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

Photo credit: LibAmanda (Flickr)/Creative Commons.

A friend from St. Louis keeps showing up to parties with a beautiful dessert that is gooey and so delicious. Is it cake? Is it pudding? Whatever it is, I decided it was time for this St. Louis classic to make its debut on the West Coast. The recipe for Gooey Butter Cake is amazingly simple – it just takes a few ingredients and a little time. Give it a try for your next holiday party!

Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix (18¼ oz)
3 eggs
2 sticks Tillamook Butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
16 oz powdered sugar

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the cake mix, one egg, and one stick of melted butter in an electric mixer. When well mixed, pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13”x9” baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the 2 remaining eggs, vanilla, and the other stick of butter and beat together. Add the powdered sugar (but reserve a bit for the topping!) and mix well.

Spread cream cheese mixture over cake batter and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until top is golden but center is still gooey. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bite-sized pieces.

This recipe was adapted from a recipe from Paula Dean. 

By Katie

Scones remind me of times spent with family. They seem to always be present at big family gatherings, festive occasions or any time a scone lover pleads for them to be made…which means, in my house, they are made often. With so many scones being eaten, it’s helpful to change up the recipe to keep things fresh. One of my favorite recipes is for Tillamook Cheddar Scones. They are rich, buttery, flaky, light with just the right amount of savory cheesy goodness to go with any dinner, or lunch…or breakfast! Enjoy!

Ingredients
4 cups and 1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1½ teaspoon salt
¾ pound and 1 tablespoon Tillamook Salted Butter
5 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar
½ cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon milk

Preparation
Prepare your ingredients. You want your butter cold. Really cold! It’s the secret to flaky scones. Cut up a ¾ pound of the butter into small cubes, place them in a bowl, and stick them back in the fridge until it’s time to use them. Cut up the scallions. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter into a fry pan over medium heat. Add the scallions to the pan and saute for a few minutes (about 4 minutes). Set aside and allow to cool completely. Cut up ½ pound of the Tillamook Cheese into small cubes and set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the over to 400 degrees.

Use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add 4 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt. Mix, being careful to go slow so the flour doesn’t shoot up at you. Add the super cold butter to the flour and mix until the butter becomes the size of peas and is covered by the flour mixture. It’s important that you can still see little chucks of butter in the mixture. Lightly beat 4 eggs in a small bowl. Add the heavy cream and the eggs to the flour and butter. Combine, being careful not to over mix. Add 1 tablespoon of flour to the cheddar cubes and mix to cover the cheese with a light coating of flour. Add the cheddar and the scallions to the batter, mixing as little as possible.

Flour a counter and place the dough on the counter. Knead the dough for a minute or two, until the cheese is distributed. Roll the dough out to a ¾ inch thick sheet. Cut dough into 22 trinagles.

Mix one egg with milk in a small bowl. Brush on top of scones. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops of scones are lightly brown. Recipe makes 22 scones.

By Kelly

Impress your holiday guests with festive Tillamook Butter portions. This is an easy personal touch that you can prepare well in advance of your party. It’s best to work with super-chilled butter, so keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to start shaping it. I’ve tried it with frozen butter, but found it to crumble when cutting.

You’ll need Tillamook Butter, a large knife, small cookie cutters (or fondant cutters) and a bowl of warm water.

After warming the knife under running hot water, cut the butter into 1cm-thick slabs. Dip the cookie cutters into the bowl of hot water and press into the butter slabs. Gently press the shape out of the cookie cutter, using the blunt end of a chopstick if it doesn’t push out easily.

This do it yourself festive party touch is an easy way to get your kids involved in prepping for your next gathering

When you’re done, place the butter shapes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap to prevent the butter from taking on odors, and refrigerate until ready to serve. I like to use my butter scraps to make my piecrust. Keep your scraps in the fridge and save for another use.

If you don’t have small cookie cutters, you can try to cut your butter into simple triangles or even try a melon baller for DIY butter balls

What fun shapes will you butter your guests up with this season?

By Amalya

“Well, do you want to make somethings unbelievably delicious?”

I was sitting at my mother’s house, trying to figure out what to make for a family dinner when my mom posed this exact question. I looked up from the cookbook I was flipping through for inspiration, raised an eyebrow and responded with, “I can’t imagine saying no to that question.” Somehow, my mom had knowledge of a corn pudding that is both silky smooth in texture, balanced between a savory base and bursts of sweetness, and so satisfyingly good that each bite leaves you feeling warmed from the inside. It seems like an exaggeration, sure, but then you haven’t tried this corn pudding, YET!

The recipe is based off The Barefoot Contessa Sagaponack Corn Pudding recipe but has been tweaked over the years by my own mother.

Ingredients
¼ lbs of Tillamook Salted Butter
1 ½ jalapeno peppers
5 cups fresh corn kernels cut off the cob
1 cup chopped onion
4 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup half and half
½  cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
¾  teaspoon black pepper
10 oz grated Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 2 quart backing dish by greasing with butter.

In a saute pan add butter and allow to melt over medium heat. Add jalapenos and saute for about two minutes. Turn heat up to medium-high and add corn and onion. Saute entire mixture for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Add eggs, milk, and half and half in a large bowl and whisk together until combined. Slowly add in the cornmeal and ricotta. Mix well. Next, add in basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Finally, add in corn mixture and approximately 6 ounces of the Tillamook Cheese. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Fill a larger baking pan half way with water. Place the baking pan containing corn pudding mixture into the water bath. Place into oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until the top has browned and a toothpick placed in the middle of the pudding comes out clean.

You will want to eat the pudding immediately, while it’s still warm. Enjoy!

By Kelly

Peach Melba Pie with butter on top

It’s November and tis the season for yummy pies! Truthfully, I think pies are good any time of the year, but there is something about November with pumpkin pie, apple pie, chocolate pie…

Pie recipes often call for shortening and we wanted to know, can butter be substituted and still make a flaky crust? Since I am still trying to figure out how to make a perfect pie crust (and I took Home Ec, too!), I put my mom to the task. She makes the best pie crusts. The fillings are really good, too. She set about substituting Tillamook Butter for shortening in her favorite pie crust recipe. And the result: “The crust was REALLY flaky,” she said.

Just in time for you to make your favorite Thanksgiving pie, here’s the pie crust recipe and a pie that my mom just happened to whip up, and my dad got to enjoy, for this little experiment.

Mary Jo’s Pie Crust (Nope, my mom’s name isn’t Mary Jo)

Yield: 6-7 single crusts or 3 double crusts

Ingredients
5 cups flour
2 cups cold Tillamook Unsalted Butter (1 lb)
1 teaspoon salt
1 whole egg

Preparation
Place several ice cubes and about 1½ cups of water in a 2-cup measuring cup and then set aside. Break egg into a 1-cup measuring cup, beat slightly, and then set aside. Cut the butter into small cubes and then set aside. Mix together the flour and salt.

Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the cubes of butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a crumble. Do not over mix. The tiny balls of butter will make your crust flaky.

Pour enough of the iced water into the measuring cup with the beaten egg to make 1 cup. Pour the egg/water mixture into the crumble and mix with a spoon or your hands just until all of the flour has been incorporated. Divide into 6 balls.

On a floured board, immediately roll out the crust(s) you plan to use right away. Chilling your crusts after shaping and placing them in pie plates while you make your filling or before baking will reduce shrinkage.

This crust keeps well for several days in the refrigerator and also freezes well. Tightly wrap the balls of dough you will not be using in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped balls in a freezer bag or foil and refrigerate or freeze. Thaw frozen balls in the refrigerator when ready to use. If you don’t want to make a crust every time you want a pie, just pull out a ball of dough, defrost it a little and voila, you are ready for your filling!

The traditional pies are my favorite for Thanksgiving, but sometimes it’s nice to try something a little different. Need a pie idea for your holiday meal? How about this one? It is also really great for summer with a scoop of Tillamook Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Peach Melba Pie

Yield: 1 pie

Ingredients
4 cups fresh peaches (peeled and sliced)
4 cups fresh raspberries (rinsed)
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon Tillamook Butter (cut into small pieces)
2 pie crusts
Egg wash

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and then roll out and place one crust in a pie plate. Using a knife, trim the crust to the outer edge of the pie plate. Chill. Roll out the second crust and then place it on a cookie sheet and chill until ready to use.

Place the peaches and raspberries in a large bowl. Mix together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pour the sugar mixture over the peaches and raspberries and gently toss, trying not to break up the raspberries. Pour the fruit mixture into the chilled pie crust.

Place the small pieces of butter on top of the fruit. Slightly wet the outer edge of the crust with water. Place the second crust on top of the fruit, pressing the edges to seal. Using a knife cut off the extra dough from the top crust leaving about ½ inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. Tuck the extra dough UNDER the edge of the bottom crust to fully seal. Crimp the edge and prick or cut the top crust to vent.

Make an egg wash using 1 egg and a small amount of water, and lightly brush the top crust with the egg wash. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden. Serve with Tillamook Vanilla Bean or Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream.

Note: This pie is juicy, especially if the peaches are very juicy and/or the raspberries break up during mixing.

By Chandra

Home Entertaining Recipepalooza: We asked some of our favorite bloggers to share a recipe and their tips for home entertaining. This recipe comes from Haley Shivers’ blog Love Life Family…and then some. Haley Shivers is the Author and Mom behind Love, Life, Family…and then some. Based in Houston, Texas she has a passion for all things blogging and social media.

Tillamook Easy Sour Cream Enchiladas 

Overview
A hearty and delicious family favorite, these enchiladas are a huge hit every time I make them! Pair with Spanish rice and black beans for a perfect meal. My tip for this recipe is that if you find that the sauce is too thick after adding in your sour cream, you can use extra chicken broth 1 tablespoon at a time to thin it out.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Yield (number of servings): 8

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb), cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Tillamook Butter
8 flour tortillas
2 cups Tillamook Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, divided
1 ½ cups Tillamook Sour Cream
1 cup chicken broth
1 4-oz can green chiles
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation
Using a large skillet over medium heat, cook onion and chicken in butter until chicken is cooked through. Next, spoon onion chicken mixture into tortillas, add some cheese, and roll them up. Place the rolls side by side in a buttered 9×13 baking dish, fold side down.

In a skillet whisk together sour cream, chicken broth, and green chiles over medium-high heat. Add in garlic powder, cumin, and cayenne. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Pour sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 17-19 minutes or until cheese becomes lightly brown and bubbly.

About Haley:
Tips for stress-free home entertaining:
“My secret to making entertainment in the home stress-free is to be well prepared. I shop ahead of time so I make sure the day of my event I won’t have to run to the store and lose valuable prep time.”

Kitchen advice for other moms and dads:
“My kitchen advice for Mom’s preparing for a family gathering is to have a fun craft or project to have your kids work on the day of your party (for Holidays, I like to give them a craft kit to create a table centerpiece). Sit them down in the living room with the activity and have dad or another relative supervise. With less to worry about things will go more smoothly in the kitchen while you’re cooking.”

Follow Haley and her blog online:
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By Tillamook

Home Entertaining Recipepalooza:  We asked some of our favorite bloggers to share a recipe and their tips for home entertaining. This tasty recipe comes from Emily Morgenstern of 52 Mantels, a blog about all things home, including weekly mantel makeovers, seasonal crafts, simple recipes and affordable DIY projects. She’s a lover of parties, a drinker of coffee, a believer of grace, a mommy to a sweet girl, and the wife to her best friend of a hubby.

Tillamook Cheesy Twice Baked Potatoes

Overview
When planning a holiday or special occasion menu, Twice Baked Potatoes typically make my list. They’re easy to prepare and make ahead, and are a breeze to serve from a buffet line. Plus, they’re delicious enough for even the most finicky party guest!

The beauty of Twice Baked Potatoes is that they can be made ahead OR they can be made in stages: 1) bake potatoes 2) stuff potatoes 3) re-bake potatoes. Potentially, each of these steps could be made on different days. I love the flexibility of this dish!

Prep Time: 1½ hours
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield (number of servings): 6

Ingredients
6 large russet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz Tillamook All Natural Sour Cream
3 tablespoons Tillamook Salted Butter, softened
1½ cup Tillamook Shredded Classic Mac & Cheese Blend Cheese
1 ounce milk
6 strips of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare potatoes by scrubbing clean and piercing with fork in several places. Rub olive oil over potato skins and place in oven, directly on rack. Bake for 60-75 minutes, until potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. When lightly pressed, potatoes should give under the pressure. Let potatoes cool completely.

When cooled, cut each potato in half, lengthwise. Make potato boats by carefully scooping out the interior flesh, leaving the skin plus approximately ¼ inch of potato flesh intact. Set aside 6 boats and discard the remaining 6. In a large bowl, combine potato flesh with sour cream, 1 cup of cheese, butter, milk, and bacon. Mash with a potato masher until combined. Spoon mixture evenly among the 6 potato boats. Place in a large, oven-safe casserole dish, sprinkle tops with remaining cheese, and bake in a 350 oven for approximately 20 minutes.

**To make ahead: Complete all steps prior to the final baking. Place loaded potatoes in an airtight container and refrigerate until 1½ hours prior to serving. To serve, remove potatoes from refrigerator, place in a large, oven-safe casserole dish, and let potatoes come to room temperature. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for approximately 20-30 minutes.

About Emily:
Tips for stress-free home entertaining:
“For my family, stress-free entertaining is all about planning ahead. I always pick dishes that can be prepared ahead of time so the moments before an event are relaxing and fun!

Kitchen advice for other moms and dads:
“My advice for planning a dinner party or family gathering is to choose only one or two specialty dishes to focus your attention on. The rest of the menu can be filled in with semi-homemade fare, store bought dishes or even pot-luck style dishes. Don’t try to take on a complicated six course meal on your own. Instead, wow your guests with a delicious, home-cooked main course…and serve a bakery-bought pie for dessert. Your guests will be delighted and you’ll be a composed, relaxed host or hostess!”

Follow Emily and her blog online:
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Pinterest

By Tillamook

Home Entertaining Recipepalooza: We asked some of our favorite bloggers to share a recipe and their tips for home entertaining. This queso recipe comes from Arena. Arena married a Nerd and now she knows way too much about Star Wars, flanges, and Magic: The Gathering. She writes a Dallas mom blog, The Nerd’s Wife, featuring recipes, photography tips, and stories of her family’s nerdy exploits. See this recipe on her blog.

Tillamook Queso Blanco

Overview
We always serve queso at our family gatherings – especially during football season! It’s the perfect tailgate dish! Gig’em Aggies!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of Tillamook Butter
1 can of Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
1 pound of pork breakfast sausage
12 ounces Tillamook Vintage White Medium Cheddar, shredded
4 ounces Tillamook Monterey Jack, shredded
¼ - ⅔ cup of milk

Preparation
Brown the pork sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then set aside. Drain the Rotel tomatoes and heat the butter on medium-high heat until melted. Add the Rotel tomatoes and sauté for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, mix the cheese and ¼ cup of milk until the cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Add the Rotel and sausage to the saucepan. Mix well. Then gradually stir in milk until the queso reaches desired consistency. (Make sure the cheese is fully melted before adding any more milk. If you put too much milk, the queso will be too runny.) Serve immediately (it’s yummier that way!) with tortilla chips for dipping.

About Arena: 
Tips for stress-free home entertaining:
“For me, the key is to be prepared. I like to keep several options for dinner and dessert on hand, just in case company arrives unannounced. My freezer is stocked with pies-in-a-jar, frozen cookie dough, and enchiladas I can pop right into the oven.

Kitchen advice for other moms and dads:
“Find recipes to serve that are easy to prep in advance, but still unique and fun! I served Monkey Cupcakes at my niece’s birthday party – I baked the cupcakes and made the monkey faces in advance, and they lasted several days frozen. The cupcakes were so fun and cute – all the kids loved them!”

Follow Arena and her blog online:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

By Tillamook

This cheesy appetizer is an easy and delicious addition to any gathering

When it comes to cooking it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, making the same few things for dinner or having the same breakfast cereal for weeks. Every time it’s my turn to bring an appetizer, I seem to come up with the same three or four ideas. I was invited to a birthday party recently and sure enough, I was assigned to bring the appetizer. Over the phone, I mentioned that I was going to try my best to come up with something new and creative. My friend got quiet and then said, “But I asked you to bring the appetizer because we all love your spinach dip.” Well, what’s a girl to do but bring a spinach artichoke dip.

My recipe has been adopted from The Pioneer Woman. My ingredient list is slightly different but the cooking instructions are the same. It turns out, even “The Best Spinach Artichoke Dip Ever” can still be made better with Tillamook!

Ingredients
6 tablespoons Tillamook Salted Butter
4 tablespoons chopped garlic
10 ounces fresh spinach (you can use less if you get spinach in a bag that has less than 10 ounces)
Salt
Pepper
2 cans artichoke hearts
3 tablespoons flour
1½ cups whole milk
5 ounces cream cheese
½ cup feta cheese
½ Tillamook Shredded Italian Blend
1 cup grated Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

By Kelly