The year already drawing to an end!
It is that time of the year where days are shorter. We look forward to jumping into warm blankets and lighting our favourite candles as soon as the nights draw in.
Not to mention the holiday feast that we anticipate, surrounded by those we cherish the most.
With so many things to look forward to, we wanted to do something special to give back to those that don’t have these luxuries as part of their everyday lives.
Especially those in our local communities that struggle to have something as crucial as a full stomach of food each night.
This holiday season, we are donating to Food Banks across Canada by providing our meats to children and families that need it the most.
We are donating to twelve Canadian Food Banks $500 worth of our specialty meats each through #GrimmsGivesBack.
Selecting the Food Banks was no easy task; luckily we had the help of a number of Canadian foodies within our local communities. These talented food writers and bloggers each chose a Food Bank for us to donate to in their name:
Follow Me Foodie – The Door Is Open Shelter in Vancouver, BC
Dinner with Julie – Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK) in Calgary, AB
Fiesty, Frugal, and Fabulous – Regina Food Bank in Regina, SK
Culinary Cool – Cornwall Alternative School in Regina, SK
The Recipe Rebel – The Food Vault in MacGregor, MB
Seasons and Suppers – The Salvation Army in Bracebridge Community Church in Bracebridge, ON
Rock Recipes – Bridges to Hope Food Aid Centre in St. John’s, NL
Creative Wife & Joyful Worker – Abbotsford Food Bank in Abbotsford, BC
TO Foodie – Ontario Association of Food Banks in Toronto, ON
GoFindPatrick – Sources Food Bank in Surrey, BC
Woman Scribbles – Siloam Mission in Winnipeg, MB
Foodology – Union Gospel Mission in New Westminster, BC
We also encouraged other Foodies to get creative in the kitchen; Chef David Jorge show us his Secrets to Making Great Soup while CBC’s food columnist Julie revealed how she perfects her Sheet Pan Croque Monsieurs.
Seasons and Suppers used our Home Style Roast Beef for a refreshing and hearty take on Skillet Yorkshire Pudding.
Some of you may know we give back to our local communities year round through fundraising efforts and events, but #GrimmsGivesBack is something special we encourage you to take part in. Visit the Food Bank’s pages and see what they do year round to nurture the children and adults that go without food.
Follow us on our Instagram and Facebook to see our latest #GrimmsGivesBack posts. Happy Holidays, Grimm’s Family!
For our third and final holiday post, we created a recipe for the main course that introduces a healthier twist to the classic holiday stuffing. This stuffing recipe made with wild rice and sausage will easily steal the show during the main course!
Everyone loves homemade stuffing. This recipe is a simple one-pot dish that is entirely gluten-free! (Yes! gluten-free stuffing)
Our Holiday Stuffing with Country Classic Sausage plates beautifully with a rustic feel and all the warmth we love of holiday menu items.
We tossed the traditional bread and used wild and brown rice as our base; it was an unconventional turn that left us wondering why we hadn’t tried using it in a stuffing recipe before. The different textures balanced perfectly with our Country Classic Sausage that’s made with a blend of pork and subtly spiced.
Some of the prep work can be done in advance; cutting all vegetables and sausages the night before allows the recipe to be seamlessly put together on the day of the final meal.
You will need a cast iron pan or a large pot. This recipe is made using only one pot; it’s just a matter of adding the ingredients in stages.
Start by pan frying sausages in a cast-iron pan or a large pot. Place them aside once browned. In the same pan sauté butter, olive oil, garlic and onions over medium high heat.
When onions are translucent, stir in mushrooms and wild rice. Add 8 cups of chicken stock (make sure to use gluten-free broth to ensure the dish is entirely gluten-free and safe for family members or guests with allergies) and once it reaches a boil, cover the pot and reduce heat to simmer.
After simmering for 30 minutes add celery, carrots, brown rice, and sausages bringing to a boil. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium low and adding as much water as needed.
Stir in yam, sweet potatoes and black currants to cook for a final 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
Serve on a platter with toasted pecans and parsley to garnish. The stuffing reheats beautifully the next day to be enjoyed with left overs.
Make this at home over the Holidays and let us know what you think! We guarantee it’ll be a hit with your guests and quickly work itself into your traditional holiday menu for years to come.
For the full recipe and list of ingredients see the recipe page.
Visit our previous posts for Holiday Appetizers and Brunch Ideas.
It has been just over a month since we made our way up the Sea-to-Sky highway for another fun-filled weekend at Whistler Village Beer Festival.
This marks the 3rd year of Grimm’s Fine Foods coming together with Gibbons to celebrate the best brews beautiful B.C. has to offer.
During the festival, we spent our time grilling Sizzlin’ Wieners and Original Bavarian Smokies – a most fitting accompaniment to beer! 100% of the proceeds from the purchase of our wieners and smokies were donated to Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS).
Despite the rain, festival attendees were eager to sample our products. A total of $2,893 was raised for WCSS. Together we set new records while providing much needed support for the local Whistler community.
We also provided a custom brunch experience to locals and visitors alike through a Grimm’s Fine Foods feature menu with a local restaurant, Stonesedge. Because what’s a better kickoff to a beer festival than with a round of brunch cocktails, good food and good company?
Our first brunch cocktail was The Picante: a fiery take on our beloved caesar with a splash of chili-infused tequila met with caesar mix and clamato. A slice of Grimm’s Hot Capicolli garnished the top, nestled in with a lime wedge, olives, and crunchy pickled beans.
To recreate this at home, rim the glass by using a lime wedge to wet the edge of a pint-sized glass or mason jar. Press the rim into a plate of celery salt and add ice to the glass. Next, pour liquids over ice and be sure to give it a few good stirs.
The Classic has all the flavours of the time-honoured caesar we know and love: vodka, clamato, caesar mix with a generous slice of prepared Grimm’s Chorizo Sausage. Customize it to your taste with about 10 dashes of Worcestershire for a muddy take or a few shakes of Tabasco for a fiery kick that is reminiscent of The Picante.
The Canadian is a specialty caesar with a patriotic twist: craft Canadian gin, clamato, caesar mix with a slice of Grimm’s Honey and Maple Flavour Ham. This is one of many Grimm’s hams available at the Deli Counterthat are extra lean, made with 100% Verified Canadian Pork™, gluten, lactose, and soy-free with no MSG added.
We have recently introduced a handful of extra lean Sliced Meat options that would be the perfect garnish to any brunch cocktail:
- Carved Classic Ham made with 100% Verified Canadian Pork™
- Carved Classic Turkey Breast
- Cracked Black Pepper Turkey Breast
- Tuscan Style Turkey Breast
Chef Bobby MacMillan also created three Sunday brunch recipes alongside the trio of specialty caesars. The Chorizo and Bacon Benny is a refined take on the quintessential eggs benedict. It uses hand-cut slices of our Double Smoked Side Bacon that you can purchase from the deli counter from many of these local retailers.
The Croque Monsieur is our version of the classic French sandwich. Grimm’s Honey and Maple Ham is included to add a hint of sweetness. Creamy Marbled Cheddar melts all the pieces together to create one flavourful bite.
The Breaky Tostada has all the right flavours for an addictive and simple meal you can put together at any time of the day. Leave out the deep-fried shell made from our Corn Tortillas and you instantly have a keto recipe that you’ll return to again and again.
Try any recipe over the weekend and do share with us how you enjoyed it below. You can also pin any of the recipes to Pinterest by hovering your mouse over the image. Try it today!
Our pizza recipes are perfect for those wanting nothing more than to enjoy the comfort of home with a hearty slice of pizza. Explore two flavour combinations that result from layering a few of our sausages and other gluten-free meats.
Four Meat Flatbread Pizza
Breakfast Sausage, Chorizo Sausage, Pizza Pepperoni, and Capicolla Toppers come together beautifully to provide richness and depth.
Ingredients
3/4 block of grated Grimm’s Mozzarella
1/3 cup of Grimm’s Pizza Pepperoni
1/3 cup of Grimm’s Capicolla
¼ package of Grimm’s Breakfast Sausage
¼ package of Grimm’s Chorizo Sausage
1 baked flatbread pizza base
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
1/2 chopped red onion
1/2 chopped green pepper
3/4 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms
Preparation
The first step is to cook chopped pieces of sausages over medium heat. The sausages feature a simple ingredient list with 100% Verified Canadian Pork™ that were raised without antibiotics. As the sausages are fresh, they can be crumbled with a sturdy wooden spoon as a shortcut.
Next, shred piles of our creamy Mozzarella and cut vegetables to preferred size. The smaller pieces make it easy for little fingers to help sprinkle on. Pick up freshly made flatbread from a local bakery. Apply tomato sauce with a generous brushing. Layer each topping onto the foundation of the pizza.
Be sure to pile a generous layer of our Mozzarella on top of the crust, which will later envelop all ingredients into one warm, satisfying bite.
Pepperoni Flatbread Pizza
Our second flatbread pizza features a selection of fresh vegetables that adds crisp textures, harmonizing perfectly with the spicy flavours of the Capicolla. Our Toppers are conveniently sliced and ready to eat, making them an easy choice for other flatbread combinations or charcuterie boards.
Ingredients
3/4 block of grated Grimm’s Mozzarella
3/4 cup of Grimm’s Capicolla
3/4 cup of Grimm’s Pizza Pepperoni
1 baked flatbread pizza base
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
1/2 chopped red onion
1/2 chopped green pepper
3/4 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms
Preparation
The last step is to bake the flatbread pizzas at 375° F until cheese is oozing and golden brown. The flavourful layers of meat create heartiness and depth for the perfect weekend afternoon dish to be shared with family and friends. From our sliced meat selection to our dried cured Toppers line, the flavour combinations are almost limitless.
- Grate Mozzarella
- Dice vegetables into medium-sized pieces
- Spread a layer of tomato sauce to cover entire pizza base
- Top with a generous layer of Mozzarella
- Assemble all toppings on top of cheese
- Bake at 375° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until cheese is golden brown
Our time at Great Okanagan Beer Festival was a whirlwind of non-stop action!
This event marked the beginning of a three-part series where locals gather and sample the best craft beer offerings in BC. On May 12th, over 3,900 festival-goers came together to try some of the best brews from each local brewery. With two different brews offered by each of the 70 breweries, the seemingly endless flavours of ciders and craft beer sparked just about everyone’s curiousity.
We began the day at the Train Station Pub. This restaurant was a short walk from Waterfront Park, where we’d later find the festival nestled between gentle hills and the water.
The quaint decor set a comfortable vibe for those coming in for their morning fix. This particular Saturday morning, the Train Station Pub had a special brunch menu featuring Grimm’s Fine Foods meats through a joint event dubbed “PREGAME BRUNCH“.
Our follow-up blog post will go over the plates and drinks we sampled, including the hearty breakfast sandwich shown above: Toad in a Hole featuring our Turkey Farmer Sausage. This next blog post will provide recipes for all the feature items so you’re able to replicate our experience in the comfort of your own kitchen. Be sure to stay tuned on our social media for this release!
After a hearty and memorable brunch, our team scooted over to Waterfront Park. Armed with spatulas and kitchen tongs, we prepared for the hungry crowds of festival-goers we would greet throughout the day.
Old and young, the people we met at the distinctively red Grimm’s booths were brimming with energy!
We were quick to take pictures of familiar faces from previous years, new faces, and everyone in-between. See the pictures here.
After being charred on the grill, our European Wieners and Sizzlin’ Smokies were nestled in-between freshly baked buns. Our Naturally Fermented Sauerkraut in two flavours was a rich source of gut-healing probiotics while providing the perfect level of tartness to the Wieners and Smokies.
Our team sold both products during the course of the day. All proceeds went to the Central Okanagan Food Bank and our grand total from the sale of our products was $2392.90!
We are proud to have been part of a meaningful initiative that helps provide much-needed food to families in the local community, particularly to children under 15 years of age who make up 33% of the Central Okanagan Food Bank’s clients.
We love hearing about your experience; did you have a chance to stop by our booth this year? Or were you one of the contenders trying a shot at our online contests on Facebook and Instagram?
Or tell us how you like to dress up Grimm’s Smokies or Wieners; with a bun or no bun? Curry vs. Caraway Sauerkraut? Mayo vs. ketchup? We’d love to hear from you!
We’re 17 days into the New Year which means some of those well-intended resolutions may be starting to slide a little!
To help keep us on track this year we decided to set goals that we knew we could easily achieve.
One of them was to incorporate naturally fermented foods into our daily diets to promote a healthy gut.
The other was to set ourselves up to eat properly throughout the day. With busy lives and meetings, it can be easy to neglect proper meals, especially during the work week.
The best way to achieve the second goal, we decided, is to always ensure we start the day with a satisfying breakfast and prepare for the week ahead of time with grab and go options.
Enter our On-The-Go Breakfast Muffins. We created these a few years ago and to be honest we had kind of forgotten about them till now! Such a happy re-discovery!
The recipe only takes about half an hour from start to finish and can be easily prepared on a Sunday evening. We whipped up a batch this weekend and have been enjoying these savoury muffins filled with smokey Farmer Sausage, gooey Cheddar Cheese and caramelized onions all week! No more hurrying through the drive-through before work. Just pop them in the microwave or toaster oven to re-heat or enjoy them as is.
Like most of our recipes, you can use simple substitutions like gluten-free flour to make these muffins entirely gluten-free.
Check out the full recipe on the recipe page and watch for more make ahead and grab and go solutions as we aim to make this year our best one yet!
The holiday season is a great opportunity to finally reunite with old friends, family, and loved ones. As a follow up to our last post on Holiday Brunch Ideas we continue the festivities here in our kitchen by putting together enticing meat and cheese platters perfectly designed for your next holiday get-together.
Whether you’re doing the hosting or looking for something appealing to bring along to a party, you can’t go wrong with a meat and cheese platter. Putting together a delicious array of ingredients doesn’t have to be daunting or overly complicated. These compilations can be tailored to any size; to share with a friend over a glass of wine or to keep your guests satisfied during the day as you prepare the main course.
The beauty of a meat and cheese platter is that there are endless options to the selection of ingredients you can put together to make up your platter. The key is to choose ingredients with varying flavours and textures. We carefully selected products from our lineup and paired them with flavourful accompaniments to provide a little something for everyone.
Our products lend themselves very well to creating this type of spread. We used a variety of sausages, sliced deli meat, pepperoni, and dry-cured salami to create our platters.
The full list includes:
Double Smoked Ukrainian Sausage
Polish Sausage
Herb Liver Sausage
Montreal Style Smoked Beef
Original Pepperoni Bites
Dry Pizza Pepperoni Toppers
Our Pepperoni Bites and Toppers were made for this!
They are already in perfect bite-sized portions so all you need to do is open the package and place on the tray. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
The rest of the products just need to be cut or rolled into desired sizes and arranged neatly on your choice of board or tray.
For accompaniments, we used fresh fruit and vegetables, soft cheeses, crackers, dolmades, and olives to compliment the flavours of the meat and bring colour and texture to our boards.
You can really create an impressive spread with very minimal effort and time which means more time spent with loved ones instead of fussing in the kitchen, and that’s what we’re all about!
With the holiday season upon us we have been busy in the kitchen dreaming up recipes to help fill your table with delicious and easy meal solutions to impress your holiday guests.
You may have seen our recent collaboration with The Endless Meal (also the mastermind behind our Bavarian Smokie Cassoulet, Sizzlin’ Jalapeno & Mozza Kebabs, and Grilled Corn Salad with BBQ Farmer Sausage) who used our Fresh Breakfast Sausage to create delicious, healthy and festive Egg and Sausage Stuffed Peppers. If you haven’t seen it go check it out on our recipe page or visit The Endless Meal for the full story.
Keeping with the brunch theme we created another recipe to serve your loved ones on those cozy holiday mornings. Our Savoury Bread Pudding with Chorizo Sausage serves 8-10 and all the prep work can be done ahead of time so you can enjoy the morning hassle free; just pop in the oven for an hour when ready.
Bread Pudding can be adapted to be sweet or savoury depending on the ingredients used.
We went with savoury and used our Fresh Chorizo Sausage, vegetables, cheese and Ciabatta baguette.
Our Fresh Sausages are relatively new to us but have quickly become our favourite products to cook with because they allow for a lot of versatility. It also doesn’t hurt that they’re made with 100% Verified Canadian Pork Raised without the use of antibiotics, leave very little grease in the pan and of course, are gluten, lactose, and soy-free like all of our meat products.
The sausage and vegetables are cooked ahead of time before putting the whole mixture into the oven. We took the sausages out of their casing and crumbled the meat, but you are also welcome to leave the casings on and chop the sausages into small pieces. Cook these in a large frying pan over medium heat until golden brown.
Remove and reuse the pan to fry 1 chopped onion and then add in 4 cups of spinach, cook until wilted.
In a large bowl, beat eggs with milk, Dijon, salt and pepper. Mix in cheeses, bread, cooked sausage and spinach mixture, and cherry tomatoes. Pour everything into a deep buttered pan.
You can stop here if you’re just doing the prep work, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
Very easy to take the dish out and pop in the oven while everyone is sitting around the opening present and spending quality time in the morning.
When you are ready to bake, place in the oven, and cook at 350°F for one hour until cooked thoroughly.
Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.
This dish is sure to keep you satisfied until the big feast!
For the full recipe visit our recipes page.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. We LOVE soup!
The cold weather is rolling in and we think it’s here to stay. Last week brought us a surprise snow fall which coated the ground and left the mountains looking quite beautiful. This prompted us to head back into the kitchen to bring you a hearty fusion of Spicy Italian Sausage, cannellini beans and nourishing vegetables because nothing warms you up quite like a nutritious bowl of soup.
The nice thing about this recipe is that it can be prepped, cooked and served in under an hour. If you’re looking for something easy to make after a long day at work and or a brisk day outdoors our Spicy Italian Sausage Soup is for you.
We used our Spicy Italian Sausage which is part of our Fresh Sausage line made from 100% Verified Canadian Pork raised without the use of antibiotics. Like all of our other meat products these sausages are free of gluten, lactose, and soy and have no MSG added. Spicy Italian delivers a mild heat that’s filled with flavour.
One large pot is all you’ll need to get cooking! To start heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat.
You can remove the casing from the sausage or leave it on, whichever is preferred. Brown the sausage in the pan breaking it into smaller pieces as you stir. This will take approximately 6 minutes.
Add in onion, carrots and garlic, continuing to cook and stirring often for about 5-10 minutes until the sausage is fully cooked.
Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, basil, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes.
Viola! You’re ready to sit down to a home cooked meal that can serve up to 8 people or be portioned to provide soup for your entire week.
We served ours alongside crusty bread for dipping.
The full recipe can be found on our recipe page.
Game Day! Whether you’re a sports fanatic or just like the excuse to get together with friends, chances are you’ve been to or hosted a house full of people gathered around the TV for a sporting event.
Whether it’s football, hockey, or fight night, Grimm’s has got you covered for easy game day appetizers and recipes that feed and please a crowd; because that’s really the best part isn’t it.
If you’re looking for snack items to put out meat and cheese is definitely a go-to. We have a wide selection of sliced deli meat, sausage rings, pepperoni, and cheese to help complete your spread.
Our Pepperoni Bites come in original, turkey, hot, and honey garlic flavours and are in perfect bite-size pieces so there’s no need to even do any cutting, just open the package right onto the tray.
Pair these with some cheddar cheese, crackers pickles, or fruit and you have a winning snack tray.
Our Pepperoni Cheese Rolls have a few more steps but are still SO easy to make. All you need is Pepperoni (we used our Lean Turkey Pepperoni), Mozzarella Cheese, and dough. Like most of our recipes, these can be made gluten-free if you use gluten-free dough. All you need to do is cut the dough into triangles, place the pepperoni and mozzarella inside each triangle, roll, and bake. They are ready in less than half an hour! (You’ll probably need to make more once your guests get a hold of them though.)
If you’ve got the time to prepare, chili is also a big hit on game day.
The great thing about it is one pot feeds a lot of people and once the prep work is done and everything is in the pot the cooking just requires a bit of stirring now and then.
Our Trail Blaz’n Chili won first place at this year’s Fresh St. Market annual Chili Cook-Off.
Double Smoked Side Bacon, Chorizo, and ground beef provide the protein in this delicious recipe that has just the right amount of spice and smoky flavour.
This one takes 3-4 hours from start to finish but is relatively low maintenance once everything’s cooking. Perfect to start early in the day and serve during the game!
With Grey Cup coming up this Sunday we hope that these ideas will help take the stress out of feeding your guests so you can focus on the big game! (or just sitting back and enjoying delicious food).
You can find the full recipes here, make sure to tell us how it went!
Delicious gooey comfort food that’s so easy to make.
This sandwich has two types of melted cheese and Honey Ham fastened between two pieces of thick pesto battered bread.
The best part about it is it only takes minutes to make and can be made completely gluten free with the bread selection.
The Monte Cristo is the French take on a ham & cheese sandwich. Dipping the bread in egg before frying it in a pan creates a soft and rich French toast base that the rest of the layers can be assembled upon.
Very few ingredients are needed for this recipe; Honey Ham, eggs, bread, cheese, pesto and a splash of milk.
We used Swiss and Havarti cheeses to pair along with the sweetness of our Honey Ham. The Swiss provides a sweet and nutty flavour while the Havarti is mild and buttery. It is definitely an indulgent sandwich, but that’s ok.
To start, crack 2-3 eggs in a bowl and add a splash of milk.
We whisked pesto into our egg mixture to make our Monte Cristo extra flavourful.
Dip the first slice of bread into the egg & pesto mixture and place it in a greased frying pan on medium heat.
Then layer as much Ham and cheese as you would like and let cook for 3-4 minutes until the egg cooks on the outside of the bread. The cheese will start to melt.
Dip the second piece of bread and place it on top.
Fry until both sides have cooked to a nice golden brown and the cheese has melted.
You can serve the Pesto Monte Cristo on its own or pair it with fruit or nice warm bowl of soup as we did with our Festive Ham and Split Pea Soup.
To find the full recipe visit our recipe page
Last week was Thanksgiving dinner, this week we found a wonderful use for all of those leftovers.
Holiday dinners around here mean sitting down to enjoy a succulent Festive Ham with friends and family. Our Festive Ham is our ultimate creation; it is seasoned with a special blend of spices and subtle seasonings and slow-baked and smoked on the shank bone which results in a rich, mellow smokehouse flavour.
Really, we look for any occasion to bring out the Festive Ham. Not only does it provide us with an elegant main course, but it also leaves a lot of left overs to play around in the kitchen creating more recipes for you!
It wasn’t hard to decide what to do with our Thanksgiving leftovers. With the weather getting colder, hearty soups are a definite go-to. We love one-pot recipes that can feed a crowd or be portioned and frozen for future dinners. Missing from our soup recipe catalog was a Split Pea and Ham, so we knew what to do.
This recipe uses the shank from the Festive Ham and a chicken stock base along with yellow and green split peas and finely diced and shredded vegetables. It is completely gluten-free and great for those adhering to a paleo diet.
You’re going to need a large pot. This recipe involves adding everything into one pot in stages. First, sauté butter, celery onion, garlic, and ham bone for about 3-5 minutes until the onion is clear.
Add in rinsed split peas, chicken stock, water and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil and then simmer with lid slightly open for about an hour and a half, or until the peas are fully cooked.
Add shredded carrots and simmer with the lid off for about an hour. Skim off foam.
Remove Bay leaves and ham bone. Cut the meat off of the bone and blend slightly.
Add Ham cubes, ham from the bone, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another ½ hour. The longer you simmer the thicker the soup will be, if you are finding the soup is too thick you can add in more water or chicken stock.
Serve and enjoy by itself or alongside a sandwich as we did with our Pesto Monte Cristo Sandwich.
