Sample Menu
Below is a sample of Elmer’s breakfast menu. To see their full menu, visit their website.

Denver and Tillamook Cheddar Omelet ($9.59) - Tillamook Cheddar Cheese, honey-cured ham, onions, red and green peppers.

Bacon & Tillamook Potato Cakes & Eggs ($9.49) - Griddle-browned potato pancakes filled with bacon, Tillamook Cheddar Cheese and onions. Topped with sour  cream and green onions. Accompanied by two farm-fresh “AA” eggs, Daily’s smokehouse bacon, and applesauce.

Northwest Garden Skillet ($8.99) - Fresh zucchini, organic baby spinach, diced tomatoes, and sliced mushrooms are cooked with Tillamook Cheddar Cheese-scrambled eggs. Served atop a potato pancake with onion. Garnished with fresh-snipped chives.

Tip: Elmer’s has a “Seasonally Fresh 2011 Summer Menu” featuring menu items made from local, seasonal ingredients.

Elmer’s
503-252-1485
Locations

Photo courtesy of scaredy_kat

By Tara

Tillamook Cheese is safe to eat during pregnancy

We’re often asked if it’s safe to eat Tillamook Cheese during pregnancy. The answer is yes! Tillamook Cheese is safe for mamas-to-be (and their little “Baby Loaf” in the oven!). And boy am I happy about this… in just a few weeks I’ll be meeting my baby for the very first time. Both he and I have been craving Tillamook Cheese (and ice cream!) during these past 9 months!

There are certain soft cheeses that should be avoided during pregnancy (ask your doctor). Many pregnant women are concerned that eating cheese will result in infection caused by the microorganism Listeria monocytogenes, which is uncontrolled in cheeses made with raw milk. Tillamook Cheese isn’t made with raw milk, and both pasteurization and the heat-shock process destroy this microorganism.

So to all the upcoming mamas out there: you can keep enjoying Tillamook Cheese during pregnancy!

Image: Flickr/Frank De Kleine Coloring (Creative Commons)

By Tara

Love Tillamook Grandma’s Cake Batter Ice Cream? Now your house can smell like your favorite treat with these Cake Batter Ice Cream Candles from Bath Bomb Confections.

By Tara

Frozen Yogurt Pops made with Tillamook Yogurt

Here’s an idea for a refreshing, healthy summertime treat – Frozen Yogurt Pops made with Tillamook Yogurt! For a creamier Frozen Yogurt Pop, use straight up yogurt (pick your favorite Tillamook flavor!). For a less-creamy Frozen Yogurt Pop, mix 50/50 lemonade or juice with the yogurt,  pour into popsicle forms, and then stick them in the freezer for a few hours.

Which Tillamook Yogurt will you use to make a Frozen Yogurt Pop?

By Tara

Fondue!

“The Fawn”
Acrylic on Panel
10.5 x 13.5
Greg Shirilla

See more cheese-inpsired art at R&R Gallery.

By Tara

Mac 'n' Cheese Sushi

According to the Huffington Post, mac ‘n’ cheese might just be the latest tasty trend. Add some creativity to this classic comfort food by trying it in 10 unconvential ways, like mac ‘n’ cheese pizza and mac ‘n’ cheese burritos.

By Tara

Mother’s Day is this Sunday! How are you celebrating? I’m taking my mom (the Best Mom in the World, in my completely biased opinion) to High Tea at the Tea Zone in Portland, Oregon. We’ll sip on tea, snack on crumpets, and talk about her new, upcoming role as best Grandma in the World… I can’t wait!

Here’s an idea: throw your own tea party for mom this Sunday! Pair her favorite Tillamook Cheddar with a Tung Ting Oolong or Darjeeling tea and make some fresh Cherry Almond Scones with Tillamook Butter.

If you’re in need of some cheese for your tea party or if you’re looking for that perfect gift for mom, head on over to the Tillamook online store. Enter coupon code “moms2011″ to receive 10% off and order by noon today to receive by Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing moms around the world!

Photo courtesy of Siukankay

By Tara

The Roast Dip Sandwich by Heidi Gibson of The AMERICAN Grilled Cheese Kitchen

Making a good grilled cheese is truly an art form. Sure, almost anyone can whip together a basic bread-butter-cheese sammich with a panini press. But to make a truly ooey-gooey, magically melty grilled cheese? Now that’s something you learn from the masters of melting.

Have you taken some time to explore the Tillamook Kitchen? It features a collection of awesome recipes by our partner chefs: Heidi Gibson of The AMERICAN Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Dave Danhi of the Grilled Cheese Truck, and Tommy Habetz of Bunk Sandwiches. The Tillamook Kitchen is packed full of amazing little tips and tricks from these pros. I love watching the video recipes – they’ll have you saying to yourself “Huh, I never would have thought of that!”

In honor of National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, here are some tips and tricks I learned from our partner chefs that will help you make an amazing chef-quality grilled cheese:

- Mayonnaise helps prevent burning. Before grilling his sandwiches, Dave Danhi spreads a 50/50 mix of mayo and butter on the outside of both slices of bread. Dave says this mayo-butter mix helps keep the bread from burning and will give sandwiches like his Pepperbelly Melt that perfect golden-brown crispiness.

- Butter can be more than butter! To sneak more flavor into the Piglet Sandwich, Heidi Gibson mixes rosemary with butter. Another tip: to mince up the rosemary, she uses a standard coffee grinder.

- Cook evenly. To make sure his sandwiches are fully-cooked, Tommy Habetz starts them off on a griddle (or press), then opens them up and places them in a 450°F oven for about 1 minute.

- Get creative! What ingredients sound good to you? Can some of your favorite meals be transformed into a grilled cheese? There are so many ingredient combos that will blend beautifully in a grilled cheese sandwich. Our partner chefs aren’t afraid to try new and inventive grilled cheeses. Their ingenuity, along with their skills, make them grilled cheese masters!

Do you have any tips for making the ultimate grilled cheese?

By Tara

These little grilled cheese earrings look suspiciously real. I wonder what they’re made from? Look at the toasty bread!

Would you rock these during National Grilled Cheese Month? 

Photo and earrings by Alliesminis on Etsy.com.

By Tara

Add lettuce and cilantro for a slightly different take on the below Nacho Frio recipe.

It’s time to bust out the chip ‘n dip! Today is another one of those frivalous food holidays that reminds us to pig out on delicious foods (that’s my kind of holiday!). Today, we will be celebrating the flavorful friendship of the chip and the dip.

There are sooo many possible combos – potato chips & onion dip, tortilla chips & salsa, pita chips & hummus… the list goes on! My favorite dip is a party classic called Nacho Frio (or 7 Layer Dip). My mom always used to make this for family gatherings and bunco nights. It’s simple, delicious, and includes two tasty Tillamook products – cheese and sour cream. There are many variations of this recipe, but here’s the one my mom got from The Oregonian many years ago:

Nacho Frio  (or 7 Layer Dip)

Ingredients:

1 can (10 oz) regular or jalapeno bean dip
3 mashed avocados
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups Tillamook Sour Cream (my favorite is the Tillamook Natural Sour Cream)
2 Tablespoons dry taco seasoning
3 cups Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, shredded (or try one of our Shredded Mexican Blends)
3 chopped tomatoes
2 cans (4.2 oz) sliced olives
1 bunch chopped green onions

Instructions:

1. In a large serving plate spread the bean dip.
2. Mash avocados and mix well with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Spread over bean dip.
3. Combine Tillamook Sour Cream and taco seasoning and mix well. Spread over avocados.
4. Layer Tillamook Cheese, chopped tomatoes, sliced olives, and chopped green onions.

Serve with chips. May be refrigerated for later use.

What’s your favorite chip/dip combo? Have any recipes you’d like to share?

Photo by cuttlefish

By Tara