Breakfast in Bed is a classic Mother’s Day move. Don’t fret if your standard pancakes and eggs just won’t cut it this year – I’ve got some delicious ideas. Here’s my top 5 recipes for treating your Tillamama on Mother’s Day this year!

Tri-Berry Parfait with Granola and Tillamook Oregon Strawberry Yogurt
Start the morning off on a berry good note! This super-easy and delicious parfait is the perfect companion to a morning spent lounging in bed. Just top Tillamook Oregon Strawberry Yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and your favorite granola. Then lean back and dig in!

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins
If your mom’s got a sweet tooth, these almond poppy seed muffins from the blog Your Cup of Cake are sure to hit the spot. Don’t forget to use Tillamook Butter! Spoiler alert, there’s a delicious almond filling surprise when you bite in the middle.

Cheesy Frittata
Frittata – it’s a brunch classic! A hearty cheesy breakfast chock full of veggies and flavor that will set a great tone on the morning. Be sure to use lots of her favorite Tillamook Cheese!

Mixed Berry Tartlets made with Tillamook Light Lemon Squeeze Yogurt
This recipe comes from the blog Patty’s Food. These beautiful tartlets with Tillamook Light Lemon Squeeze Yogurt mixed into the pastry crème make for a delicious fruity tartlet perfect to treat your Tillamama. Top it off with your mom’s favorite fruit for an extra special breakfast.

Cheddar Bacon Waffles
These waffles from the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen are a dangerous combination of sweet and savory. This is a special treatment we could all get used to!

By Amalya

It’s no secret that around here we love cheese and bread grilled to melty perfection! So when we were generously offered the opportunity to visit our friends over at the Dave’s Killer Breadquarters, another Oregon company built on quality, we jumped at the chance! Before we even entered the facility we could smell the sweetness of the baking bread! It wasn’t until our friends Dan and Adam showed us around the bread floor that we realized just how complex and detailed the whole process was. The whole team of breadmakers work diligently to make sure every loaf of bread is perfectly coated with grains and baked to perfection!

Dave’s Killer Bread was founded back in 2005 by Dave Dahl. Before his delicious bread baking days, he was a self-proclaimed four-time loser (read his incredible story here). With unflappable dedication and hard work, he and his team have created an amazing whole-grain bread that makes for a dangerously addicting combination with Tillamook Cheese.

With some delicious Dave’s Killer Bread in hand as we left, naturally, we immediately went back to the office to cook up some grilled cheese sandwiches! Take a look – there might be some Dave’s Killer Bread in your neighborhood too!

By Amalya

In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, I’ve been cooking up a lot of delicious sandwiches! It’s always a challenge to get the perfect grilled cheesy texture, so I thought I’d look to the Tillamook Kitchen Quick Tips for some help. There’s a tip from Dave Danhi, of The Grilled Cheese Truck that suggests making a sandwich press by wrapping a brick or some tiles in foil. I used a small marble rectangular trivet I had laying around the house, wrapped it in foil, and got cookin!

This tip worked great! My grilled cheese came out perfectly melted, pressed, and crisp (but not burnt!) If you’re looking to make some delicious grilled cheese, but don’t want to invest in a fancy press, I highly suggest using this tip to make your own!

Have you tried any of the Tillamook Kitchen Quick Tips yet!?!

By Amalya

I’m a longtime lover of a grilled cheese sandwich, but lately, I’ve been searching for an extra kick in my ooey gooey toasty creations. After countless taste tests, I’ve found these five additions to be the perfect spicy complement to my grilled cheese addiction.

Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard
Gulden’s is known for its spicy brown mustard, which includes a blend of mustard seeds and spices. If you’re looking for a little spice, without getting too crazy, spicy mustard might be the choice for you – hot, but not too spicy!

Kelly’s Habanero Jelly
If you’re nervous about going too spicy, but want to dapple in the Habanero world, this is the perfect jelly for you! Made with a blend of Habanero and Bell Peppers, this unique jelly is a perfect balance of spicy and sweet.

Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce
This Portland native sauce is a mix of habanero peppers and roasted tomatoes that complements the creaminess of Tillamook Cheese without commandeering the flavor of the sandwich as a whole. With a taste that is spicier than Tabasco, it’s a great choice for the spice seeker.

Sriracha
This sauce was named after its birthplace, the Thai seaside town Si Racha. Sriracha Chilli sauce is made from sun ripped chilis ground into a smooth paste with vinegar, salt, garlic, and sugar. Sweeter than Tabasco, this sauce is a friend to any grilled cheese looking for a kick of heat.

Jalapeños 
This chili pepper means business. If you’ve tried Tillamook Pepper Jack, you’ve sampled the spice, but if you’re looking for more, try adding some into your sandwich. You’ve seen them, tasted them, and maybe even shed a few tears for them in sandwiches like The Jalapeno Popper Sandwich.

By Amalya

It’s that time of year again! It’s time to pack away your winter clothes and celebrate the arrival of spring. Out with the old and in with the new. It’s time to say goodbye to those mystery leftovers on the top shelf and give your fridge the TLC it deserves. As the temperature begins to rise, you might find yourself spending more and more time outside of the house and busy as ever! Solution!? Create a snack drawer in your fridge for easy on-the-go options! The idea came from a friend of mine with two busy kids. While there aren’t any kids running around my house, I’m not ashamed to admit this tip works great for any age!

Designate a drawer and stock it with Tilla-Moos, or cheeses that you’ve pre-sliced and cubed in serving size containers or baggies. I’ve also got a variety of Tillamook Yogurt and some veggies that I’ve pre-cut, washed, and bagged in mine.

What’s your favorite grab-and-go snack!?

By Amalya

Ever since I got my first Easy Bake Oven when I was 7, I’ve loved baking. Be it scones, cake, pies, or cupcakes, I love the art of baking it all. My time on Pinterest has not only inspired some delicious treats, but also made me realize I’ve got to step up my presentation game! I decided it was finally time to create a cake stand. I spent under $5 on each of these stands and can’t deny that they’ve elevated my confections (literally and figuratively)!

Supplies
Plate
Candlestick or drinking glass
Glue

I picked these plates up at my local Goodwill for under $1 each. With a run through the dishwasher, they were clean and good as new at a fraction of the price. For the bases, I used a glass water goblet and a wooden candle stick (which I repainted black).

There are tons of glues on the market, and to my knowledge, a handful of them should do the job. Make sure to read the fine print to see that the glue you pick is right for the materials you’re going to adhere. I recommend using glue that will dry clear and dry quickly. Again, be sure to read the fine print.

Here are my recommendations for bonding various materials together:
• For glass to glass, use Super Glue
• For glass to ceramic, use Super Glue
• For glass to wood, use a multi-purpose glue
• For ceramic to wood, use an epoxy
• For plastic to wood, use an epoxy

To assemble the cake stand, I applied glue to the top of the candlestick (or bottom of the glass) and placed upside down on the back of the plate. The glue I used had a set time of 1 minute, so I held it in place for 1 minute. The cure time was 8 minutes, so after 8 minutes, I flipped it over and it was ready for use!

The possibilities are nearly endless for making your own cake stand. If I had known how easy it would be to put these together, I would have done it years ago!

What combinations will you stick together to display your baked goods!?

For some baking inspiration, check out the Tillamook Pinterest boards!

By Amalya

I’ve seen some images floating around online of sushi rolls made with mac and cheese. Could it be that a marriage between sushi and mac and cheese, two of my favorite foods, really exists? There was only one way to find out if this urban legend was as scrumptious as it looked.

My experiment began with creating three different flavors of mac and cheese. The first was your standard fare, not too gooey, but certainly cheese laden. The second, I made extra cheesy. Something inside me said, the more cheese I added, the closer to sticky rice the consistency would get. The third was all about flavor. I used Tillamook Garlic White Cheddar to kick it up a notch. Once my mac and cheese was prepped, I let it cool in the fridge for an hour. You know how when you refrigerate leftover mac and cheese, it firms up? Well that’s exactly what I was going for!

An hour later, I removed it from the fridge and started making my rolls…easier said than done. I covered my sushi rolling mat in plastic wrap and sprinkled breadcrumbs over one third of the mat. Then, I scooped the mac and cheese onto the breadcrumbs and spread it out into a long rectangle, trying to make sure there were no gaps. I tried placing a few different things inside the rolls: pesto sauce, parmesan, more breadcrumbs, and thin strips of cheese. Rolling the rolls proved pretty difficult, especially with the plastic wrap. I ended up trying aluminum foil as well, which held its shape much better. The mac and cheese oozed out the ends of my rolling mat on my first few tries. Once I had the rolls complete and wrapped, I placed them in the fresezer for another hour.

I took the rolls out, unwrapped them, and sliced them into sushi pieces using a sharp knife. I let the rolls sit out and warm to room temperature before eating (I highly recommend this, they’ll hold their shape and taste much better). I sprinkled some cayenne pepper on top of a few of the rolls for good measure, and dipped the sushi pieces in pesto sauce, Tabasco sauce, and Secret Aardvark Habanero sauce.

As far as execution, the rolls with strips of cheese in the center held up the best. The pesto sauce leaked through the center of the roll, but still tasted great. I really recommend trying this experiment with the flavored cheddars. The Garlic White Cheddar rolls were my favorite!

Would you try this cheestastic sushi experiment!?

By Amalya

The joyous Jewish holiday of Purim will be celebrated this weekend, beginning Saturday at sundown. Like all of my favorite holidays, it’s celebrated with a special treat that’s both fun to bake and delicious to eat. The signature triangle pastries of Purim are called Hamantaschen. The triangle shape is said to match the three-cornered hat that Haman (the villain in the Purim story) wore. I must say, they’re best when made with Tillamook Butter and a great baking project to get the kids involved with!

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup Tillamook Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 cups fine sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Prune, poppy seed or other fruit preserves (I used marionberry)*

*You can also make your own filling from scratch; there are tons of great recipes online!

Preparation
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, thoroughly mix butter, shortening, and sugar, then beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Gradually sift and mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Once combined, take the dough out on a flat surface and knead until smooth. If the dough sticks to the surface, add some more flour. Wrap the dough and place in the fridge for at least three hours.

Preheat oven to 350ºF and then roll the dough on a floured surface to about ⅛ inch thick. Cut into circles using a round cookie-cutter. Place a dollop of fruit preserves in the center and pinch three sides of the dough together to form a triangle shape leaving the center exposed. Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges turn golden brown.

Tillamook Cheese might make for a tasty filling to try! What will you fill your Hamantaschen with!?

By Amalya

Love is in the air! It’s finally time to start prepping your plans to win over the heart of your secret crush or longtime lover. Here are some ideas to inspire your craftier side and help you give your valentine a homemade sign of your affection.

Flip your average cupcake on its side – but really. Layer a mason jar with pieces of cupcakes and icing for a festive and portable treat! You can even dye white cupcake batter pink and red for an extra pop of color!

Bake a giant cookie and write a little love note on it with icing! You can bake a stick into the back for an easy cookie-gram handoff to your valentine.

Repurpose Tillamook Yogurt and Sour Cream containers into candy carriers. Cover them in felt and fill with your favorite holiday candies!

Still have some Smile Sticks from your last Loaf Love Tour visit? Remove the handle and cut a hole into the middle of the smile for a lollypop! When the kids lick their lollypop, the smile stick will be in perfect position over their mouth! You can cover the back with felt or paper and write a personalized note to your valentine!

Show your loaf love with a festive homemade lunch! You can easily cut sandwiches into hearts using cookie cutters. Sometimes it’s the little things that show you care. Don’t forget some Oregon Strawberry or Raspberry Yogurt for a little pop of pink!

By Amalya

With the Super Bowl charging closer, it’s time to rally your friends for the big game! Whether you’re a 49ers fan, a Ravens fan, or just excited to see that Destiny’s Child reunion you’ve been holding out for, we can all agree, no Super Bowl party is complete without some killer eats!

Here are 5 tasty dips suited for the Super Bowl and best served in a bowl.

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Spinach, artichoke, and cheese join forces to create the dream team of dips.

Queso Blanco
A little sibling rivalry never hurt anyone! As Jim and John Harbaugh duke it out for the big win, Vintage White Medium Cheddar and Monterey Jack team up in this tasty dip. I guarantee you’ll be making more than one touchdown in the queso bowl.

Smoked Salmon Sour Cream Dip
This may not be one of the usual suspects at your Super Bowl parties, but just like Kaepernick’s single-game NFL record, this dip will surprise and delight your guests.

7 Layer Dip
Seven flavors. Seven layers. Seven reasons you’ll love this dip.

Creamy Crab Dip
Leave the crabbiness to this creamy dip! Your friends will be too busy raving over this dip to get angry that your team scored another touchdown.

By Amalya