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Star Wars Day AKA May the 4th Be With You, is almost here! Both a fun play on words of the franchise’s iconic catchphrase and a day of intergalactic revelry commemorating Star Wars as a whole. The first usage of May the 4th Be With You started just one year after the first film’s release, Star Wars: A New Hope. Beginning as a grassroots campaign by the fans, the day quickly gained traction worldwide and is now a holiday for everyone to enjoy. Commemorate this special day with a batch of delectable Gingerbread Wookiee Cookies to enjoy during your Star Wars movie marathon!

Gingerbread Wookiee Cookies

A great balance of sweetness with bold spice notes.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour, more for working surface
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

Combine the flour, sugar, butter, egg, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, molasses and water in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand blender to mix until dough forms.

Sprinkle working surface with flour. Place the dough onto the working surface and separate into three portions. Place each dough portion into a separate bowl. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Dust your working surface with flour. Roll out each dough portion to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Transfer the cookie cutouts on the baking sheet. Use a fork to lightly scrape the cookies to make them look like they have fur. Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Place semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips in two separate bowls. Melt both bowls of chocolate. Pour melted semi-sweet chocolate into a piping bag.

Draw a bandolier, belt and nose with the semi-sweet chocolate. Use a toothpick to draw eyes and a mouth with the melted white chocolate.

Let the cookies sit for a few minutes to allow chocolate decorations firm up before serving.

Serves 20

Rise & Puff Quesadillas are now available at Bianchini’s! Mark and Philip of M&P Gastronomy have created a healthier eating option for everyone that loves a quesadilla. We are often so busy that we choose a quick and easy meal over a wholesome one. M&P have changed the dining paradigm with their Rise & Puff line. Now you can enjoy a fresh made quesadilla in just 5 minutes. Inside each quesadilla you’ll find only premium cheeses, natural ingredients and never anything artificial. Stop by our stores today and pick up a Rise & Puff Quesadilla!

Join us on May 5th to sample Rise & Puff Quesadillas from 11:30am – 2:30pm at our Portola Valley location and from 3:30pm – 6:30pm at our San Carlos location.

What are your plans for Cinco de Mayo this Friday? Whether you’re staying home with your family and friends or going out to party, you can count on Bianchini’s for all the essentials. Enjoy fresh-made salsas or ready-to-eat guacamole with Bianchini’s Signature Homemade Tortilla Chips. Browse our aisles to find the ingredients you need to create your favorite dishes, from homemade tacos to saucy chicken enchiladas, we have it all. And if you’re looking for a little menu inspiration, check out our Cinco de Mayo collection. You’ll find tasty dishes like, Chicken Nacho Dip, Salsa Verde Pork Chops and Grilled Street Corn. And if you’re looking for something to sip on, try one of our margaritas on the rocks or frozen. Let Bianchini’s help make your Cinco de Mayo celebrations both memorable and delicious.

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Our first featured artisan cheese is Marieke Farmstead Gouda with Cumin. Wisconsin cheesemaker Marieke Penterman drew inspiration from her Dutch heritage and childhood on her parent’s 60 cow dairy farm to create a truly unique cheese. Farmstead Gouda with Cumin is a flavorful twist on the classic by introducing cumin seeds gathered from the Netherlands during the Cheesemaking process. This addition results in a scrumptious and snackable cheese that has a gentle but nutty sweetness with a warm yet assertive spice notes throughout. Every wheel of Marieke Farmstead Gouda with Cumin is aged on Dutch pine planks for a minimum of 60 days, which imbues innate flavors you won’t find anywhere else. Try pairing Marieke Farmstead Gouda with Cumin with a glass of red wine and briny olives to enhance the already wonderful flavors.

Stop by your local Bianchini’s to pick up a jar of Knockout Tastes Salsa, it packs a punch! Knockout Tastes Salsa was founded by Clinton Nelson, Knockout Tastes’ head chef who’s also a nationally ranked amateur heavyweight boxer. Clinton brought his passion for boxing to his 13+ years of professional cooking experience to create a line of salsas that are worthy of a title belt. Grant, Clinton’s younger brother, has chronicled Clinton’s journey and helped bring Knockout Tastes to life. You can taste the difference with Knockout Tastes salsa, eahc one is pepper based, never watered down, and packs a generous amount of spice and big flavor. This salsa is perfect for dipping, cooking, marinating and so much more.

Find Knockout Tastes salsa at Bianchini’s today to be sure to try Knockout Tastes salsa during our sampling event on May 4th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm at our Portola Valley location and 2:00pm – 3:00pm at our San Carlos location.

Here’s a fascinating fact, olive oil is technically a fruit juice! Olives are characterized as a drupe, a variety fruit with a fleshy outside and a single hard seed inside, like cherries and peaches. Just like many other fruit juices, olive oil is rich with antioxidants and other key nutrients. But the time from harvest to pressing can significantly affect the taste, quality and nutrient content of the olive oil. The typical turnaround from field to factory mill for an olive is 12-24 hours. Olive Truck, a mobile olive oil pressing factory and vendor, has cut that time down to around one hour with their state-of-the-art facility. Their mobile facility is able to press up to 500 kilograms of olives in an hour, delivering the freshest olive oil and capturing the true essence of the olive’s flavor while preserving all of the inherent nutrients. Each bottle of Olive Truck’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is certified by the California Olive Oil Council, which holds the highest standards in the world for extra virgin olive oil.

Please join us this Wednesday, April 26th, from 2pm-5pm at our San Carlos location or Thursday, April 27th, from 2pm-5pm at our Portola Valley location, for our Olive Truck Extra Virgin Olive Oil sampling event.

Make your next pasta dinner extra delicious by choosing Saporito Fresh Pasta or Ravioli. Founders Greg Battaglia and Brian Mulcahy were introduced to one another through mutual friends over their similar upbringings and soon discovered they were actually distant cousins. After their serendipitous meeting, they decided to open their own business selling fresh pasta cuts, and high quality sauces. Following their family’s recipes that were handed down through generations, Saporito Pasta Co. began selling their delectable products to discerning restaurants, quickly making a name for themselves in the Bay Area. As the old saying goes, fresh made pasta is the best! So, the next time you’re in Bianchini’s, be sure to pick up Saporito Fresh Pasta or Ravioli and taste the difference fresh makes! It’s sure to be a meal you and your family won’t soon forget.

In the kitchen, olive oil is typically used for sautéing and frying. But it’s also great for baking, creating savory sauces, dips and dressings. But one of the more surprising applications for olive oil is serving it with fruit. A touch of olive oil over fresh cut fruit will add depth and enhance the fruit’s natural flavor, while also boosting the overall nutrition and antioxidant content. Try drizzling a little olive oil over a bowl of Bianchini’s fresh cut fruit and taste for yourself how olive oil pairs so well. And if you can’t get enough olive oil and fruit, whip up our fruit salad dressing by following the recipe below.

Fruit Salad Dressing with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Simple and quick, with a nice-tangy-sweet finish.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

Directions

Stir together the orange juice, lemon juice and sugar in a small bowl.

Whisk in a few drops of the olive oil at a time, until the dressing is creamy and emulsified.

When ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over your choice of Bianchini’s mixed fresh cut fruit, gently toss and enjoy! And if you’re feeling bold, try garnishing with fresh mint leaves.

Serves 4.

Have you tried eco-friendly cleaning products for your home? They’re “green” cleaning solutions contain zero hazardous chemicals. Meaning they are safe for you, your family, your pets, the environment, and they’re just as effective at cleaning compared to traditional products. The EPA has a Safer Choice label identifying items that meet strict standards for the product’s performance, sustainable packaging, pH level to minimize eye and skin irritation, and restrict the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can affect indoor air pollution and associated respiratory issues. Be sure to browse our “green” cleaning products during your next shopping excursion, we carry several of eco-friendly cleaning products, including, Seventh Generation, Ecos, Planet and Biokleen, all certified with the Safer Choice label.

This Saturday, April 22nd, we celebrate the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day. It’s amazing to know that on the first Earth Day in 1970, 20 million people rallied together to initiate a positive change to ensure a better planet for the future. Calling for clean air, clean water, healthy soil, and for the world population to unite to protect the planet. We are pleased to share with you that our own local Lakeside Organic Gardens has made it their mission to provide over 56 different 100% organic produce varieties for you to choose from. Lakeside’s products are delivered to Bianchini’s Market three times a week to ensure optimal freshness for each item and that they are the most delicious organic produce available. And Lakeside Organic Gardens’ many sustainable farming practices encourage a healthy ecosystem with soil enrichment, water reduction and natural pest control. We hope you join us in celebrating Earth Day and let’s continue to make positive changes for this wonderful planet we call home.