Category: Holidays
Happy New Year!
We want to wish all of our wonderful customers a very Happy New Year!
We hope 2020 will treat you all well. We love all of our customers so we want you to know that there’s no need for a new year, new you!
Merry Christmas from Shisler’s Cheese House!
We wanted to wish all of our customers, both near and far, a very Merry Christmas!
However you are celebrating, we hope that it is a wonderful day for you all.
Happy Christmas everyone!
Last-Minute Gifts for Christmas
We know that it’s a really busy time of year and sometimes you miss someone off your gift list leaving you needing last-minute gifts in a hurry. If you’ve realized that there’s someone you need to buy for but you don’t have time to get something delivered or head to the shops then our Cheez-E-Gift Certificate is the perfect solution.
You’ll be provided with a code immediately after checkout, so it’s perfect for last-minute gifts or those moments where you didn’t realize you would have guests!
Our gift certificates can be spent across our full range in multiple transactions so that the recipient can enjoy a year’s worth of trying different cheeses or splurge in one go on all their favorite chocolates and gourmet snacks.
They can be spent on our full range so you know that they will find something that they love, whether it’s an old favorite or they want to try something new. Sometimes it’s difficult to guess someone’s tastes but with the gift certificate you don’t have to.
If you can pop into store then you could also check out our hampers. We have an incredible selection of gift boxes and have added some extra special new ones this year so that you can really show your love and appreciation during the holidays. Treat someone really special to the Deluxe Gift Box, which includes cheeses, chocolates, snacks, and even a Shisler’s Cheese House t-shirt!
For wine lovers, take home our Red Wine or White Wine Collection. These specially selected boxes of cheese have been chosen to complement the flavors of the wine. They will make for a fun addition to any holiday parties and will certainly make any cheese-loving friends happy too.
We can even help you to put together a hamper of specially chosen gifts if you have more time and want to select items that you know your friends and family will love. You could even pick up some treats from us and combine them with other gift items such as cosmetics to create a unique gift.
What are your other favorite last-minute gifts? Let us know in the comments and help our other readers out!
Christmas Gift Boxes for the Whole Family
With Christmas fast approaching, we thought the time had come to remind our lovely customers about our wonderful range of gift boxes.
Our Deluxe Gift Box contains more of our favorite Amish products than ever:
- Troyer’s Trail Bologna Ring 1 Lb.
- Shisler’s Gift Mug with 1/2 Pound of Heggy’s Chocolates
- Shisler’s Private Label Apple Butter
- Shisler’s Private Label Hot Mustard
- Wheel of Colby 3/4 Lb.
- Wheel of Cojack (Marble) 3/4 Lb.
- Block of Swiss Cheese
- Baby Swiss Cheese Wedge
- Summer Sausage Link
- Crackers
- Muffin mix
- Shisler’s Cheese House T-Shirt
The Troyer’s Trail Bologna Ring is a chunky, all-beef bologna with a smoky taste, created by the fourth generation of the Troyer family. Our gift mug helps lovers of Shisler’s Cheese House share their pride as they drink their morning coffee. We’ve filled it with 1/2 a pound of Heggy’s Chocolates.
Shisler’s Private Label Apple Butter is made from the best locally grown Apples and locally produced Amish Butter, perfect for spreading on toast or stirring into your recipes. We also love our Private Label Mustard, which can be used as a dipping mustard or spread into sandwiches.
Colby cheese is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese native to the United States. It is very mild and creamy. Cojack cheese is a blend of Monterey Jack and Colby cheese, marbled together to create a striking effect. Monterey Jack is a buttery, semi-firm cheese which originated in California. It is usually only aged for around a month, making it a fresh, fairly soft cheese to enjoy.
Swiss Cheese is a holey, semi-hard cheese with a creamy color. It has a nutty, slightly piquant flavor whilst simultaneously being somewhat creamy. You’ll also get a wedge of Baby Swiss Cheese, which substitutes water for the milk’s whey to slow the bacterial action. This creates smaller holes and a milder flavor. With all of this cheese, we’ve given you crackers so that you have something to enjoy it with!
Summer Sausage can be kept without refrigeration, which is how it gained its name. Ours is smoked, rather than dried, with a tangy taste. It’s certainly too good to be kept for only the Summer season. Muffin mixes provide a great way to whip up some quick baking that your guests will love, without any stress.
Finally, because you’re clearly a huge Shisler’s Cheese House fan if you’re digging into this gift box, you’ll find your very own Shisler’s Cheese House t-shirt!
Our Amish Cheese and Goodies collection is another perfect gift for your loved ones this Christmas.You’ll find a 1Lb. Baby Swiss Wheel, a summer sausage link, a ¾ Lb. wheel each of Colby and Pepper Jack cheese, Shisler’s Private Label Mustard, home style Amish jam, Carr’s crackers, assorted chocolates and 6oz. REACH coffee.
One of our other great gifts is the Troyer’s Trail Bologna and Cheese box. Inside you will find a 1Lb. Troyer’s Trail Bologna ring, a ¾ Lb. wheel each of Colby and Farmer’s cheese and assorted chocolates.
We all know someone who really loves cheese, and that’s why we created the Cheese Lover’s Gift Box. This contains a ¾ Lb. wheel each of Cheddar, Cojack, Farmer’s Cheese and Pepper Jack, along with some assorted chocolates.
Check back in the coming weeks as we’ll share more reminders about our delicious Christmas gift boxes!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our wonderful customers from us at Shisler’s Cheese House!
We hope you will all have a wonderful day spent with loved ones. Whatever you are doing, you will hopefully be able to take a moment to offer thanks for whatever you are grateful for.
Enjoy your day and we’ll see you after the holiday to fulfill your cheese needs!
Show Your Support This Veteran’s Day
As today is Veteran’s Day and we are passionate supports of our veterans, we wanted to share our Veteran’s Day Care Package with you.
This is a great way to remind our heroes that we still appreciate all they do! It is perfect as a gift for our veterans or as active duty military care packages. We have included less perishable options than some of our other gift boxes, for those who wish to send a care package to military personnel stationed overseas.
There really is nothing like a little taste of home to let our men and women in uniform know they are appreciated. We will ship to any FPO-AP address via U.S. Postal service. We will also show our appreciation for our men and women in uniform by donating a portion of the proceeds from every package sold to The Wounded Warrior Project.
The Veteran’s Day Care Package Includes:
- Baby Swiss Cheese Wheel (2 Lbs.)
- Trail Bologna Ring or Beef Jerky (In non-perishable option)
- Clem’s Hot Pepper Relish – delicious with cheese and crackers!
- Banana Split Mix – cranberries, banana chips, almonds, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate drops, pineapple tidbits, raisins, yogurt covered peanuts, peanuts, and yogurt drops all mixed together for a great trail mix
- Amish Peanut Butter Spread
- Amish Homestyle Jam
- Carr’s Crackers
We know that you love to show your appreciation and, to us, food is the perfect way to do that.
Here at Shisler’s Cheese House, we also make a range of gift boxes if the Veteran’s Care Package isn’t quite right for you.
Our Football Season Special is perfect for sports lovers. It contains Swiss Cheese, Troyer’s Trail Bologna, Pepper Jack Cheese, Shisler’s Private Label Mustard, Shisler’s Private Label Hot Pepper Relish, and Carr’s Crackers.
The Fall Harvest Collection celebrates the best flavors of fall in Amish Country. You’ll find Baby Swiss Cheese (2 Lbs.), Streb Meats Smoked Sausage (1 Lb.), Cranberry Delight (1 Lb.), Pumpkin Muffin Mix, Pumpkin Butter, and Popcorn on the Cob inside.
If you want to show your support to a beer and cheese lover, then our Beer Collection is absolutely the gift for you. It contains enough Brick, Gouda, Gruyere, and Ohio Premium Swiss Cheese to entertain 20 people. These cheeses have been chosen for their strong flavors which pair beautifully with beer. We recommend trying out a few different beers to compare the tasting experience.
Finally, our Hot Stuff Collection has everything that you might need for someone who lives spice and heat. Enjoy trying Hot Pepper Cheese, Habanero Cheese, Troyer’s Trail Bologna with Hot Pepper Cheese, Shisler’s Private Label Hot Pepper Relish, Shisler’s Private Label Hot Jalapeno Mustard, Hot Pepper Jelly, and Carr’s Crackers. Be warned, you might need a cooling glass of milk on hand.
Do get in touch if you have any questions about any of our gift boxes, but especially if you would like to get a Veteran’s Day care package for a special someone to recognise their service this month.
We’d also love for you to take a look at the work of the Wounded Warrior Project and consider supporting them in their efforts.
Happy Halloween from us!
Happy Halloween to all of our wonderfully ghostly customers! We hope you have a very spooky day indeed. We’ve put together a few of our favorite ideas for making Halloween fun.
1. Carving Pumpkins
Of course, pumpkin carving is the classic decoration for Halloween. We absolutely love to make our own designs! Traditional faces are easy to carve, but there are so many online tutorials that can help you to create intricate designs that are sure to impress trick or treaters! Do remember to be careful of any open flames when the pumpkins are lit and to keep the pumpkins away from places where people could injure themselves.
Make sure that you don’t waste the actual pumpkin flesh. It’s delicious roasted as a side dish or cooked into a warming soup for cold evenings. Try using a cookie cutter to cut bread shapes such as ghosts or bats for a fun addition to your soup. You can even roast the seeds with different flavors like salt, chilli, or caramel for a quick crunchy snack. Why not try a pumpkin mac and cheese to warm you up?
2. Spooky Baking
We love to get into the kitchen and create something delicious for Halloween!
Spider Cookies
This recipe is lots of fun to make. Get the whole family involved to create a fantastic treat. Use your favorite cookie recipe or even pre-bought dough to make a big batch of cookies. Melt white chocolate and use it to pipe a web onto the cookies. The easiest way to do this is to pipe on concentric circles and then use a cocktail stick to pull the circles into a web shape. Leave this to set. Then melt milk chocolate and pipe on your creepy spiders. You could even add icing eyes or create your own using candy.
Witch’s Hats
Cut puff pastry or pre-made crescent rolls into the shape of witch’s hats. Decorate with a strip of Colby cheese as a ribbon. You could even use sweet or savory filling to make them into pies. Try pumpkin, cream cheese or melted chocolate for fun seasonal flavors.
3. Decorations
If you want to make sure that trick or treaters visit you, then some decorations will send the message that you are happy to meet them. Of course, your pumpkins will light the way but there are some other ways that you can decorate your home.
Floating witch’s hats
Use fishing line to hang witch’s hats in your porch for a fun decoration that can be seen by your neighbors. You could even use battery powered fairy lights or glow sticks to make them light up so that they can be seen at night. Make sure that they are hung up high so that no-one walks into them!
A Halloween tree
You can now find artificial Christmas trees in a huge range of colors, including black and white. Pick one of these up and decorate it as a Halloween tree. There are lots of spooky ornaments available in the shops and online. Add some cobwebs, skulls, and spiders for a truly creepy tree. You can even get orange tinsel or pull out any dark colored Christmas decorations to add some extra sparkle.
How are you celebrating Halloween? Let us know in the comments below! Have a spooky day!
It’s National Cheeseburger Day!
Today is National Cheeseburger Day! We thought it was a great time to bring you some facts about cheeseburgers and some ideas for celebrating.
When was the cheeseburger invented?
While the exact date of the invention of the cheeseburger is unknown, it was created in 1926 by Lionel Sternberger in Pasadena, CA at his father’s sandwich shop called the “Rite Spot.” The invention of the burger is hotly contested, so we won’t wade in on that one!
What cheese is best?
Now, this is an age-old debate: which cheese should you put on your cheeseburger?
The classic is probably American Cheese. Our Sharp American Cheese is produced in Wisconsin. American Cheese is orange, yellow, or white in color and mild in flavor, with a medium-firm consistency, and melts easily. It has traditionally been made from a blend of cheeses, most often Colby and Cheddar. It originated when British colonists began making cheddar after they arrived in America. By 1790, American cheddars were being exported back to England and the British referred to them as “American cheese” or “Yankee cheese”. Post-Revolution Americans promoted this usage to distinguish the exports of their proud new nation from European cheese.
Swiss cheese is another great choice. Our locally made Amish swiss cheese closely resembles the original Swiss Emmental Cheese and has a nutty, bittersweet taste that pairs well with beef burgers. The process of making Swiss cheese involves natural bacteria consuming the lactic acid in the cheese. This releases carbon dioxide gas, which forms bubbles that become the holes in the cheese. These are often referred to as “eyes”.
For something a little more unusual that packs a flavorful punch, try adding a slice of blue cheese. These cheeses have had Penicillium cultures added, creating dark blue or blue-grey veins throughout the cheese and a sharp, salty flavor.
Our final exciting choice is to add a spicy cheese! We love our Hot Habanero Cheddar. It’s a combination of vintage aged cheddar, habaneros, and jalapenos. It adds a great southwestern flavor to your burgers. Be careful though, it’s a spicy one! Try a little before you pile it into your bun.
Which cheese would you pick? Have we missed out one that you love to put on your cheeseburgers?
How should you celebrate?
- Get a free burger! All over the country, restaurants are offering free or discounted cheeseburgers to celebrate the day. Search for one in your city and head over!
- Make cheeseburgers from scratch. You might have never done this but it’s a surprisingly easy thing to make. You can find recipes for burgers from the simple to the sublime online, but at its core, it is simply beef and some seasoning, brought together into a patty. Of course, you’ll want to add a slice of cheese today!
- Have a cheeseburger competition. Grab your burgers and lots of different types of cheese. See who can come up with the best combination. You pick the reward!
We hope that you all have a fun National Cheeseburger Day. Let us know how you’re celebrating in the comments!
Happy Labor Day weekend!
We want to wish all of our wonderful customers at Shisler’s Cheese House a very happy Labor Day weekend. Whether you’ve shopped with us once or every week, we appreciate all of you immensely.
If you’re hosting a barbecue, we have some posts that might help you. Check out our essential preparation checklist and our amazing barbecue marinades. We also have a list of summer cooking ideas that might help you to put together a brilliant party. For summer drinks inspiration, read our list of fun options that you can whip up easily at home or take to the beach. Create a charcuterie board or cheeseboard to impress your guests.
You could add extra cheese to your party with one of our gift boxes, perfect for sharing with family and friends. Our White Wine Collection and Beer Collection are ideal boxes for a great party. Check our gourmet foods section for snacks to keep you going whilst you go for a hike or simply explore your local area. There are so many options, we know that you’ll find something delicious.
Labor Day is also World Coconut Day
This year, Labor Day falls on September 2nd which is also World Coconut Day! There are so many ways that you could combine your celebrations.
- Serve pina coladas. This tropical cocktail is always a firm favorite and is fairly easy to make. Simply mix 1 part white rum, 1 part coconut cream, and 2 parts pineapple juice together. Add a handful of ice and blend for a truly refreshing drink. Don’t forget the cocktail umbrellas!
- Whip up a coconutty curry. Coconut milk is an amazing way to make a creamy curry, whether you’re making it with Indian or Thai flavors. Balance fiery chili against creamy coconut and you’ll be onto a winner.
- Crack open a real coconut. When National Today conducted a World Coconut Day survey, they found that 67% of people had never tried to open up a real coconut. A further 12% had tried and failed. The easiest way is to start by opening up one of the eyes of the coconut with a very sharp knife and draining out the coconut milk. Then wrap it in a towel and use a mallet to break apart the shell. Go gently at first and make sure that you have the towel in place to avoid shards of coconut flying everywhere. As long as you take care with this activity, it’s a really fun one to show children where coconut milk comes from! If you’re really struggling, there are lots of videos online to help you.
Whether you’re heading out to a parade or firework display, taking the opportunity to celebrate the humble coconut, or spending a day at the grill with family and friends, we hope that it is a brilliant day for you all. It’s one of our favorite days to spend with family before the fall begins.
How are you celebrating this Labor Day weekend? Let us know in the comments below; we’d love to hear all about it!
Holidays in July
July starts with Independence Day, but there are also lots of unusual holidays in July! Today we’ll explore some of our favorites with you.
National Sugar Cookie Day – July 9th
This is a day to celebrate those sweet cookies that are fun to make with the kids. Usually, the recipe is simply sugar, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla, and baking powder or baking soda. Our favorites have sprinkles on the top though!
National Pina Colada Day – July 10th
This is a day that you might hope falls at the weekend, as it celebrates the classical tropical cocktail! A blend of coconut cream, white rum, and pineapple juice, it’s sure to transport you to a sunny beach, whatever the weather.
National Mac and Cheese Day – July 14th
One of the nation’s favorite comfort foods is celebrated in July. Whether you make it from scratch or from a box, most people have happy memories of eating mac and cheese. Check out our blog post with five ways to make your mac and cheese sensational to inspire your cooking.
National Hot Dog Day – July 17th
Another celebration of an American classic! We love a holiday that you can celebrate by eating. Pick up some Dick’s Homemade Horseradish Mustard or Tony Packo’s Bread and Butter Pickles to complete your hot dog.
National Ice Cream Day – July 21st
Cool down for the summer with this holiday! Whether it’s chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla, you’re sure to have a favorite flavor. Why not try something more unusual this year? Find salted caramel, pistachio or brown bread ice cream for a new flavor sensation. Did you know that you can even get cheese ice cream? There are ice creams made from cheddar, cream cheese, goat’s cheese, and even blue cheese!
National Chili Dog Day – July 25th
As it’s just not enough to celebrate hot dog day, just eight days later you can celebrate chili dog day!
National Wine and Cheese Day – July 25th
One of our favorites of the holidays in July, of course. The perfect excuse to whip up a delicious cheeseboard and pour yourself a generous glass of wine. You could celebrate with our Red Wine Collection or White Wine Collection. These include a selection of cheeses that we think are well suited to pairing with wine. You can pick your favorite red or white wines to enjoy them with.
National Scotch Day – July 27th
Another holiday that you can celebrate with one of our gift baskets! Our Scotch Collection includes generous cuts of Danish Blue Cheese, Gruyere, Cheddar, and Parmesan. There is enough for around 20 people, so grab a few bottles of Scotch and you’ll have a party on your hands!
National Lasagna Day – July 29th
An Italian classic and a great meal to share with all of the family. You could make it extra special by using homemade fresh pasta amongst the layers of sauce.
National Cheesecake Day – July 30th
Finish off the month on a sweet note with a delicious cheesecake! Whether you like yours baked or not, make one on July 30th to share with your friends.
What are your favorite holidays in July? Let us know in the comments below!