amazing salads I take to luncheons or have on hand at the house for weekend get-togethers.

Sometimes we can barely get ourselves out the door, let alone planning for dinner at night. With two full-time jobs, three kids in two different schools, and cub scouts and other activities…by the time I actually get to sit down at night, sadly the last thing I want to think about is dinner.

This is why Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods and Martin’s are my partners in feeding my family. Because I can pop into the store on the way to picking up my daughter from day care and grab a side of their famous Triple Cheese Macaroni and Cheese, Seasoned Green Beans, or Bacon and Cheddar Potatoes along with Grilled Chicken Breasts with BBQ sauce…and within minutes dinner is on the table.

Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods sides are always crowd-pleasers at my house and help me nourish my family when I don’t have a lot of time or imagination.

Now, for getting the kids to eat their vegetables. Well, that’s another story. We’ll keep you posted on that one!

Out of all the precious gifts my children have made me—from the cut-out valentine hearts to the pipe-cleaner flowers—my favorite gifts are the times we’ve spent together in the kitchen.

One of my most treasured gifts this year, other than my Ukrop's Homestyle foods goodies

It seems like even though it’s tough to get a meal together for my three little ones sometimes, the part where we get to sit down together and enjoy a few bites and talk about our day is the best reward.

This past Mother’s Day, as my kids asked me what I wanted, one thing that topped my list was a delicious dinner. One catch: it had to be one that I didn’t have to cook and did not require me going out to a crowded restaurant.

Two of my favorites from Ukrop’s Homestyle foods are the Ukrop’s Oven Bakes Baked Spaghetti and, of course, their Signature Long Stem Pink Rose Cake. That’s all they brought me, and I was happy as a clam. Happy Mother’s Day to all Richmond moms and grand moms out there, I hope it was relaxing, and delicious!

by Richmondmom.com’s Kate Hall

There’s so much history that surrounds St. Patrick’s Day since it came to the United
States in 1737.

Some say St. Patrick gave a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland,
which is tough to believe, since no snakes were ever native to that country!

Originally St. Patrick’s Day was a holy Catholic day, but it’s evolved into a more secular
holiday in the United States.

Whatever your St. Patty’s Day tradition, it no doubt will include treats from Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods. Whether it’s a Killarney Jewel Cake (pictured here), once-a-year St. Patty’s Day cupcakes (also pictured, yum!) or cookies, or even a custom Ukrop’s cake with your favorite “lucky charm” on it—don’t forget to have some “home-baked” Ukrop’s goodness on your kitchen table.

Ukrop's St. Patty's Day Cupcakes. Now that's lucky.

Our “little leprechauns” just love these treats found at Martin’s in Richmond. We are so lucky: there’s no doubt.

Share your St. Patty’s Day traditions and Ukrop’s favorites—we’d love to hear about
them!

Source: www.wilstar.com/holidays/patrick.htm

To many people, a cake is just another sweet treat expected at a birthday party. For many Richmonders though, it’s not really a cake, unless it’s a Ukrop’s cake!  When I first moved here, I thought this was an exaggeration, but when we’d host a party at work for any reason, the coordinator always had to have a cake from Ukrop’s— one bite is all it took…and I immediately understood why.

After the retail stores were closed, I was thrilled to hear that we would still be able to get Ukrop’s cake through MARTIN’S. Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods bakes tens of thousands of cakes for special occasions every year including birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and, yes, even weddings.  Actually, there really isn’t an occasion necessary to enjoy that great-tasting, lip-smacking, finger-licking flavor: just treat yourself anytime and don’t feel guilty!

Haven’t had a Ukrop’s cake lately?  We can fix that.  We are giving away a gift card ($25 value) for a Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods cake to one lucky reader! ENTER HERE!

We’ll announce the winner by 3/10/11. Good luck!