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How About Them CARAMEL Apples

Fall is in full gear with Halloween being only weeks away. People are prepping for parties, picking costumes, and even beginning Thanksgiving meal prep. It is the time for sweet treats to take center stage as they are a staple in all the upcoming festivities. A treat that has a perfect mix of health and deliciousness are caramel apples!

Caramel apples came about in the 1950s when Dan Walker, a sales representative for Kraft Foods, was experimenting with leftover Halloween candies from the company. It was a pretty simple combo as all he did was melt down some of the remaining caramels and then dip apples in them to create a crunch. He did not know it at the time, but he was creating a dessert that would become a fall favorite. Dan Walker’s simple creation has evolved in many ways. Today, there are many different apples, caramels, chocolates, and toppings that go into making more complex caramel apples.

At Caputo’s, we believe in simple, fresh ingredients. We use this to make our own caramel apples! Our process starts with the apple. We want the juiciest apples for this dessert, so we use honeycrisp apples! Our honeycrisp apples come from farms around the US, usually Michigan or Washington. Honeycrisp apples range in size from medium to large and are characterized by their incredibly sweet flavor with subtle tart underlyings. Honeycrisp apples, sometimes called honey crunch apples, have a reputation of being one of the sweetest apples. The sweetness and subtlety of tartness compliment each other to make a juicy apple, perfect for dunking in caramel! The next step of the caramel apple process is the main event– the caramel! We prepare to dunk the apples by putting a stick in the core of the apple. We take caramel and melt it down, then submerge the apple in caramel. After the apple is properly and fully covered, the toppings get added! We use a variety of toppings like sprinkles, nuts, and chocolate candies. No matter what topping, the caramel apples are the perfect treat. The sweet, crunchy apple mixed with the decadent, soft caramel and the fun variety of toppings makes for happy and satisfied taste buds! Stop by and get one to test out for yourself!

Don’t forget that October 31st is National Caramel Apple Day! Be sure to enjoy a caramel apple while getting ready for trick-or-treating!

 

Check out this video for an inside look into how we make our caramel apples:

 

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Carving Out Some Fun!

Fall is in the air! As soon as October approaches, people are gearing up for all the fun fall festivities there are to do– hayrides, haunted houses, seasonal drinks, and so much more! A favorite amongst the Angelo Caputo family was picking and carving pumpkins thanks to the unique way our founder and my grandfather, Angelo Caputo, did Halloween!

Our family always had a unique way of carving pumpkins. We wouldn’t carve pictures into the pumpkin or make it a Jack O’Lantern, we had a different way of doing it which involved goodies from around the store! It would start with my grandfather taking us to Caputo’s to pick a pumpkin. There were so many to choose from and Nonno Angelo would help us pick the perfect one and then load it into the cart. After we picked out our pumpkins, we would go around and find different foods and props for our pumpkins to make faces! We would get things like chestnuts or lychee for the eyes, a gourd or a pepper for the nose,smaller pumpkins or corn husks for the ears, hay for the hair, and no pumpkin was complete without a carrot as a pipe! We could come up with any crazy idea and Nonno Angelo would do it for us.

 

When we got home from picking up our tools and ingredients for our pumpkins, my parents and Nonna Romana were waiting for us with the kitchen ready! The first thing we would do is cut open the top and clean the insides of the pumpkins. We would separate all the seeds and give them to Nonna Romana so that she could roast the pumpkin seeds. We would let them soak in some water so that all the pulp would come off. Then Nonna would salt them, put some olive oil, and put them in the oven! While she was doing this, we would be helping direct the carving! The adults would cut the holes and we would put the food in the proper places. After that, we would draw or paint all the finishing touches on our pumpkins!


We have a fun Halloween tradition, what are yours? Do you have a unique way that you carve pumpkin or think your design is the best? Stop by Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets, pick out your perfect pumpkin, then send us a picture of you and your creation! Email your pumpkin carvings to events@caputomarkets.com and the coolest pumpkin will win a $20 gift card to Caputo’s! The finalists will be put to a vote and the winner will be contacted by email. Submit your pictures to events@caputomarkets.com before October 29th at 2pm for a chance to win!

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Cookies That Will Bake Your Day!

It’s always a nice surprise when you are going to a friend’s house and see a tray of cookies, it’s even better when you see a tray of La Bella Romana cookies!

As with all of our bakery items, our butter cookies are made from scratch daily using only the freshest and simplest ingredients. A butter cookie is a relatively simple treat in order to maintain the flavors of the cookie itself. The foundation of our butter cookies are butter, sugar, and flour.  Our butter cookies are very unique. The buttery flavor comes through in each and every cookie, and creates a sense of nostalgia that will transport you right to enjoying your grandma’s butter cookies around Christmas time. The good thing about our butter cookies is that you don’t have to wait for Christmas, they are readily available in all of our stores! Each cookie is created with the passion our company was founded on.We want the customer to be able to taste the homemade qualities in each cookie that makes every bite tasty and each bite better than the last.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our butter cookies have the perfect crunch paired with the perfect softness. The butter makes the cookie melt in your mouth and gives you the ability to really absorb the delicious flavors. We have a variety of butter cookies. Some are chocolate and some are original. They come in different shapes and different toppings. Whether you like nuts, cherries, chocolate chips, or sprinkles– we’ve got you covered! We have cookie trays are sure to be a crowd please at any party of get together! Butter cookies are a perfect, go-to gift! We offer them in pre-packaged containers that make them easy to grab, go, give, and enjoy! If you’re in the mood for a sweet treat that is simple and satisfies, stop by our bakery and pick some up!

 

 

 

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Holy Cannoli!

No full meal is complete without dessert! La Bella Romana Bakery provides many different types of dessert for any craving! A go-to dessert that will please every crowd is cannoli. Cannoli, the singular version is cannolo, originated in the south of Italy. Originally, it was only enjoyed during Carnevale celebrations, similar to Mardi Gras, that occur throughout the region right before Lent, a religious season. Carnevale was the time to dress up, have fun, and splurge. People only enjoyed cannoli on this day, but began craving them so much that cannoli became a year round staple in all of Italy and are now enjoyed all over the world!

Our Cannoli

Our homemade cannoli will transport you right to Italy! We use only the freshest and highest quality ingredients, we even make our own shells in house daily! We make our own dough, shape it, then fry it.

Once the shells are ready, they are filled with our homemade ricotta filling. The base of the filling is ricotta cheese, and it is sweetened to give the filling a perfectly creamy and decadent flavor. The crispy outside paired with the perfectly sweet filling makes it the ideal dessert.  A traditional cannolo is finished with green nuts garnished on each end, but we offer many different types of cannoli in different sizes. We have chocolate chip topping, chocolate dipped shells, mini cannoli, and even a party cannoli!

Cannoli for the Crowd

Having a party filled cannoli lovers? We have quite a few options that are great for crowds. Our party cannoli is one huge cannolo filled with 50 mini cannoli and it is the perfect addition to any party! 

We also offer a cannoli dipper– think chips and guac, but for dessert! This is a container full of cannoli filling in the center of the tray surrounded by cannoli shells that have been broken up to form chips so that guests can take a cannoli chip and scoop the filling right out of the center! 

We also have our cannoli heaven tray! This tray consists of 24 Mini Homemade Cannoli with Assorted Fillings. the fillings are French
Cream, Nocciola, Traditional cannoli & Chocolate French Cream. This is a unique and great platter because guests get a little bit of everything!

Other Cannoli Musts

Still want more cannoli? We also offer cannoli cake and giardoni. Giardoni is a shortbread filled with cannoli filling and drizzled with chocolate. Plus, we have a cannoli of the month so be sure to stop in to see the limited time flavors!

From Our Family To Yours

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It’s Football Season!

Fall is upon us! The pumpkins are ready to be carved, it’s time to go apple picking, and football is back! Most football fans, college or pro,  know that the season is full of ups and downs when rooting for your team. You never know what the outcome of a game is going to be, but you can always count on Caputo’s to make sure everyone is well fed on game day!

We offer the perfect foods for a game day party, tailgate, or for just lounging around and watching football all day! From guacamole to salsa to different dips to wraps, we’ve got all of your appetizers covered! We also have the perfect meals– wings, sandwiches, sausage, and more! Boneless and bone-in chicken wings. Plain, BBQ, teriyaki, or buffalo, the chicken wings are so juicy with the perfect amount of breading and sauce. 3ft American and Italian sub sandwiches. The American sub sandwich contains oven roasted turkey, polish ham, hard salami, and American cheese on a french baguette. The italian sub sandwich contains Volpi genoa salami, mortadella, mild capicola, and provolone on a french baguette. Another tailgate staple is sausage. Our homemade sausage is handcrafted using old world and traditional recipes in our own facilities. We carry a wide variety of sausage– rope, links, bulk, polish, barese, mild, and so much more!  Our sausage is made with trimmed, lean pork and house blend of spices and seasonings. Every bite is even more delicious and juicy than the last. Our sausage topped with our homemade La Bella Romana giardiniera is the perfect combo.

These items are sure to make any game day easy and relaxing while still eating good, quality meals. What’s evenbetter thandelicious food? Delicious food at a low price! This weekend we have you game day necessities on a 3 day sale! Check out this week’s ad to see the items featured in the sale!