I’ve been making this snack since I was a little girl. It’s super easy, and fun…for adults and kids! These are a great alternative to tortilla chips and salsa. They’re vegetarian and super easy to munch on while you watch the game.

MEXICAN PINWHEELS

* This recipes needs to be made a day in advance. Ingredients:

4 large flour tortillas
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
3/4 cup shredded cheese –  Tillamook Cheddar Cheese or Pepper Jack Cheese (or both!)
6 oz can black olives, chopped
1 small bunch chopped green onions
1 package taco seasoning
4 oz can green chilis

Take cream cheese out of fridge and let come to room temperature. With a spoon, mix cream cheese and taco seasoning (I use half a packet of seasoning but you can season to taste). With a spatula spread cream cheese mixture across each of the six tortillas. Evenly sprinkle cheese, olives, green onions and chilis on top of each tortilla. Starting at one end, roll the tortilla into a tube, as tightly as possible. Wrap a piece of plastic wrap or foil around the roll up. Place roll ups into the fridge overnight. When ready to service, unwrap and slice into 1/2-1″ pinwheels. Enjoy!

Image: Pickles & Cheese

By Jala

My family has a few Christmas traditions. Some of them are somewhat cheesy — and I don’t mean ‘involving cheese’ — the other kind of cheesy. On Christmas eve we would go out for a buffet dinner at a local restaurant, a restaurant we never frequented any other time of year. We (kids) would refrain from overstuffing ourselves on protein and vegetables so we’d have room to fill our anxious bellies at the all-you-can-eat sundae bar. To finish off the night we’d tour the best city Christmas light displays. We thought this was especially exciting. Our parents used it as a ‘tire them out so they’ll sleep’ tactic. It worked.

But I think my favorite Christmas tradition, and one that my Mother still carries on to this day (whether we’re there or not) is Orange Snails on Christmas morning. She would make them on Christmas eve and stick them in the oven to bake while we were opening gifts Christmas morning. Here’s my Mom’s recipe for Orange Snails. You still have time to whip up a batch before the big day!

ORANGE SNAILS

3/4 cup Tillamook Butter (1/2 cup of it needs to be softened)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup scalded milk, cooled
1 egg, well beaten
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cube yeast
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
juice of 1/2 orange

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Cream 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 c sugar together with hand mixer until fluffy and light.

Add salt, milk and beaten egg and blend together. Stir yeast into butter mixture. Add flour and combine well to form a soft dough.

Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let rise about 1 1/2 hours in a warm place until dough has doubled in volume.

While dough is rising, combine remaining softened butter with 1 cup sugar, grated orange rind and orange juice. Blend mixture together and set aside.

Punch dough down and roll out on a floured board. Shape into a rectangle.

Spread about 3/4 of the orange butter mixture on the dough. Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 1 inch slices.

Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and place slices in the pan. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes

Bake rolls for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush tops with remaining orange butter. Remove from pan and serve warm. Makes 12 rolls.

Do you have any Christmas morning food traditions?

~ Jala of the Tillamook Team

By Jala

The ladies in our family are big into baking for the holidays. You’ll always find an entire sweet spread of goodies on the table, and most of the recipes continue to be handed down, generation to generation. This is one of my favorites!

ALMOND ROCA

1 1/2 cups Tillamook Butter (3 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 cups raw almonds
10 oz chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Place sugar in cast iron skillet. Heat gently gradually adding chunks of butter. Boil over low heat for 7 minutes.

Add almonds, a few at a time. Stir constantly, cooking over medium heat to a hard crack stage, about 10-12 minutes.

Pour onto a cookie sheet rubbed with butter. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile,  melt chocolate chips in microwave at 30 second increments until melted and then spread over the cooled almond mixture. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. When chocolate sets, break into pieces. Store in metal container.

What are your sweet holiday traditions?

~ Jala of the Tillamook Team

Image: Flickr/Jessica (Creative Commons)

By Jala

At my old job I used to invite co-workers to my home for potlucks and one of them brought over this delicious dish. It completely changed the way I thought about macaroni and cheese. It’s the perfect hot and spicy meal on a cold and rainy day. I love it because you can use different types of cheese to completely transform the taste and character of the meal. We use Tillamook Pepper Jack and Sharp Cheddar, but if you don’t want it spicy you can just use the Colby. If you prefer a smokier flavor you can use the Smoked Cheddar, or if you really love your garlic, use a Garlic Cheddar. If you want to really kick it up a notch, try Tilamook’s Habanero Jack.

SPICY MAC AND CHEESE

2 Tablespoons Tillamook Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoon flour
½ onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ cups milk (I use nonfat)
1 (7 oz) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (chop the peppers, and keep the sauce)
16 ounces cooked macaroni (you can use a penne or ziti if you want, just make sure the pasta is tubular so that the cheese sauce can meander its delicious way through)
8 ounces Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
6 ounces Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese (optional)

Note: If you want your mac and cheese to be extra cheesy, you might want to do 12 ounces of the sharp cheddar. You can use the full 8 ounces of pepper jack, but be ready for a mouth en fuego if you do.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta to al dente. Melt butter in a large saucepan then add the garlic and onion — sauté until nice and soft (about four minutes). Slowly add the flower and whisk to prevent clumping. When mixed and smooth, add the milk. Continue to whisk this mixture, then add both cheeses. Once the cheeses are nice and melted, add chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. If you find the sauce is too thick for your liking, just add a drop of milk, mix it, and repeat until you receive the desired thickness of your sauce. Pour the pasta into a 13 by 9 baking dish, then pour cheese sauce over the pasta. Mix the sauce around to fully coat all of your noodles. Smooth out the top so it’s moderately even. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs, parmesan, or any other kind of cheese on top. Cover, then cook, for about 15 minutes, then uncovered for another 15 minutes. This dish is best eaten when it’s hot!

By Jala

I’m so excited about today’s blog, and I’m not even on a gluten-free diet! Not only am I thrilled to be able to bring a bounty of gluten-free recipes to you today, I had so much fun working with Bob’s Red Mill, one of our consumer partners based right here in the Pacific Northwest, to gather them up. If you’re not familiar with Bob’s Red Mill, browse their website, check out their products and read about the company. You’ll be glad you did.

Making one dinner, for a large group of people with different dietary restrictions and preferences, can be tough. And Thanksgiving definitely features a lof gluten-FULL dishes. If you’ve been hoping, or needing, to incorporate some gluten-free dishes into your holiday dinner but can’t seem to track any down (or are just looking for a change from the usuals), I’ve got a few to share that should put smiles on everyone’s faces!

GLUTEN-FREE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Contributed by Carol Fenster, Ph.D. and Bob’s Red Mill

1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Sorghum Flour
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Potato Starch
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Tapioca Flour
1 tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Tillamook Butter
1/2 cup Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray, set aside. Sift dry ingredients together in medium bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles small peas. Stir in enough buttermilk to form soft dough that holds its shape when pressed together. (You may not need all the buttermilk).

Place the mixture on prepared baking sheet. Lay sheet of waxed paper over biscuit mixture and press to 1” thickness and about 6” x 6” square or circle. Remove sheet of waxed paper and cut into 8 or 9 round biscuit shapes using a 2” biscuit cutter or open end of glass. Remove uncut portions of biscuit dough and gently shape into 2” circles, or simply cut dough into 9 square pieces and spread pieces across baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 9 biscuits.

GLUTEN-FREE EASY AS PIE CRUST
Contributed by Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods

1-1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill® Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup (one stick) Tillamook Butter
4 – 6 Tbsp cold Milk

Combine flour and salt, then cut in margarine using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle milk, one tablespoon at a time, while blending, until all ingredients are moist. Using wax paper, place dough onto one sheet, flatten with palm, place another sheet on top and roll out to desired size. Remove the top sheet and invert into pie pan.

To bake the pie crust alone, bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes.

With pie filling, bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, and then reduce heat to 350°F for an additional 40 minutes. Makes 12 Servings.

GLUTEN-FREE CRISPY GINGER COOKIES
Contributed by Bob’s Red Mill

1/2 cup Tillamook Butter
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Molasses
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Sorghum Flour
3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Tapioca Flour
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Potato Starch
1/2 tsp Guar Gum
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Ginger, ground
1/4 tsp Cloves, ground
1/4 cup Sugar, reserved

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet and blend until combined. Place the reserved 1/4 cup of sugar in a bowl. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and drop into sugar cover the outside of the dough. Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.

GLUTEN-FREE QUINOA STUFFING
Contributed by Bob’s Red Mill

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Organic Quinoa Grain
1 cup Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 cup Water
1/4 cup Tillamook Butter
1 Onion, chopped
6 Celery Stalks, diced
1 tsp Sage, dried
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Parsley Flakes

Bring broth and water to boil. Add quinoa and bring back to boil. Cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. In a skillet, melt margarine and cook onion and celery on medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine prepared quinoa, onion mixture and spices. Place in an 8-inch square pan and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Makes 12 Servings.

GLUTEN-FREE HOLIDAY CUT-OUT COOKIES
Contributed by Carol Fenster, “1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes” cookbook author and Bob’s Red Mill

2 1/4 cups Carol’s Sorghum Blend (recipe below)
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Tillamook Unsalted Butter, at room temperature and cut into tablespoons
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tbsp packed Brown Sugar, light
1 large Egg
1 tsp pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Almond Extract
White Rice Flour for dusting

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sorghum blend, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the butter pieces until smooth. Beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extract until well blended. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and knead it with your hands until very smooth. Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a flat 1-inch disk. Wrap each disk tightly and refrigerate 1 hour.

Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 15 x 10-inch baking sheet (not nonstick) and line with parchment paper and have it ready.

Put half the chilled dough on a 15-inch square piece of parchment paper that is dusted with white rice flour. Cut a piece of plastic wrap the same size as the parchment paper, lay it on top of the dough, sprinkle it with white rice flour, and roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Remove the plastic wrap and cut out the desired shapes, reserving the scraps. Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Cut the second half of the dough into shapes. Re-roll the scraps from both halves, cut more cookies, and arrange on the baking sheet. If your sheet won’t hold all the shapes, bake two batches.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet on a wire rack 2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool completely on the wire rack. Bake the second half of the cookies and cool in the same manner. Store undecorated cookies, tightly covered, for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Decorate as desired with frosting, sprinkles, coconut, raisins, chocolate chips, and so on. Makes about 24 cookies (depending on shapes and sizes of cookies).

Carol’s Sorghum Blend: Whisk together 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill® Sorghum Flour, 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill® Potato Starch (or Corn Starch) and 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Tapioca Flour. Store, tightly covered, in a dark, dry place.  Makes 4 cups.

Thanks Bob’s for contributing to this blog!

Don’t forget to ‘Like’ Bob’s on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

By Jala

This recipe is called pound cake for a very good reason — because it takes a pound of each of the main ingredients to make the batter. Whoa! Every Christmas my grandmother, C-mama, would make this pound cake and it was the highlight of the feast. Rich and buttery, it can be served alone, with berries or, even better, Tillamook Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream. When we were children, we were scolded for making too much noise when the pound cake was in the oven. Too much noise would make the cake fall, C-mama would say. Hmmm? My grandmother was 96 when she passed away and, to this day, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without her pound cake served on a crystal cake plate in the center of the holiday treats. This delicious cake is not for the faint of calories!

C-MAMA’S POUND CAKE

1 pound Tillamook Unsalted Butter, softened
3 1/2 cups of sugar
4 cups flour
10 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Prepare a tube pan by lining it with greased craft paper. Cream butter and sugar; add beaten egg yolks and lemon juice. Sift dry ingredients together, adding it in thirds to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix well between additions. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold gently into the batter. Bake at 350 degrees until just golden brown, then cover top of cake with a piece of craft paper to prevent scorching. Continue baking until finished, approx. 1 1/2 – 2 hours (you can check doneness with a toothpick — when you can pull it out of the cake clean, it’s ready). Shhhh….remember not to make noise while cake is in the oven.

Photo: Flickr/Lindsey Turner (Creative Commons)

By Jala

Happy November! To help everyone get into the cooking and baking spirit, we decided gather up some staff family recipes and share one with you each day this month. Let Recipepalooza begin!

I’m kicking it off with a spread that has seen many a Thanksgiving and Christmas on my family’s appetizer table…made with love by my Grandfather. Here’s what he had to say about its origin:

“This recipe has been in the Duncan family for generations. The recipe is very simple, anyone can whip up a batch for any occasion. Actually I can’t remember a time when in my growing up years that there wasn’t a bowl of pimento cheese in the refrigerator. We ate it for snacks, on toast with breakfast and at every party. I know that my grandparents made the recipe and the only living sibling I have is my elder sister, Frances, at 95, who still makes the recipe. Since I was the one in my own family who made the recipe, it has been passed on to each of my children and on to grandchildren. Somehow it got renamed as ‘Grandpa Cheese’ for the great grandchildren. You can use this simple recipe to start your own family tradition. You’ll love it and so will those for whom you make it.” ~ William J. Duncan

PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD

1 8-ounce package Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 jar of pimentos, finely chopped
seasoning salt to taste
1 cup mayonnaise

Finely grate the cheese. Add pimentos, seasoning salt, and mayonnaise to your liking. Spread on your favorite crackers or crusty baguette slices.

By Jala

Is St. Louis losing these games so they can get in a few more home games? Definitely some surprising results so far in this 2011 series.

A pleasant surprise was last game’s Tacoritos with Tillamook Cheddar recipe. YUM!

For tonight’s game, let’s dive into some Tillamook Beer and Cheese Spread (serves 6 to 8)

INGREDIENTS

4 cups Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
½ cup gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (I put in some extra for a little more kick!)
½ cup white onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon English dry mustard
1 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
3 dashes hot pepper sauce (pick your favorite!)
1 teaspoon salt
several turns of freshly cracked black pepper
½ cup blonde ale
crusty bread (such as sourdough), cut into bite-sized pieces, or assorted crackers

PREPARATION

Place all of the cheeses, horseradish, onion, dry mustard, chopped chives, chili flakes, hot sauce, and salt and pepper into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture becomes fairly smooth. Slowly pour in the beer until incorporated.

Pour the mixture into a suitable serving dish. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Serve with crusty bread and assorted crackers.

Pair this appetizer with some ballpark brats and you’ve got the perfect way to celebrate Game 6!

Fun baseball fact: Nolan Ryan holds the record for longest career in baseball history (1966 to 1993) and he now owns the Texas Rangers!  Our head cheesemaker, Dale Baumgartner, has him beat though – he’s been making Tillamook Cheese for over 40 years! In fact, we even use the same Tillamook Cheddar recipe that’s over 100 years old.

Next and final game: Taco Soup!

By Jala

10 Barrel Brewing's Sundae featuring Tillamook Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

My favorite way to discover a restaurant that uses Tillamook products is on accident —and that’s exactly what happened Labor Day weekend while visiting Bend with my family. My husband, one-year-old son and I had just finished a gorgeous hike around Sparks Lake and were looking for something to fill our bellies and cool us down on a 90 degree day in Central Oregon. A good friend had suggested we check out 10 Barrel Brewing Company. It was easy to find on our way back into town so we stopped for a bite. We hit the jackpot!

Not only was the atmosphere perfect for a warm, end-of-summer, day with a large outdoor patio and garage doors that let indoor diners catch a breeze — it was definitely conducive to carting a little one along for dinner (not always an easy task).

But the real treat came when I spotted Tillamook on the menu, more than once. It was hard not to skip dinner and go straight for the Ice Cream Sundae with Tillamook Vanilla Bean Ice Cream — but I left room, and waited. It was well worth the wait. Tillamook Ice Cream really does have that ‘wow’ factor! The sundae was pretty simple…chocolate syrup, nuts, whipped cream and a cherry. Perfect!

If you’re just in the mood for a really good burger, try their Pubhouse Burger featuring Tillamook Smoked Medium Cheddar. You really can’t go wrong with this one! View their entire menu here.

Summer may be over (although those of us in the Pacific Northwest are still celebrating, as we had to wait quite a while for sun this year), but ski season is just around the corner. So if Mt. Bachelor is on your list of winter to-do’s, don’t miss a meal, dessert and a beer at 10 Barrel Brewing. We’re big fans!

10 Barrel Brewing
1135 NW Galveston
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 678-5228

Hours:
Monday-Thursday, Sunday: 11am-11pm
Friday & Saturday, 11am-midnight

By Jala