The Hitching Post | Genuine Kentucky

Homemade Fudge at The Hitching Post in Aurora…

March 14, 2013 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

If you aren’t drooling yet, you just aren’t paying attention. The deliciousness in this post is just three of many varieties of homemade fudge you can find at The Hitching Post in Aurora, Kentucky. I’ve written about the Hitching Post many times on Genuine Kentucky simply because I love it muchly. Not only is the owner one of the most colorful, warm and friendliest people in the universe, the store is filled with Kentucky food, Kentucky crafts, toys, candy, t-shirts, jams, jellies, homemade fudge, bottled sodas, homemade soap, knick knacks, gifts, Kentucky crafts, cookbooks, and so on and on.

I’ll tell you more about some of our most recent purchases in upcoming posts, but first things first…. FUDGE!

The Fudge counter is the first place I head to when I walk into The Hitching Post. I make a bee line straight for it and dare anyone to get in my way. I noticed a few new varieties on this trip and instantly got weak in the knees.

You know what a coffee fanatic I am, so you won’t be surprised to learn that as soon as I heard the words Cappuccino Fudge, I was like, “Break me off a piece of that!” It’s so creamy and delicious -with just the right amount of coffee flavor. It’s one of the most unique fudges I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. After sampling a bite, my husband and I knew we had to have some to take home with us. It’s just amazing.

The fudge shown above is another of the new varieties, Salted Caramel Fudge and it’s as delicious as it looks. I’ll tell you what it reminds me A LOT of – Starbuck’s Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. Heavenly… and pretty to boot. This one would be an instant favorite with kids, although anyone with a strong love for chocolate (guilty as charged!) will find this fudge irresistible.

The Cappuccino Fudge and Salted Caramel Fudge are new flavors and each blew us away. We also bought an old favorite – Tiger Butter Fudge (shown below). We’ve been buying this particular variety of fudge since our girls were about waist high. They’ve grown past my waist now but they haven’t outgrown their love for Tiger Butter Fudge, so I bought some to bring home to them. I did… of course… take a bite first. I had to test it out for them, right?!

When you’re in the Lake Barkley or Kentucky Lake area, you simply MUST make your way to Aurora and visit the legendary Hitching Post. It’s one of the most cherished places in the entire Lake’s Region and has been for a very long time.

Kentucky Food: Delicious AND Much Closer than You Think!

May 23, 2012 by Joi Sigers 4 Comments

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits and Yoder’s Jam… Delicious!

As you may know, one of my favorite things in the world to do is cook for my family. Today, for example, I knew my daughter Brittany had to get up early for work (something she HATES to do). I knew she’d get off around noon, so I timed a batch of homemade brownies to be ready to come out of the oven just as she poured herself into the back door.

The look on her face when she opened the back door to a kitchen filled with the unmistakable aroma of chocolate made my day.

Actually, I think it made my month.

Whether it’s brownies, spaghetti, pancakes, sourdough bread, roast beef, tacos, or something completely out of left field, cooking special things for the people who make my world go round makes me happy from the inside out. So I guess you can imagine how important great ingredients and condiments are to me, right? I’m always on the look out for fun, delicious new lovelies to serve up. One of my favorite things to bake (and one of my family’s favorite things to eat) is bread. Whether it’s my world famous (okay, maybe not world famous) buttermilk biscuits, cornbread, or sourdough bread – we LOVE bread in this house.

One of the funnest parts of eating bread is, of course, what you put on it. As far as I’m concerned, nothing… absolutely nothing... beats Kentucky jams, jellies, preserves, and honey. If you don’t think they’re 100 times better than the stuff you buy in Kroger (or Wal-Mart, or Winn Dixie..) – then you simply haven’t had the same Kentucky goodies I buy.

When I’ve told people before about the Kentucky made food I’m so fond of, they’ll always ask, “Where in the world do you find it?!” The answer’s always the same: I find them at Kentucky State Parks’ gift shops and a very charming, fun, outrageously cool country store in Aurora, Kentucky: The Hitching Post & Old Country Store.

At The Hitching Post in Aurora you can find Kentucky jams, jellies, preserves, honey, red pepper jelly (HEAVENLY on cornbread and spread over a block of cream cheese, served with Ritz Crackers… yum! ), barbecue sauces, sorghum, and a heckuva lot more. Click the link above and you’ll even find a few things you can buy on their website. Of course, it’s a lot funner to actually visit the store in person. It’s really a special place. If you time it just right, you can enjoy a Chicago Style Hot Dog from the venders out front – truly the best hot dog in the world. I could eat one every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of them. They’re awesome.

When you visit The Hitching Post, be sure you try the Apple Butter, Blackberry and Boysenberry Jams, and Sweet, beautiful Kentucky Honey! I wouldn’t dream of serving biscuits without these delicacies.

As I said, Kentucky State Parks are also a perfect place to find Kentucky food (as well as Kentucky crafts!). On a recent trip to Cumberland Lake State Resort Park, I found something I’ve been looking for forever – Plum Jam.

Holy cats, I love Plum Jam!

It’s so incredibly delicious, but can be tough to find. When I saw it on the shelf in Cumberland Lake State Resort Park’s gift shop, I nearly let out a whoop. I’d gone in there for Kentucky honey (which I also found, by the way) – but, as always, I scoured the jams and jellies for blackberry and plum. I couldn’t wait to show my husband the treasure I’d found!

Yoder’s Plum Jam: Extra, extra, extra, extraordinary!

Ironically, on the front of my beloved Plum Jam, the label says, “It’s like going home to Grandma’s.” It was actually in one of my grandma’s kitchens I fell in love with plum jam. My dad’s grandmother, “Grandma Sarver,” was a sweetheart who lived in Scottsville, Kentucky. My mom, dad, and I would make the trip from Madisonville to Scottsville to visit her as often as possible. She’d make enough food to feed an army! She knew how much I loved plum jam, so she always had plenty on hand.

The problem was, we could never find any in Madisonville or anywhere else for that matter! It was always a mystery how Grandma Sarver always found a stash. I think she had elves in her basement.

Anyway, as soon as I open a jar of plum jam – to this day – it takes me back to being a little girl in my grandma’s kitchen. When I opened this jar from Lake Cumberland’s gift shop, the aroma had already whisked me back to the 1970s in a Scottville, Kentucky kitchen. When I read the words, “It’s like going home to Grandma’s,” I just thought, You have no idea how right you are.

Nobody makes honey quite like Kentuckian bees… know that.

Did you know that locally made honey helps ease seasonal allergies? It’s the gospel truth. I have ridiculous allergies and have found that since I fell in mad love with locally made honey, I buy a lot less Benadryl. There’s magic in them there bees!

As one cook and lover of food to another, I urge you to visit The Hitching Post in Aurora as well as Kentucky State Park gift shops and load up.

New Fudge at The Hitching Post in Aurora, Kentucky

October 3, 2010 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

My husband (Michael) and a buddy of his recently played golf in the Land Between the Lakes area. Since I didn’t marry a fool, the wandering golfers ate dinner at The Willow Pond in Aurora and paid a visit to the Hitching Post Country Store.

Sigh. I love a man with a brain.

I also love great catfish, so I love all of the Willow Pond restaurants. But the Willow Pond in Aurora is extra-special. Their hush puppies, for one thing, are simply the best. The staff is extra-friendly, the food exceptional and…

…. it’s just down the road from one of my favorite spots in the entire state: The Hitching Post Country Store. While there, Michael sampled the fudge. I would have been beside myself except for one thing – he brought me a piece back.

My favorite varieties of fudge are peanut butter, Tiger Butter, and chocolate. H-O-W-E-V-E-R, the piece of fudge he brought back has thrown itself firmly into my list of favorites. Pumpkin! When I opened the paper, my dessert ninja nose knew instantly that this piece of fudge had pumpkin pie on its mind.

It was outstanding – far better than mere words can describe. So, you know what that means, right? You must take yourself, and every sweet tooth in your head, to Aurora, Kentucky asap and let the exceptionally friendly and warm people at the Hitching Post hook you up with this autumn-ly, Heavenly fudge.

While there, you’ll also wax brilliant if you buy a jar or two or twenty of Red Pepper Jelly. Then, when you get home, take said jelly and pour it over a block of cream cheese. Served with Ritz crackers, it’s a snack you’ll never forget.

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