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!

By Blu

Are you are a Giants or Patriots fan? Or are you watching the Super Bowl for the commercials and a chance to hang out with friends? No matter what the reason, the one thing that everyone looks forward to is all of the delicious food that typically comes with the much-anticipated sporting event. Which is why we encourage you to try this stuffed mushroom recipe. Not only does it make for a tasty addition to any Super Bowl party, it is SUPER simple to prepare.

Super Bowl Schedule:

When: Sunday, February 5^th at 3:30 PT (Kickoff)
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium (The game will be televised on NBC)

Ingredients:

• 1 package stuffing mix
• 2 dozen large white mushrooms
• Tillamook Shredded Medium Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:

Follow the cooking instructions on your favorite stuffing mix package then season to taste. Sometimes I’ll add garlic salt and/or basil for a little added kick. Once the stuffing is ready, separate the stems from the mushroom caps then place them in a cooking pan (tops down). Next, fill the caps with the stuffing and apply a healthy dose of Tillamook Shredded Cheddar Cheese.  Place them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes and — voilà!

*This recipe works great with thinly sliced French bread and extra virgin olive oil.

By Blu

It is that time of year! The weather is getting chillier, leaves are changing color and footballs are flyin’. That’s right, it’s chili season! In honor of chili season I decided to cook up a batch and test the impact that Tillamook Medium Cheddar and Tillamook Natural Sour Cream has on the flavor of chili.

By itself the chili was a hit — a little spicy, but oh-so-good. When we added the Medium Cheddar not much changed in terms of flavor, but the texture turned into a delicious gooey delight! We almost couldn’t add enough cheese – but then again, we ARE cheese lovers.

Next, we added Tillamook Natural Sour Cream. Unlike the cheese, the sour cream effected the flavor greatly, gaving the chili, well… a sour taste. In small portions (about a tablespoon) the sour cream complimented the flavor. But anything more and you run the risk of the sour cream overpowering your chili.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 package mild Jimmy Dean sausage
• 3 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced hot green chilies
• 1 can black beans
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 1 can sweet corn
• ½ diced onion
• 4 tbsp. chili powder
• 3 tbsp. salt

Test Ingredients:

• Tillamook Shredded Medium Cheddar Cheese
• Tillamook Natural Sour Cream

Simple Preparation:

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and sausage over a medium heat. Once finished, drain any excess grease and add both to your slow cooker.

Pour in all 3 cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies – with their juices.

Add the remaining ingredients but make sure to drain the juice from the cans of black beans, kidney beans and sweet corn first.

Turn your slow cooker temperature to medium and wait at least 3 hours before serving, stirring occasionally.

By Blu

Bacon and Cheese Omelet

Start your day off with a bacon and cheese omelet that’s easy to make and won’t leave you feeling bloated. A simple take on an old-time favorite! This delicious egg creation takes about 15 minutes to make and is sure to satisfy bacon and cheese connoisseurs.

Ingredients

3 eggs
3 strips of bacon
1 cup Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, shredded
¼ cup tomatoes, sliced
3 green onions, sliced

PREPARATION

Bacon
Cook the bacon over a medium high heat until it becomes crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and cover with a paper towel to soak up any residual grease. After it has cooled, tear the bacon into bite-sized chips.

Eggs
Crack 3 eggs into a bowl and whip. Add a little milk to the eggs for a fluffier omelet.

Assembly of the Omelet
Start off by heating up a fry pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon of Tillamook Butter to prevent the omelet from sticking and burning. After the butter has melted and is fully layering the bottom of the pan, poor in your egg mixture. When the eggs have cooked for a minute or two and the bottom of the egg mixture is solid, flip the omelet over to form a half circle.

The next step (yay!) is to add toppings. First, spread cheese all-over the top of the omelet, then add the bacon chips and sliced green onions. After the bacon and onions have melted into the cheese, remove the omelet from the pan and sprinkle on the tomatoes. Season to taste with some salt and pepper and voilà – a tasty meal!

What ingredients does your favorite omelet creation include?

By Blu

Pictured above is a bowl of all 38 flavors of tasty Tillamook Ice Cream. Available to all ice cream enthusiasts at the Tillamook factory - just ask for the 38 Flavor Tour!

Most people in the Pacific Northwest are familiar with Tillamook Ice Cream, but did you know that there are 38 delicious ice cream flavors to choose from? We offer everything from the classics, like Chocolate and Vanilla Bean, to the more non-traditional flavors of Cinnamon Banana Bliss and Blueberry Cheesecake (YUM!). Whatever mood you’re in, chances are we have the flavor to satisfy your craving.

Now, some of the ice cream flavors are only offered at our world famous Tillamook Cheese Factory. So, if you can’t find what you’re looking for at your local store, be sure to stop by the Factory for a taste the next time you’re on the Oregon Coast.

A list of all our current creamy-dreamy ice cream flavors:
Banana Split
Carmel Butter Pecan
Carmel Toffee Crunch
Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Coffee Almond Fudge
Cookie Dough
Cookies and Cream
Espresso Mocha
French Vanilla
Grandma’s Cake Batter
Marionberry Pie
Mountain Huckleberry
Old-Fashion Vanilla
Orange Sherbet*
Oregon Black Cherry
Oregon Strawberry
Peppermint Candy*
Pumpkin*
Rocky Road
Root Beer Float*
Sticky Bun
Strawberry Cheesecake
Sweet Centennial
Tillamook Mudslide
Udderly Chocolate
Udderly Peanutbutterly
Vanilla Bean
Wild Mountain Blackberry

*= Only available at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

This post was updated on 6/25/2012 to reflect the current ice cream flavors available at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

By Blu