Great sandwiches come from great ingredients

Being in the last stretch of the Loaf Love Tour, sometimes we Brand Ambassadors need a little boost to lift our spirits. I found my boost in a grilled cheese sandwich.

It all started a few weeks ago at the Los Angeles Zoo. I was one of the fortunate Brand Ambassadors who was working our Mommy Blogger event, but most importantly, I was a judge at the grilled cheese competition. At these Mommy Blogger events, families from the area come and enjoy the great taste of Tillamook cheese, play some games with the Brand Ambassadors, and most importantly, create their own grilled cheese sandwiches that are judged on taste, presentation, and creativeness. I was fortunate enough to be one of these judges. After 13 amazing grilled cheese sandwiches, I thought to myself, “I’m going to create the greatest grilled cheese sandwich in the history of grilled cheese sandwiches!” Thus gave birth to Dandy Andy’s Cheesetastic Voyage.

Ingredients
Tillamook Butter
2 slices of Tillamook Vintage White Medium Cheddar and two slices of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar
2 slices of bread – any kind will do, but I chose French bread
Guacamole. Freshly made or bought at a store. I chose to make my own guacamole using 1 avocado, half of a small onion, half of a tomato, LOTS of jalapenos, salt & pepper, some Chili powder and cayenne pepper, and a pinch of cumin.
About 4 ounces of chicken breast, cut into small slices
4 pieces of bacon

Directions
First, you want to bake the chicken until it is done, and cut it up in little chunks. Next, cook the bacon until it is crispy enough to your likings. Now it is time to spread the outsides of the bread with delicious Tillamook butter, none of that 65% vegetable margarine stuff. Spread the insides of the bread with the guacamole. Add two slices of Tillamook Vintage White Medium Cheddar to one side of the bread and two slices of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar to the other side. Add the chicken and bacon, and away we go. Grill each side of this perfect sandwich on medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, and your grilled cheese sandwich should look similar to this deliciousness:

I loaf this cheesetastic combination

This sandwich has everything: protein from the meat, healthy fats from the avocado, carbs from the bread for energy, and of course the scrumptiousness of Tillamook’s all natural cheeses. Just look how happy I am as I take a bite of this delicious sandwich!

A mouthful of awesomeness!

If you are ever in a need of a pick-me-up and want a meal that has been defined as a-mouth-full-of-awesome, I’d definitely recommend Dandy Andy’s Cheesetastic Voyage.

By Andy

S'mores after delectable Tillamook Sharp Cheddar and salami sticks

I think it’s common knowledge that great foods taste even better when served on a stick…corn dogs, popsicles, chicken satay, the list is endless!

Each week the Loaf Love Tour crew has a day or two off, but working or not, Tillamook Cheese never leaves our thoughts. This past “weekend” the team decided to head to an LA area beach and build a huge bonfire to roast hot dogs and toast marshmallows for s’mores. While we were enjoying our fire roasted snacks, TillaMaya reached into our stash of Tillamook Cheese cubes and decided to see what happens when you roast a Medium Cheddar cheese cube on a stick. The result? AMAZING ooey goodness in its purest form. The open bonfire and the melted cheese while sitting in the sand under a black night sky were simply awesome! We went on to roast Sharp Cheddar with salami and it was equally delicious! Do you have any ideas for our next bonfire? Let us know what to roast and we’ll let you know how it turned out.

By Susan N.

There’s a new batch of recipes in the Tillamook Kitchen! LA’s Simplethings Sandwich & Pie Shop has whipped up 10 of their tastiest recipes to share with Tillamook fans. From Avocado Melts with Apricot Chutney to Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, we think these recipes will tickle your taste buds! Created on the concept that the best things in life are simple, Simplethings owners Ryan and Andy offer in-house roasted meats, sauces made from scratch, and a daily rotating pie schedule.

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean that you can’t crave a taste of fall! Simplethings’ Thanksgiving Sandwich pulls together the best flavors of America’s harvest holiday, mixing together turkey, gravy, jalapeno cornbread stuffing and orange cranberry chutney. Can I get a “yum!”?

For a taste of something sweeter, try your hand at the Apple and Golden Raisin Pie with Cheddar Crust. If you’re like me, and making a cheddar crust sounds beyond your culinary capabilities – fear not! The chef of Simplethings walks you through the recipe and makes it look, well, simple.

To learn a little bit more about Simplethings and their philosophy of keeping life simple with sandwiches and pie in the busy city of Los Angeles, take a look at this video!

See all of the recipes from Simplethings and be inspired by other chefs in the Tillamook Kitchen! We hope you’ll swing by Simplethings the next time you’re in the neighborhood to try all of their tasty sandwiches and pies. Big thanks Andy and Ryan of Simplethings for sharing their deliciously simple recipes with Tillamook!

By Katie

As I talked about in my previous post, I entered a video that I made into a Tillamook Cheese contest to win a trip to the Grilled Cheese Invitational in L.A. The video showcased my candied bacon cornbread, fried green tomato, and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese sandwich.

After about a week of crazy-nervous excitement and diligent YouTube stalking of the other entries, I got a message from Tillamook that said I won the video contest. I probably read the message three or four times before I announced to my roommates (and best friends) that I had won. We all started jumping up and down and screaming – so much so, that my super came and checked on us. TILLAMOOK WAS SENDING ME TO LA TO COMPETE IN THE GRILLED CHEESE INVITATIONAL! I called everyone I knew, updated all my social networks, and reveled in the fact that I had achieved the unachievable.

A few days later, my friend Perri and I arrived in L.A. and proceeded to have the time of our lives. When we got to the hotel, we found an awesome gift bag from Tillamook that was stocked with presents and also a cooler full of the food that I was going to use to make my sandwich for the contest. Since my hotel room didn’t have a kitchen and because I didn’t think the food would travel well, I invaded my friends’ house and cooked for a few hours the night before the contest. This just happened to take place on a Friday night and my friend whose kitchen we used, was having people over. With some old fashioned cocktails and Elvis Costello on the record player, my cooking session turned into a pre-Grilled Cheese Invitational party that got me pumped up, excited, and ready for the competition that was happening the next day.

The next morning we packed our gear and headed to the Invitational. Our eyes grew wide as we were taking in everything. I was in grilled cheese heaven. There were food trucks everywhere, vending booths handing out some of the most interesting grilled cheeses I had ever seen, and most importantly, there was Tillamook Land. Upon walking up in my Tillamook shirt, I was instantly recognized and greeted by the nicest people in the world. The Tillamook team was amazing. Because of their generosity and kindness, it was like I was with all of my best friends and they were here to cheer me on.

Me with Gillian and Whitney of the Tillamook team.

After a few hours of hanging out in Tillamook Land and stuffing my face with grilled cheese, it was time for me to compete. I was so excited and nervous that my cheeks started to hurt from smiling so much. Perri and I managed to crank out sandwiches like Loafy manages to crank out smiles, all while being interviewed by the contest officials and curious executive judges. After 50 minutes of adrenaline-pumping-grilled-cheese-slaying, my heat was over. Little did I know, my day was far from being complete.

Me and Perri during the competition!

After going back to Tillamook Land, the crew handed Perri and me executive judge badges and we headed back to the contest for some serious grilled cheese judging. With the Tillamook team by my side, we must have eaten about 25 amazing grilled cheese sandwiches. It got to the point that all of our stomachs were so full that we had to lie in the grass and take a break from eating. Needless to say, it was one of the best and filling events in my life.

After a few beers, a couple more grilled cheese sandwiches, and some funkadelic songs by the Portland March Fourth Marching Band, it was time to hear who had won the contest. Although I didn’t win any of the awards at the actual invitational, I felt like I had won the biggest prize there was. I was the lucky girl who was chosen to have a chance to compete at one of the most exciting cheese melting events in the world – The 2nd 8th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational. Thanks to Tillamook, I met some of the most amazing and nicest people in the world, got to eat some super inventive grilled cheese sandwiches, and had the time of my life. I really can’t express how amazing Tillamook Cheese was to me, but hopefully you can tell from my story, video, and pictures how incredible this experience truly was. All you need is Loaf.

Thanks, Tillamook!

Perri and I love Loafy!

Written by MacKenzie, winner of the Tillamook Cheese Grilled Cheese Invitational Video Contest and mastermind behind the Grilled Cheese Social.

By MacKenzie

In L.A. with my friend Perri.

You know how some things just seem so unattainable? Well for me, attending The Grilled Cheese Invitational was something that I could only dream of ever since I started my grilled cheese blog (The Grilled Cheese Social) last May. As a broke grad student living on the opposite coast, I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to experience all the glory that encompassed this cheese-melting ceremony in Los Angeles until a little birdie tweeted (literally, well sort of) about a contest that Tillamook Cheese was putting on.

When I first read Tillamook’s tweet about the video contest, I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and instantly ran out the door and hopped on the subway to find some of that delicious Tillamook Cheddar. After running into a few stores that were sold-out of this award-winning cheese, I finally found a nice big chunk of it and proudly marched up to the register to pay. 

Now that I had the cheese, I had to decide what I was going to make with it. I wanted to do something simple so that it could show off the cheddar, but also something creative and delicious so that my sandwich would stand out among the other contestants. I decided to use some inspiration from my childhood in the South and from my current life in Brooklyn.  From my southern roots I chose to use cornbread and fried green tomatoes, and from my new Brooklyn roots I decided on a buzzfood that was taking the local Williamsburg restaurants by storm – candied bacon.  

For the video contest I decided to infuse the candied bacon in the cornbread so that there were little bursts of sweet and spicy bacon in each bite. As for the fried green tomato, I thought it would be like a play on the classic tomato and grilled cheese sandwich that so many of us had grown up eating. It was like my modern spin on a classic comfort food. And here’s the recipe and my winning video entry:

Ingredients

Candied Bacon Cornbread:
1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix
1  large egg
1/3 cup of milk
½ pound of thick cut bacon
3/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tsp of cayenne pepper

Fried Green Tomato:
2 large green tomatoes
1 egg
¼ cup of milk
Creole seasoning
1 cup of cornmeal
Salt & pepper to taste
¼ cup of vegetable oil

Sandwich:
Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 pats of Tillamook Salted Butter

Instructions

How to make the candied bacon cornbread:
The first thing you’ll want to do is candy your bacon. Mix brown sugar and cayenne pepper and toss with bacon to fully coat it. Next preheat your oven to 350 and lay your bacon on a cooling rack and place in a shallow baking dish (to allow grease to drip through). With the remaining brown sugar mixture, sprinkle some on top of the bacon and place in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until bacon looks cooked through (it won’t really ever get crisp). After your bacon is finished cooking, allow to cool and slice into tiny little chunks.  

Next, heat your oven to 400 degrees and mix your cornbread according to the directions on the box (beat one egg and 1/3 cup of milk with batter and let sit for a few minutes to rise). Once raised, stir in the candied bacon and bake in a greased shallow baking dish for 15-20 minutes. Remember: you’ll want to make the cornbread thin because you’re using it for a sandwich and you’ve got to let that cheese melt!

How to make the fried green tomatoes:
As the cornbread is baking, you’ll want to make your fried green tomatoes. Cut tomatoes down the horizontal center into medium thick slices. Lay them on some paper towels and salt to allow some of the moisture to be drawn out. After about ten minutes on one side, flip them and salt the other side. Next, beat 1 egg with ¼ cup of milk and set aside. Then mix cornmeal with salt, pepper, and creole seasoning to taste and set aside. Once the moisture has been excreted from the tomatoes, dip in egg mix and coat in the cornmeal mixture. Fill your pan with the vegetable oil and heat to medium high. Once it’s hot enough, fry your tomatoes until they are crispy on each side, flipping once. It should take about 3 minutes on each side. When they’re done, place on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease.

And finally, the grilled cheese!
Now that everything is ready, go ahead and assemble your sandwich. Cut 2 pieces of cornbread and layer with cheese, some of the fried green tomatoes, and some more of that delicious Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, and top with another piece of cornbread! Melt 1 pat of butter in the pan, put sandwich in, then gently place something heavy on the sandwich (I used a press but a tinfoil wrapped brick works wonderfully, too) and cook until one side is golden and crispy. Flip and repeat the butter and press routine until your sandwich is all done! 

Stay tuned for part 2 of my story about my experience at the Grilled Cheese Invitational!

Written by MacKenzie Smith, winner of the Tillamook Cheese Grilled Cheese Invitational Video Contest and mastermind behind the Grilled Cheese Social.

By MacKenzie

Soaking up the sun in SoCal.

We call our awesome little VW Baby Loaf buses ”Yums” and our fleet now has 5 Yums, including the Loafster convertible. I personally have the Tillamook Baby Loaf Yums to thank for making me feel like a star while in the Los Angeles area. For a metropolis that has undeniably seen every form of fashion, cars, homes, and celebrities, I continue to be shocked by people’s surprised reaction to little `ol me driving down the street in a Tillamook Baby Loaf on wheels.

As a Tillamook Cheese Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador, your daily commute to work is unlike any other. For starters, I drive a custom VW that is almost twice my age, the exterior of the vehicle resembles a baby loaf of cheese, and it proudly has Tillamook written all over it. Trust me, there is no driving unnoticed. Often I feel like I’m in a parade with all the waves, smiles, and thumbs-ups I give to total strangers along the road (just wish I had a crown to wear!).

Driving the Loafster convertible!

There are certain occurrences one must be prepared to encounter when driving one of the five Tillamook Yums. Such as: People honking excitedly at you, people screaming and shouting, photos and video being taken of you, being followed or waved down, having 30 second conversations with the car next to you at a red light, or watching people slug their friend in the arm to get them to check us out!

Nothing beats the feeling of when the Loaf Love Tour teamdrives the Yums down Hollywood Blvd, Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, or Rodeo Drive. The people along the streets look at us with such sincere smiles that we naturally give them a cheesy smile right back! The Tillamook Baby Loaf Yums help the Loaf Love Tour bring our tasty cheese to the people everyday and I feel honored to drive them!

See you on the road!

-Jenn, Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador

By Jenn

We are slowly but surely recovering from cheese coma after this weekend’s festivities at The Grilled Cheese Invitational (GCI)! Here are a few highlights from this delicious event: 

- Loafy had a dance-off with one of the members of MarchFourth Marching Band. 

Technically, there weren't any dance judges, but I think Loafy totally brought the best moves.

- Tillamook sampled free cheese and served over 20,000 free grilled cheese samples. 

Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador Jenn

- We ran a Twitter contest and six different people won a year’s supply of Tillamook Cheese! 

- Over 200 competitors tried their hand at making delicious grilled cheese sandwiches (and many of them used Tillamook Cheese!) 

The winners!

- Cameron McClean won the coveted Tillamook Trophy for his Barkin Farker Grilled Cheese Sandwich (sourdough bread, orange-zest butter, New Belgium braised short ribs, Tillamook Cheddar, fontina, and bacon jam-YUM!). 

Cameron and his family

- Heidi Gibson, prior GCI champion from The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, was sharing her grilled cheese knowledge through on-stage cooking demos. 

- Liam and Kelly from our very own Loaf Love Tour won an award for their “Apple ‘n Cheddar Nothing Better” dessert grilled cheese made with Granny Smith, Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, and cinnamon bread. Make their recipe at home. 

Liam & Kelly

- And MacKenzie Smith, winner of our Trip for 2 to the GCI, wowed fans and Tillamook alike with her candied bacon cornbread, fried green tomatoes, and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Grilled Cheese! 

MacKenzie (left)

Thanks to all who came to this insanely awesome event! Think I’ll go celebrate with a grilled cheese (why not?!).

By Gillian

Congratulations to MacKenzie Smith for winning a Trip for 2 to The Grilled Cheese Invitational! MacKenzie and her grilled cheese – fried green tomatoes, candied bacon cornbread, butter, and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar – will compete at the Grilld Cheese Invitational this Saturday, April 23 in Los Angeles. Good luck, MacKenzie! Tillamook Cheese and the Loaf Love Tour will be there cheering you on!

Watch McKenzie’s winning video:

By Loafy

Chefs Dave Danhi and Michele Grant of the Grilled Cheese Truck

Being that April is National Grilled Cheese Month, it only seems fitting to feature our favorite Los Angeles food truck: The Grilled Cheese Truck! Not only do chefs Dave Danhi & Michele Grant make some of the most amazing sammies you’ve ever laid your lips on, they are two of the nicest, most energetic cheese-loving folks you’ll ever meet. They truly have a passion for creating and sharing unique grilled cheese sandwiches with others. Thanks to Dave and Michele for being such wonderful partners (and for using Tillamook Cheese!). We’re proud to feature a collection of your meltastic recipes on our website!

Sample Menu:

Melts:
Cheesy Mac and Rib Melt (macaroni and cheese with sharp cheddar) – $5.50
Pepperbelly Melt (Tillamook Hot Habanero Jack with homemade chili, Fritos, fire roasted salsa and cilantro lime sour cream) – $7
Mom’s Apple Pie Melt (Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar with caramelized cinnamon apples and candied walnuts) – $6.50

Sides:
Tomato Soup – $2.50
Mac and Cheese – $3.25
Tater Tots – $3.75

Tip: In honor of Grilled Cheese Month, the Grilled Cheese Truck is cooking up a special Tillamook ”Loaf Love Melt.” If you can’t get it at the truck, make one at home! Here’s the recipe, courtesy of Dave:

Loaf Love Melt

Makes 8 sandwiches

Ingredients:

16 slices French bread
12 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
12 tablespoons mayonnaise
32 slices Tillamook Sharp Cheddar
24 slices Nueske Applewood Smoked bacon, cooked crisp
2 ripe granny smith apples, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Butter Spread:

In a mixer, put butter and mayonnaise and beat with the paddle attachment until well mixed. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all butter as it may stick to the bowl.

Assembly:

Generously butter one side of each slice of bread with the butter/mayo mixture. Be sure to butter to the very edges! On unbuttered side, lay 2 slices of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Next, lay 3 slices of cooked, crispy bacon and top with 5 slices of granny smith apples. Top the apples with 2 more slices of cheese and finally, the buttered bread, butter side out.

Cooking:

Heat griddle to about 350°F. Place all sandwiches on griddle and allow to cook SLOWLY.  If your heat is too high it will burn the bread and the inside will not be hot. Once golden brown, gently flip and repeat until cheese is melted and hot. If the bread browns prior to the inside being hot, place pan with sandwiches in oven at 450 degrees to allow to finish.

The Grilled Cheese Truck
Find them roaming the streets of Los Angeles, CA
Follow @grlldcheesetruk for current locations

By Loafy

Win a trip for 2 to the Grilled Cheese Invitational!
Tillamook Video Competition
April 1-14

Take your grilled cheese masterpiece all the way to the Grilled Cheese Invitational in L.A.!

Thousands of grilled cheese enthusiasts gather to express their love for the brilliant blend of bread, butter, and melted cheese at the nation’s greatest and gooiest cook-off, the Grilled Cheese Invitational! Flex your melt-making muscles by taking your grilled cheese recipe all the way to Los Angeles where you’ll fight for the toasty title of Grilled Cheese Invitational champion.

How to Enter:
Create a video showing us how to make your one-of-a-kind grilled cheese masterpiece (Need inspiration? Visit the Tillamook Kitchen!). Post your video to YouTube and email a link to the video to fans@Tillamook.com. If you’re selected as the winner, you’ll have the opportunity to enter your sandwich in the Grilled Cheese Invitational!
 
A Few Requirements:
-Your video should be no longer than two minutes (Don’t worry about sharing every step of the process, like slicing and other prep work. Include steps such as assembly and cooking.)
- Your sandwich should use at least one type of Tillamook Cheese (duh!), but other cheeses are welcome too.
-Your videos should be appropriate (please wear pants and keep language kosher).
-Have fun and be creative! Show us that your grilled cheese is a standout sammich.
-To submit your video, email the following to fans@Tillamook.com: your full name, daytime phone number, and the URL to your YouTube video.
-Last day to submit videos is Thursday, April 14!

Please read the official rules before participating.
 
Prize:
The grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to sunny Los Angeles, California!  The trip includes two nights stay in a hotel, car service, meals, and cost of entry into the Grilled Cheese Invitational. Tillamook will also provide the ingredients for your sandwich at the invitational.

Bread, Butter, Cheese, Victory!

By Loafy