Did you know that Tillamook Sliced Cheeses come in different sizes? 12 oz. stacked are 1 ounce slices, the shingle and the 2 pound packages are ¾ ounce slices. So you can choose what size of Tillamook Cheese works for your recipe!  Personally I prefer the 1 ounce slices for melting on hamburgers and in grilled sandwiches.  The slice is perfect for that cheesy flavor and gooey texture I want to taste and see in my sandwiches!

A family favorite is using more than one flavor of cheese in your burger. Try a slice of Sharp and a slice of Provolone!  The mild buttery flavor of the Provolone and the full flavor of the Sharp is delicious together and adds a new dimension of flavor to your burger!   I love turkey burgers and the occasional veggie burger!  To add a kick of flavor to these more mild patties I use a slice of Tillamook Medium Cheddar and a slice of Tillamook Pepper Jack!  The nuttiness of the Cheddar and the spicy kick of the Pepper Jack is a perfect addition.

What are your favorite cheese combinations on your grilled sandwiches or burgers? Come on, don’t be shy! Share your secret Tillamook Cheese combos!

~ Kathy of the Tillamook Team

There’s a Tillamook Yogurt somewhere out there waiting to come home with you. It’s fresh and creamy. It’s filled with real fruit and active yogurt cultures. It doesn’t have any artificial growth hormones* or artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. It even comes in 21 drool-inducing flavors. The secret ingredient that makes it yummy? Yum, of course!

How did all that Yum get into Tillamook Yogurt? You can visit the Tillamook Yogurt Yum Factory to find out!

And a little secret between you and me? There’s a little surprise at the end for you to try the yum for yourself!

*Please note that the FDA has stated that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST treated and non-rBST treated cows.

When I was asked to do a blog post for Chocolate Lovers Month I thought…that’s easy enough. I’ll write something about how amazingly delicious the new Tillamook Vanilla Chocolate Chip or Mudslide Ice Creams are, say how much my wife loves them, and call it good. But that’s too easy :)! Instead I wanted to try a few recipes with the new Tillamook Light Yogurt and this month’s favorite, chocolate! The first is a recipe that my mom used to make us growing up: a frozen yogurt pie. The second is a twist on a February classic: chocolate covered strawberries.

The saying “easy as pie” is often a misnomer, but with this pie it’s actually true. The foundation for any good pie is a GREAT crust! Because yogurt has a slightly tart flavor, I wanted to sweeten it up a bit with a shortbread cookie crust. Bake one batch of your favorite shortbread cookies then crush them into tiny pieces. Spread the crumbs evenly on a pie pan and place in the fridge to cool. While the crust is cooling, set-up a double boiler system – I used a standard pasta pan with a metal bowl on top -to melt 1 large bar of chocolate. The double boiler will melt the chocolate evenly without the risk of burning. After about 10 minutes take the pie crust out of the fridge and drizzle some of the melted chocolate on it, then put it back in the fridge to cool. While the crust is cooling, mix 5 cups of Tillamook Light Raspberry Yogurt with ¾ – 1 cup of Cool Whip. Whisk these together until fluffy but still creamy. Grab your pie crust, pour in the yogurt/cool whip mixture and level with a spoon so it’s evenly distributed in the crust. Place the whole pie in your freezer until it’s frozen solid. I left it in overnight, but it should freeze in 1-2 hours. Once frozen, finish it off by drizzling more melted chocolate on top and arrange some fresh raspberries, if you’re really daring! Done. See – easy as pie!

Looks decadent…but it’s healthy – well mostly!

Being a Pinterestaholic, I am always seeing awesome things from incredibly creative people. Recently, I came across the recipe for stuffed fruit, and I had to try it for myself using chocolate dipped strawberries and Tillamook Light Vanilla Bean Yogurt. Using the same double boiler technique as above, begin melting 2 large bars of chocolate. While it melts, puncture each strawberry lengthwise all the way through using a straw. Any plastic straw will work, but the stronger the better. Set them aside to dry. Once the chocolate is melted completely and your strawberries have dried, begin dipping the bottom 3/4 of each strawberry in the warm chocolate. When the first coat of chocolate has hardened, coat them again! Why? #1 – more chocolate is always better, and #2 you need enough chocolate to seal the bottom hole of the strawberry. When the second coat of chocolate has hardened, use a spoon to fill the top hole of each strawberry with your favorite Tillamook Light Yogurt. When all the berries have been filled, place the them in the refrigerator and let cool for 20 minutes. Serve chilled with champagne for a special occasion!

The Light Vanilla Bean Yogurt adds a nice tartness to the otherwise sweet chocolate and strawberries.

~ Matt of the Tillamook Team

With Mardi Gras right around the corner I was inspired to cook up of my favorite Cajun dishes, jambalaya, but with a twist. I wondered… what would happen if I added another favorite, Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, to the mix? The answer, delicious! Combining the traditional flavors of the jambalaya with the gooey, cheesy texture made me love this dish more than ever. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Andouille sausage
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes (28oz.) w/ juice
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 teaspoons oregano
• 3 teaspoons parsley
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 lb. large white shrimp
• 2 cups long grain rice, cooked
• 1 cup Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Cooking Instructions:

In the slow cooker add the sausage, bell pepper, onion, diced tomatoes, celery, chicken broth, oregano, parsley, cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning. Cook on low for 7-8 hours (stirring occasionally). 30 minutes before serving, add the shrimp and cooked rice. Add shredded Tillamook Cheese until you reach desired cheesiness. Then eat!

As a new Tillamook brand ambassador I have read and heard stories about the wonderful Day of Loaf. After a week and a of the tour we, experienced what this day means as we kicked off Phoenix Taco Week. Arizona’s Day of Loaf consisted of an entire day dedicated to driving our amazing little orange VW buses (the Yums) and eating specialty Tillamook tacos at four partner restaurants. The Yums always draw a crowd. Everywhere we went people asked questions and gave compliments: stop lights, gas stations, stores, and even while in motion down road. One lady jumped out of her car at a stop light to give us a business card. Two people pulled up next to us and waved out the window, showing their Tillamook coupon booklet they had received when they met us just days before! I definitely felt like a cheesy rock star! After all, what’s not to love about driving around in 75 degree weather in a bright orange Tillamook bus with the top down?

All this driving led us to some delicious tacos. The first stop was Carte Blanche Gourmet Tacos. We tried a grilled tilapia lime slaw taco with Tillamook Pepper Jack grated on top! Next we went to Fuego Tacos and ate another delicious taco! Our waitress was so fun. She even pinned a Tillamook button in the braid in her hair and Tillamook stickers on her face! (check her out in the pic below!) On our way to Vitamin T we crossed paths with a motorcycle parade (Lucky us! We felt like we were part of the festivities celebrating Arizona’s Centennial!).  Lastly, we made room for one more taco at Ticoz Resto-Bar on their soothing patio alongside an amazing fire pit! Delicious!

The Day of Loaf proved to be a very exciting and FULLfilling day. I don’t think I can count a favorite among my many tacos, but if you’re in Phoenix I hope you get out to try these amazing places! If you’re not here in Phoenix, what’s your favorite taco recipe using Tillamook products?

Hope to see you on the road!

Until next time,

~ Ashley, Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador. Follow me on Twitter @TillatasticAsh!

There’s a new chef in the Tillamook Kitchen! We are excited to welcome Denver, Colorado’s Keegan Gerhard and his restaurant, D Bar Desserts. Keegan has created four gourmet recipes using Tillamook products that are easy to make and can help even the newest cooks look like gourmet chefs!

One of my favorite recipes from D Bar is the Pate a Choux. Now, don’t be intimidated by the French. This recipe is simple and really versatile! Keegan walks us through how to use the same Pate a Choux dough 3 ways: one simple and sweet with Chantilly cream, one gooey and chocolately with Tillamook Ice Cream and ganache, and one savory with Tillamook Cheese and herbs! Try eating just one of these little cream puffs – it’s impossible! Watch Keegan prepare all three creations in this video:

If you’re in the mood for a tasty dinner, why not try the KGB Bacon Pimento Cheeseburger? Keegan takes the ordinary burger to a whole ‘nother level with this recipe. Instead of buns, he uses a cheesy waffle, and in place of a slice of cheese, he created a pimento cheese spread. Wowza! Take a look at this video to get your taste buds drooling:

If you think you recognize Keegan from somewhere… you’re right! Not only is Keegan an award winning pastry chef, but he’s also been a host and judge on Food Network series Food Network Challenge. Check out this video of Keegan to learn more about his passion for pastry and his restaurant.

Swing by the Tillamook Kitchen to see all of D Bar Dessert’s recipes, and make sure to visit Keegan at D Bar Desserts whenever you’re in Denver (or soon, in San Diego)! Thanks Keegan for being the newest chef in the Tillamook Kitchen!

If you haven’t jumped on the Pinterest wagon yet, we might have a good reason for you to do it very soon. You can now find Tillamook on Pinterest! Why, you ask, would a dairy company, be on Pinterest? Because there are so many cheesy things on Pinterest and we wanted to join in on the fun!

Looking for some yummy ways to use Tillamook Sour Cream? We’ve got some on Pinterest!

I’m sure you know about the Loaf Love Tour and our Baby Loaf Buses by now. So it’s pretty obvious that we love VW buses. How much do we love them? So much that we created a Pinterest Board of all things Volkswagon.

It’s so fun to discover pictures of the Cheese Factory that fans have taken. And now we can share them with you on our ‘Loaf Love From Tillamook Fans’ Pinterest Board.

We’ve got some amazing recipes online in our Tillamook Kitchen, but maybe you’re looking for something you’re not able to find on our website. We’ve got a solution for that! Check out our Grilled Cheese Recipes and Mac & Cheese Recipes Pinterest Boards. These recipes may not specify Tillamook products, but you can sure use them!

And last but not least, we are Pinning a whole slew of random cheese things — just for fun!

So if you’re not already addicted to Pinterest like we are, you might just want to check it out. You can request an Invite on Pinterest.com, then find out more about how it works here. Once you have account, you can find us and follow individual Boards or all of our Boards with a click of a button.

Have fun Pinning!

I have great news — cheese is good for your teeth! Like I really need another reason to eat cheese. But this bit of info definitely doesn’t hurt the argument that cheese has a well deserved place in your daily diet. So, to celebrate National Dental Month, here are some facts about cheese and your teeth that should create a smile big enough to flash all of your pearly whites:

• Cheese is high in calcium, one of the most important ingredients for building strong teeth!

• Cheese is low in lactose, a form of sugar, which can harm teeth.

• Cheese contains proteins, like casein, that act as a buffer against bacteria (often found in sugary foods) that causes decay.

• Cheese can help kick-start saliva flow, which helps prevent the growth of plaque bacteria, thus protecting tooth enamel. Saliva flow, stimulated by cheeses such as aged cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella and Monterey Jack, help clear your mouth of food particles, contributing to a clean mouth!

• Certain cheeses have been shown to help prevent cavities forming when eaten as a snack or after meals.

• And…cheese (especially low-fat cheese) is healthy for your body, making it healthy for your mouth!

So enjoy your favorite Tillamook Cheese and know that you’re eating something that makes you, your body, and your teeth…happy!

Sources:
http://www.organicfacts.net
http://consumer.healthday.com
http://www.ada.org
http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org

Most people are thinking about what they are going to make their sweetie for dinner tomorrow night, but there is a VERY important holiday (at least it’s a holiday in my mind) to celebrate today. February 13^th marks Tillamook’s Birthday! 103 years ago several small creameries teamed up to form the Tillamook County Creamery Association and deliver the highest quality dairy products to consumers. That’s something that we are still proud of and live by today. In honor of the occasion, we made a Baby Loaf cake!

How are you going to celebrate? Make your own Baby Loaf cake? Maybe grilled cheese for dinner? The possibilities are endless…

~ Laura of the Tillamook Team

Our Tillamook fans spare no words when it comes to letting us know how much they love our cheese, ice cream, yogurt and other yummy products. But did you know that over the years, the Cheese Factory has figured into the romantic plans of many a visitor?

Here are some stories that will warm your heart:

• A young man called us one day to tell us that when he first started dating his girlfriend, they took a trip to visit the Cheese Factory.  While there, they tried our delicious Tillamook Fudge (exclusive to the Cheese Factory) and his girlfriend fell in love with the creamy, sweet confection. She would frequently tell the story of their visit and how she found the greatest treat in the world. Well, he was getting ready to propose to her and wanted to pop the question with the ring in a box of our fudge. How sweet is that?

• Another man called to tell us that his parents were touring the Oregon Coast for their 50^th wedding anniversary. They had visited the Cheese Factory many years before as a young couple and made sure to include it on their agenda this trip. He asked us, if he found out what time they were going to be there, would we congratulate them on 50 wonderful years of marriage over our intercom system! Not only did we do that for him, but we also gave them ice cream coupons and put their names in our reader board. They were tickled Tillamook orange!

• One of our very own Tillamook bloggers shared that her parents included the Cheese Factory in their honeymoon!

• And then there was the couple that got engaged at the Cheese Factory! We know this because they wrote it on our Wall of Loaf that went up during some construction last year.

Have you had any romantic experiences at the Cheese Factory?

With Valentine’s Day upon us, don’t pass up the chance to plan your very own romantic memories at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  We’ll be waiting to make it special for you!

~ Susan of the Tillamook Team