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Are you panicking, yet? Have you started that last mad scramble to finish your shopping and get everyone on your list covered before Christmas? Take a DEEP breath. That’s it. In and out. In and Out. Calm, quiet, peaceful. There you go! Why do we work ourselves into a frenzy and lose sight of [...]
Are you panicking, yet? Have you started that last mad scramble to finish your shopping and get everyone on your list covered before Christmas? Take a DEEP breath. That’s it. In and out. In and Out. Calm, quiet, peaceful. There you go! 
Why do we work ourselves into a frenzy and lose sight of all that Christmas is about? In our attempts to please everyone, we immobilize ourselves taking on too much, spending too much and procrastinating. Christmas is about giving, but not about who can give the biggest, the best, the most. It’s about giving in a way that says, “I love you. I’m thinking about you. I care.”, even if you’re not close by. I get it. It’s fun to surprise people and make them happy. I love that, too. But, how much fun are you having making that mad dash and just “grabbing something” so you can get it wrapped and under the tree? It sort of sucks all the fun right out of it, ya know?
Hickory Farms has options, even for the people that are hardest to find something for; and every gift box can be shipped with a personal message from you, letting that special someone know you are thinking of them. Hickory Farms can take care of the packaging and the shipping and you can relax and just send your love, plus some really tasty snacks that anybody would be glad to receive. Our family enjoyed the Home for the Holidays Gift Box over the Thanksgiving holiday and I actually sent four gift boxes, myself, this Christmas. It’s so relaxing to sit back and sip a hot chocolate, browse the Hickory Farms website and pick just the right gift box for our friends and family, knowing how well they will be received.
The Home for the Holidays Gift Box our family enjoyed!
Even better, I discovered this year, Hickory Farms is committed to giving back and has a long history of encouraging consumers to partake in the generosity of sharing during the holidays through its partnership with Share Our Strength®, a leading national not-for-profit organization working to end childhood hunger in North America. When customers purchase a Party Planner gift box, Hickory Farms will contribute $5 to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® Campaign. Customers have the opportunity to include their own donation to the campaign with their purchase at a Hickory Farms store or at hickoryfarms.com. I love this! A gift for someone you love and a gift to really help someone in need. That’s the kind of giving I want to be focused on for Christmas. I’m guessing you do, too. Hickory Farms’ passion for fighting childhood hunger has generated more than $1.8M in contributions to Share Our Strength, since 2008 and the company is looking to raise and/or donate an additional $700,000 this holiday season. You and I can both be part of that!
A purchase of this tasty gift box sends $5 to Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry® Campaign!
Whether you think chocolate, fruit or sausage and cheese when you think of Hickory Farms, I know you’re like me and remember it as a household name that meant something special at Christmastime. Fresh, quality food gifts are great any time of the year, and at Christmas, they will add beauty and great taste to all your celebrations! At our house it was a BIG deal to receive a bountiful gift box of snacks and treats from Hickory Farms and a signal that holiday celebrations were truly in full-swing. So, what are you waiting for? Grab that cocoa, put on your comfy pj’s and curl up on the couch with your laptop. Don’t spend another minute stressing. Relax and have fun finding gifts to fit everyone left on your list and at the same time, support a cause that really makes a difference in wiping out childhood hunger.
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Compensation and products for review were provided by Hickory Farms via MomTrends. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review and to facilitate a giveaway. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Hickory Farms
This time of year seems to be filled with gathering after gathering — friends and family sharing fun and memories. The common denominator in each celebration always seems to be food. Sharing and enjoying special dishes and treats is a tradition that draws young and old together around the table, for laughter and conversation, and [...]
This time of year seems to be filled with gathering after gathering — friends and family sharing fun and memories. The common denominator in each celebration always seems to be food. Sharing and enjoying special dishes and treats is a tradition that draws young and old together around the table, for laughter and conversation, and to create new memories. Even when we’re caught up in the hustle and bustle of work, home and holiday planning and prep, we still want to have something special to contribute. If you need a gift for the person on your list who “has everything”, a hostess gift to thank your generous dinner party hosts, a quick and delicious offering for a potluck or buffet table or just want to add some panache to your own holiday fare, Hickory Farms has a gift box or basket to meet your specific need.
We reviewed this yummy gift box from Hickory Farms. What a lovely gift or bountiful addition to a buffet table. So delicious!
My husband fancies himself quite a mustard connoisseur and this Pineapple Mustard was a HUGE hit with him!
My whole clan was clambering to gobble this delicious Turkey Summer Sausage. It's slightly sweet and not greasy. It was a true favorite and the Home for the Holidays box contains two rolls!
For more than 60 years Hickory Farms gifts have been a classic holiday tradition that brings family and friends together. Many Americans have a distinct memory of Hickory Farms at their holiday gatherings. Hickory Farms is very proud to be a part of those nostalgic moments and continues to focus on and celebrate its long heritage of tradition and authentic holiday memories. We were able to add the Hickory Farms “Home for the Holidays” Gift Box to OUR Thanksgiving tradition and enjoyed every delicious morsel.
This delicious cheddar fed right into my weakness for smoked cheeses and the mission Jack was creamy and mild. Soooo good!
The Home for the Holidays Gift box also contains 2 rolls of delicious Beef Summer Sausage - one regular and one spicy.
Crackers, cheeses, sausages and mustards — The Home for the Holidays Gift Box was a delicious treat for our entire family! Hickory Farms has so much to offer, whether you’re surprising a friend or entertaining a crowd. Do you need a thank you gift for a favorite teacher or a neighbor? The possibilities are numerous and completely delicious whether you select juicy, succulent fruits, meat and cheese or sweets, like petits fours or fudge. Which would you choose?
You can easily order Hickory Farms gifts at Hickoryfarms.com or buy them at one of their 700 holiday stores and kiosks across North America, as well as in select retailers.
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GIVEAWAY
Browse through the Hickory Farms website to find your favorite collection and you’ll have all you need to enter our giveaway for a Hickory Farms Home for the Holidays Gift Box. Leave a comment below telling me which one you’d love to try or give as a gift and then register your entries on the Rafflecopter form, below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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I was compensated for this post by Hickory Farms, through Mom Trends. I received a Home for the Holidays Gift Box to review and test the products in my own home, as well as to gather information for this review. As with all Busy-at-home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the products.
I am more excited, than there are words for me to express it to you! I was selected as one of eight bloggers from around the country to cover the 41st Annual Bob Evans Farm Festival, being held October 14 – 16, in Rio Grande, Ohio! Covering me with abundant blessings, Bob Evans is allowing [...]
I am more excited, than there are words for me to express it to you! I was selected as one of eight bloggers from around the country to cover the 41st Annual Bob Evans Farm Festival, being held October 14 – 16, in Rio Grande, Ohio! Covering me with abundant blessings, Bob Evans is allowing my whole family to make this trip. Our family has not had an extended family vacation, since our 19-year-old daughter was a toddler. That’s been a day or two. Plus, our oldest daughter will be able to make the trip with us, which is something that none of us thought would be possible. We are looking forward to the journey, the festival and the fun with great anticipation!
Bob Evans has been serving hungry patrons for more than fifty years and currently has over 700 restaurants in twenty-four states. Their signature Bob Evans Restaurants are located heavily throughout the Midwest, comprising nearly 600 of their total restaurants. More than 100 Mimi’s Cafes round out their restaurant total and are most heavily located in California. Bob Evans also markets a complete line of refrigerated and frozen grocery products in 49 states and parts of Canada. They are an industry leader in the categories of fresh sausage, refrigerated mashed potatoes, side dishes and frozen breakfasts.
Ummm.....yes, please!
The 41st Annual Farm Festival will unveil a newly renovated grounds and facilities. Bob Evans Farm has gotten a major makeover, including the complete rebuilding of their very first Bob Evans restaurant, which stands in its original location on the farm. The festival organizers anticipate welcoming more than 30,000 visitors, from 19 states, to the event. The Bob Evans Farm Festival will be steeped in history, a wide range of entertainment, one-of-a-kind handmade arts and crafts, farm contests, delicious local food, children’s activities, demonstrations and musical performances. Our youngest daughter is waiting with great anticipation to run through the hay bale maze, ride a horse and visit the straw castle! Biscuits and gravy and The Lumberjack show are definitely calling my husband’s name. Everyone in our family is looking forward to so many aspects of attending this festival, not the least of which will be being able to experience it together. As someone who has such a deep love of history, I am looking forward to visiting the museum and many of the demonstrations, like soap making and a quilting bee. P.S. I’m a little intrigued by the Lumberjack show, also.
Looks like someone may have gotten soggy!
I’ll be updating you about our trip and all the fun we had. I’ll take lots of pictures and video to help it “come alive” for you! Of course, I’ll share about all the delicious food we try and you know me, I won’t be able to resist a recipe post or two. I wish you all could attend with us, but my van won’t hold that many, so if you’re in the neighborhood, I hope you’ll turn out for the festival and join in the food, fun and laughter! Visit the website for more information on the festival and how to get there; plus, if you need to find a Bob Evans Restaurant in your area, you can use this restaurant locator.
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I and my family are receiving this trip, through BFPR, in order to review and report on the festival, events and products. No monetary compensation is being made for the posts, and as always at Busy-at-Home, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own.
Will you be bringing meat and cheese trays to get-togethers over the holiday season? This recipe will help you save money and wow your guests with a delicious alternative to greasy, pre-packaged sausages. You’ll be hard-pressed to ever buy another one of those “logs-o-meat” after indulging in this simple and delicious treat! This recipe was [...]
Will you be bringing meat and cheese trays to get-togethers over the holiday season? This recipe will help you save money and wow your guests with a delicious alternative to greasy, pre-packaged sausages. You’ll be hard-pressed to ever buy another one of those “logs-o-meat” after indulging in this simple and delicious treat! This recipe was passed to me by my mom, who got it from my Aunt Joyce. It is a snacking tradition in our home from Thanksgiving through New Years. I hope you will enjoy it with your family, too!
(The pictures on this post show me tripling the recipe.)
A triple batch of beef ready to be made into sausage.
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Aunt Joyce’s Homemade Summer Sausage
Yield: (2) 1 lb. rolls
Ingredients:
- 2 lb. ground beef or ground turkey (We prefer it with very lean ground beef, but have successfully used turkey, too.)
- 2 Tablespoons Morton Tender Quick Salt (I buy this at Wal-Mart in the baking aisle. It’s for curing meat & it is definitely not regular table salt.)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I usually omit this pepper and increase the peppercorns to 1 Tablespoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground peppercorns ( I usually increase this to 1 Tablespoon)
- 2 teaspoons. liquid smoke
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
Sugar and spice and everything to make your sausage delish!
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Roll into 2 long rolls (like logs).
Mix it up.
- Wrap in foil and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. (In all the years that I have been making this, I have never done the refrigerating step. I roll it and put it straight in the oven.)
Making this in such large batches, I am rarely too precise about the length of the rolls. Just make sure they are about equal in thickness, so they bake evenly.
- Bake on the cookie sheet for 2 hours at 275°.
Cooling on a wire rack.
- Cool, rewrap and refrigerate. (Or in our case, slice it as soon as the heat subsides enough to keep from burning your fingers.)
Sliced warm and served on my pretty Lenox china.
This makes fabulous gifts and is always welcome on an hors d’oeuvre buffet. It is a traditional part of our holiday celebrations. Pair it with crackers and cheese for a satisfying snack. It freezes well and so can be made ahead and thawed in time for parties or snacking. Enjoy!!!
Served with crackers and cheese.
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This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.
