Our Picnic Photo Contest has come to an end, but not without us learning a thing or two. It turns out picnics come in all forms. There are picnics poolside and ocean side. Picnics can be in the park or in the backyard. They can be brought inside when the weather is too hot or too rainy. Picnics can be as simple as cheese and crackers or reach unlimited heights of fancy. Picnics are for lovers and for the whole family. Basically, all you need is a little food and a lot of love and ta-da, a picnic is born. Here are our top ten runners up from our summer picnic contest. Tell us, what makes your picnic perfect?

Nothing's more fun than a picnic on the beach...well, a red wagon full of Tillamook is pretty fun too!

How do you have a picnic in Hawaii? By luau, of course!

Tillamook brings smiles to family picnic time!

Picnics are going retro!

All you need is a little Tillamook Cheese and crackers and you have an instant vacation picnic!

The sophisticated picnic, complete with Tillamook Cheese and bubbles!

Finding love over a Tillamook loaf!

A sunset AND a picnic! Life doesn't get any better than this!

Don't forget to pack the baby sister when you go on your Tillamook picnic!!

When it rains, the picnic comes inside.

By Loafy

Amanda's two sun-loving girls enjoying a Tillamook picnic

With so many fantastic picnic-goers it was hard to pick just one winner. The creativity of Tillamook fans appears to be endless and picnics are no exception. While there were so many picnics worthy of the win, we could only choose one. We are thrilled to announce that Amanda and her two sun-loving girls are the winners of our Picnic Photo Contest.

“My girls LOVE cheese! These hot summer days are perfect for snacking in the backyard…..They love being in the sun and having fun! (Even the baby loaf in the picture does!!!!)” – Amanda

Can you spy where I am in this picture (pssst, look for the Baby Loaf)?

If you’re inspired to create your own picnic, you should pack your basket, grab a blanket, hit the outdoors, and follow these tips from Kendall’s Entertaining Life.

By Loafy

Win the ultimate picnic!

Grab your friends, grab your family, grab a Baby Loaf – it’s Picnic Season! Whether you’re grilling cheeseburgers on the beach, enjoying a homemade (and maybe a little squished) sandwich atop a mountain, or just snacking on cheese and crackers in the backyard, show us! Send us your favorite photo of a Tillamook picnic for the chance to win a trip to the Tillamook Cheese Factory on the Oregon Coast (picnic included)!

You can enter by:

• Emailing your picture to fans@Tillamook.com
• Posting your picture on the Tillamook Cheese Facebook wall
• Tweeting @TillamookCheese with the hashtag #PicnicPic
• Pinning your pic to Pinterest and tagging Tillamook in your description

Send us your photos Monday, July 2 through Tuesday, July 31. And remember, a picnic is wherever you make it. And wherever there’s Tillamook!

How to Enter:

1) Read the official contest rules.

2) Snap a picture of your Tillamook picnic (don’t worry if you don’t have a fancy camera – we’re looking for the perfect Tillamook picnic moment, not the perfect picture!).

3) Submit your entry by:

• Emailing your picture to fans@Tillamook.com
• Posting your picture on the Tillamook Cheese Facebook wall
• Tweeting @TillamookCheese with the hashtag #PicnicPic
• Pinning your pic to Pinterest and tagging Tillamook in your description

4) Prize: Trip for 4 to Oregon Coast

• Airfare to Portland, Oregon for 4
• 2 nights stay in a hotel on the Oregon Coast
• Rental car services
• Picnic Basket from The Tillamook Cheese Factory with all the makings of a lovely beach picnic

We will announce our winner August 1, 2012. Happy picnicking!

By Loafy

Whether it’s signature eggs on Sunday morning or a super combination of toppings for Wednesday pizza night, most dads have a recipe that only they can make. When they do, it’s extra special, particularly when there’s Tillamook involved.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a dad who makes it, a kid who eats it or a wife who loves it, send us the recipe for dad’s ultimate dish featuring Tillamook. You could win a custom BBQ kit created just for dad valued at more than $250!

Send an email to fans@tillamook.com including the following content to be entered to win:

• Recipe for dad’s ultimate dish
• The story behind the recipe

Monday, June 4 to Sunday, June 17

How to Enter:
1) Read the official contest rules

2) Submit the recipe for dad’s ultimate recipe and the story behind dad’s recipe

3) Email your entry to fans@tillamook.com

4) Prize – the dad with the winning recipe will receive:

• Grand prize: a custom BBQ kit created just for dad

We will announce our winner the week of June 18!

By Loafy

Hooray! We received more than 80 amazing entries for our Tillamama Contest, and after much deliberation, we’ve selected our winners!

• 1st place: Jane, who was nominated by her daughter Stephanie Sabin Galusha
• 2nd place: Marian Scadden, who was nominated by her daughter Erin Scadden Tate
• 3rd place: Antoinette Brunton, who was nominated by her husband Jonathan and daughter Natalia

Thanks to everyone who entered, and congratulations again to our winners!

First Place Winner:

First place winner Jane and her daughter Stephanie

“Tradition, tradition! Tradition!” My Tillamama, Jane, is all about tradition! My mother raised her six children as a single mother, and so a trip to the beach was a grand and exciting adventure for all of us. I do not remember the first time we stopped in Tillamook and went to the cheese factory, but I know it stayed with me! It was so exciting to walk through the cheese-making process, get in line to sample all the different cheeses, pick out a special treat to take home with us, get some yummy ice cream! Of course, I cannot forget the “squeaky cheese!” It is my mother’s favorite treat from Tillamook and we always return home with a bag of it (or sometimes two!) Honestly, I do not recall a trip to the Oregon Coast where my family has not stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It is tradition for my family to stop there every time, and it is a tradition that we never want to break! We even made the trip to Tillamook just after my brother had passed away because the memories there made us feel closer to him (I had even bought a Tillamook beef stick for his birthday just before he died, no joke.) My most recent trip to Tillamook, in March 2012, was one week before I delivered my second baby. I just HAD to go before he arrived so I could get some cheese and a waffle cone! My neighbor came with me because she had never been there! When I asked my mother what she wanted me to bring home to her, she replied in a text message, “get me some squeaky cheese!” :-)

I love my Mom! She deserves to win the title of Tillamama not only because of her loyalty to Tillamook cheese, but because of her love and loyalty to her family. She has always been there for all of us, has always worked so incredibly hard without being rewarded. She deserves to win the title of Tillamama because she is the most wonderful mother in the world and I would love to see her be publicly rewarded for being such a great mother. I would love to see her excitement at winning something; especially something she would put to good use. My Tillamama deserves the very best, and believe me, my family thinks Tillamook cheese is the very best!

Second Place Winner:

Erin's creative entry for her mom, Marian

3rd Place Winner:

Third place winner Antoinette Brunton!

My mom is THE Tillamama and Biggest Fan!
Each week she has a shopping and cooking plan!
She fills her shopping cart with Tillamook Galore!
Each day we tell her “we want MORE!”
Tillamook butter for morning toast
and Tillamook yogurt is what I like the most!
Tillamook sour cream and Colby omelet
or maybe my mom will make nachos, I’ll bet!
Tillamook cheddar slices on hamburgers for lunch
the taste is the BEST and “Loaf” a whole bunch!
Tillamook shredded mozzarella on pizza a winner
I’m happy my mom will make it for dinner!
The best part of all is the Tillamook ice cream
our favorite Oregon Strawberry, Chocolate Peanutbutter, and Marionberry Pie are a heavenly dream!
Please, oh please crown my mom the ultimate Tillamama Queen!
Because she feeds us Tillamook for breakfast, supper, and all day in between!

By Loafy

Hooray for Tillamamas!

A Tillamama is a mom who knows the value of great, natural cheese. She never runs out of hugs, love or Tillamook. Tell us why a mom in your life deserves the title of Tillamama and you both could win cheese and goodies from Tillamook! We will select a 1st place, 2^nd place and 3^rd place winner! You and your Tillamama could each win:

• 1^st Place: a year’s supply of Tillamook Cheese!
• 2^nd Place: our Big Cheese Gift Box
• 3^rd Place: our Deli Sampler Gift Box
• Each winner will also receive one of our new Tillamama t-shirts so you can show the world that you’re a Tillamama! 

Nominate your favorite Tillamama from Tuesday, May 1 to Friday, May 11 by sending us an email, posting on our Facebook wall, tweeting us @TillamookCheese or tagging us in a Pinterest pin! The more creative the better!

How to Enter:
1) Read the official contest rules.

2) Take a photo, write a poem, record a video, create a collage – anything that tells us why your mom is a Tillamama!

3) You can submit your entry in the following ways:

• Email fans@tillamook.com
• Post on the Tillamook Facebook wall
• Tweet @TillamookCheese and include the hashtag #Tillamama
• Create a pin in Pinterest, and include #Tillamama in the comments

4) Prizes – winning entry submitters and their Tillamamas will each receive:

• 1^st Place: a year’s supply of Tillamook Cheese and a Tillamama t-shirt
• 2^nd Place: one Big Cheese Gift Box and a Tillamama t-shirt
• 3^rd Place: one Deli Sampler Gift Box  and a Tillamama t-shirt

We will announce a first, second and third place winner by Friday, May 18 here on the Tillamook Loaf Life blog.

Get creative and tell us why your Mom is a Tillamama!

By Loafy

Photo: Flickr, Kthread

Do you think you have what it takes to help choose the next winner of the Tillamook Cheese Factory Grilled Cheese Recipe Contest? Tell us why and you could be part of the judges’ panel, spending your Saturday tasting yummy recipes from our three finalists then telling the world whose recipe reigns the cheesiest!

How to Enter

• Send an email to fans@tillamook.com and tell us why you deserve to be one of the judges for this year’s cookoff. Whether it’s your love for Tillamook Cheese, an eye for the perfect grill mark, an obsession with grilled cheese – or all three! – we want to know!
• Submit your entry by midnight on Monday, April 9.

The winner will be selected and notified no later than Friday, April 13. The contest cookoff will take place at the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook, Oregon on Saturday, April 21. See officials rules here.

Good luck!

By Loafy

Do you have the best tasting, creamiest melting, most unique and utterly irresistible grilled cheese sandwich recipe out there?  Then enter the Tillamook Cheese Factory Grilled Cheese Recipe Contest! From March 16th through April 9th, submit your one-of-a-kind recipe and you could be one of three finalists who will compete in a live cook-off on Saturday, April 21st at the Cheese Factory.  A panel of judges including chefs, local personalities, and professional cheese tasters (yes, that is a real job) will pick a winner who will get bragging rights for the best darned Tillamook grilled cheese sandwich on the planet – oh, and $500 and a delicious Tillamook goodie basket!  There are goodie basket prizes for our runners up, too.

How to enter

Three easy ways:

• E-mail your name, city, daytime phone number and grilled cheese recipe to grilledcheesecontest@tillamook.com, or
• Stop by the Cheese Factory for an entry form, fill it out and return it there, or
• Print out an entry form and mail it to us!

But hurry – deadline for entries is midnight, Monday, April 9th.  Click here for all the contest details!

You say you’re not much of a cook but still LOAF to eat Tillamook grilled cheese sandwiches?  Then you will want to enter our contest to become our Celebrity Best Tillamook Cheese Fan judge at the recipe cook-off!  Details on this contest coming soon so stay tuned to the Loaf Life blog and Facebook!

By Tillamook

The Goldsteins: Samantha, Jared, Jessica and Kaitlyn Rose

We’re so excited to share our, very deserving, Tillamook Fridge Mookover Contest winner. We had so many entries, it was VERY hard to choose. But our winner is…..Jessica Goldstein and family, nominated by her very kind friend, Ashley Stetson. Here is the winning nomination:

“I want to nominate my friend Jessica Goldstein and her family. Jessica had her daughter prematurely, at 26 weeks, and Kaitlyn has been in the NICU for almost 3 months and needs heart surgery. Jessica also has a 3 year old named Samantha. She works from home and drives 45 minutes each way everyday to see her baby in the NICU. They have almost no extra money because of medical expenses and the gas to see Kaitlyn everyday. She LOVES Tillamook cheese and loves to feed her husband and daughter healthy whole foods. She is also pumping breastmilk everyday and driving it to the NICU to give Kaitlyn the best nutrition possible. And eating good cheese and yogurt like Tillamook helps her stay healthy and make healthy milk for her baby! This family is sooooo deserving! PLEASE GIVE THEM A MOOKOVER!!!!”
~ Ashley Stetson

Congratulations Jessica! And thank you, Ashley, for nominating your friend. We are very excited to give the Goldsteins a Tillamook Fridge Mookover!

By Tillamook

Do you know someone whose fridge is filled with processed cheese? Yogurt with artificial sweeteners, colors, or flavors? Butter that was made from milk with artificial growth hormones?

Sounds like they are in need of a Tillamook Fridge Mookover so that they can enjoy the tastiest, highest-quality dairy delights! Tell us at fans@tillamook.com about the person (and their fridge!) who is in desperate need of a Tillamook Fridge Mookover by midnight January 20th, 2012 (PST). We’ll choose the best submission and award the nominee tasty Tillamook dairy products to fill their fridge.

A Tillamook Fridge Mookover includes…

• Three 2lb Tillamook Medium Cheddar Baby Loafs
• Two 2lb Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Baby Loafs
• Two 12oz Sliced Tillamook Cheese packages
• Two 1lb Tillamook Butter packages
• Thirty 6oz Tillamook Lowfat Yogurts
• Two 16oz Tillamook Sour Cream containers
• Two Tillamook Ice Cream cartons

How to Enter Contest:

1. Read the official contest rules.
2. Nominate the person you feel is most in need of a Tillamook Fridge Mookover by Friday, January 20th, 2012 (midnight PST) by emailing us at fans@tillamook.com.
3. Tillamook will choose the best submission and award the Fridge Mookover Prize.
4. One winner will be announced on January 23rd.

By Loafy