Every Sunday my family tries to get together to enjoy a leisurely late morning breakfast. I like breakfast and brunch foods that fill the house with mouthwatering scents while cooking. Frittata is a great brunch food because it’s easy to make, looks good, and you can customize it to fit the ingredients you’ve got around the kitchen.

Prep time: 15
Total time: 30
Yield (number of servings): 4

Ingredients
8 eggs
½ yellow onion
5 mushrooms
Olive oil
2 potatoes
½ cup shredded Tillamook Medium Cheddar
Handful of grape tomatoes
Spinach, kale, or fresh basil, just enough for garnish
Fresh parsley
1 pinch of black pepper
1 pinch of salt
Note: You will need a frying pan that can be put into the oven

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Dice onion and place in pan over heat with olive oil. Then slice mushrooms and add to the pan. Sauté onion and mushrooms until onion is transparent. Remove onion and mushroom from pan and set aside.

Beat eggs together and set aside. Arrange thin slices of potato on the bottom of the pan and cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Once cooked, arrange the potatoes to cover the bottom of the pan (this will act like a pie crust when you serve the frittata). Cover with a layer of the mushroom and onion, and then pour beaten eggs evenly over the layer of mushrooms and onions. Cover the eggs with the grated cheese. Garnish with the tomatoes, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Best if sliced and served right away.

You can make this breakfast frittata using any seasonal vegetables or diced meats you’d like. You can also substitute any tasty Tillamook Cheese for the Medium Cheddar to mix things up!

What will you include in your frittata this weekend!?

By Amalya

Photo credit: Flickr/justinday (Creative Commons)

There’s a big debate going on these days. Which candidate will give us the best results? Which candidate inspires people across the country? Which candidate will make the tastiest grilled cheese sandwich? Yes, it’s election season, and Loafy wants to know…what’s your favorite loaf!?

Loafy thinks you should elect Medium Cheddar, but don’t let being World’s Best Medium Cheddar influence your vote! Sharp Cheddar is currently leading the polls, but a vote from you and your friends can change that! Hop on over to the election page and let us know which Tillamook Cheese you think deserves the title of the “Big Cheese.” The elected loaf will be on sale for 25% off, so make sure to check back when the polls close on November 6!

By Loafy

It’s election season and Tillamook needs your vote! Tell us…what’s your favorite loaf? Is it smooth Monterey Jack, zingy Sharp Cheddar, spicy Pepper Jack, or the classic Medium Cheddar?! Click here to share your vote, and don’t forget to check back on November 6 to see which loaf wins! The elected loaf will be on sale for 25% off.

By Katie

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Home Entertaining Recipepalooza: We asked some of our favorite bloggers to share a recipe and their tips for home entertaining. This recipe comes from Sara Phillips, editor of the blog, Sensibly Sara. Sara Phillips is a San Antonio, TX blogger who enjoys playing in the kitchen by experimenting with new creations. She writes about her life through recipes and reviews at SensiblySara.com.

Tillamook Deep Dish Cheddar Apple Snickerdoodles

Overview
After hearing some friends talk about how much they loved apples and cheddar together, I really wanted to create something using those ingredients. Deep Dish Cheddar Apple Snickerdoodles are a phenomenal fall recipe that combines sweet and savory! They are best served warm, but they are still delicious after they’ve cooled. Also, you can use more cheese if you want, but I wouldn’t use cubes (it gives the cookie a WEIRD texture!).

Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 40-45 minutes
Yield (number of servings): 12-18

Ingredients
1 cup Tillamook Salted Butter
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese (shreds)
1 apple – cut into tiny cubes (I used Gala)
Cinnamon shaker

Preparation
Blend butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Then add in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix everything together. Combine cheese and apple cubes in the batter. Refrigerate 10-15 minutes.

Spray your cupcake or muffin pan. Add cookie dough (about ⅔ full) and sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on each one. Bake at 350ºF for 18-24 minutes.

About Sara:
Tips for stress-free home entertaining:
“I have cookie scoops (large and small), and I use them to make my cookies uniform in size. Tillamook makes amazing products that are so simple to use. When you use Tillamook, making meals for entertaining takes practically no work!”

Kitchen advice for other moms and dads:
“Get everyone involved – make a list of to-do’s and put names next to each!  Also, don’t be afraid to let your kids help, even if it’s just creating place settings for everyone that will be attending.”

Follow Sara and her blog online:
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Pinterest

By Tillamook

Ready to smoke some cheese!

One of my favorite Tillamook Cheese varieties is the Vintage White Smoked Extra Sharp Cheddar. It is the perfect combination of smokey flavor and creamy, sharp cheddar. So, I thought why not try to smoke my own cheese using appliances I already have? Tillamook uses a cold smoker and unfortunately I don’t have one, so I was forced to use my Traeger smoker. When smoking meat, these are the best smokers available, but we learned they are not quite as good smoking a product that can melt. I went into this experiment hoping that I could get it to work and I’d be able to smoke my own cheese. However, after trying a few combinations of things, it looks like I’ll just have to keep buying my smoked cheese from the experts. Here’s what I did though – try it out and let us know if you come up with any other methods that will work better than mine.

I tried to smoke 4 different flavors – Medium, Special Reserve Extra Sharp, Pepper Jack, and Vintage White Medium. I was wanting to see if the age of the cheese would actually effect the ability of the cheese to be smoked. This was not a scientific experiment, but it appeared that the sharper the cheese, the more it picked up the smokey flavor. Why do you think that is?

I also tried a few sizes – 8oz, 1lb and 2lb. This was to determine if it was possible to infuse flavor into a baby loaf of cheese, or if the cheese needs to be thinner to pick-up the smoke. I punctured the baby loaf in order to allow the smoke to penetrate, but it didn’t flavor as well as the thinner 8oz and 1lb loafs. The benefit of the 2lb loaf though is that it had the fortitude to not melt down as much as a thinner loaf on the hot smoker. To combat the hot smoker, I tried to create a semi-cold smoker by turning the Traeger on and off – trying to keep it as cool and smoke filled as possible. Unfortunately the smoke just didn’t billow until it was hot enough to melt the cheese.

There was definitely some smoke…unfortunately there was also some melt.

Overall, I was able to create a smokey flavor in the cheeses. However, the trade-off was that the texture and shape of the cheese was completely lost. Reheating cheese and then cooling it back down is a bad idea. If you have a cold smoker, this could be done, but I don’t recommend using a hot smoker. At the end of the day, the flavor was obtained, but the texture and consistency of Tillamook smoked cheeses was not. I’ll be buying my smoked cheese from now on!

By Matt

Spice up your lunch with this sweet and spicy grilled cheese from She's Cookin

Priscilla Willis writes about food and dining on her website She’s Cookin’ | from the heart where you’ll find simple + seasonal recipes with a heart healthy focus, dining reviews highlighting healthy options, the occasional indulgence to drool over, and delicious Travel Eats from destinations near and far. Priscilla and her husband find respite in growing greens and tomatoes and walking their Corgi on the beach. Priscilla is a contributor at OC Menus and Honest Cooking and collaborates with Hoag Hospital on raising awareness and educating folks about cooking good foods for the heart.

Recipe Overview:

• Prep time:  20 minutes
• Total time:  30 minutes
• Yield:  2 sandwiches

A grilled cheese with attitude: a hint of heat from creamy Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese and a touch of smoky chipotle mayo + cool, sweet tropical flavors of pineapple and mango = love at first bite. Award-winning Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese chimes in here to temper the heat for those with tender taste buds – otherwise go all out with more Pepper Jack!

Ingredients:

• 1- 7 ounce can Chipotle peppers*
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup pineapple, diced**
• 
3 strips dried mango, diced
• 
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
• 
2 slices Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese
• 
2 slices Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese
• 
4 slices potato or whole grain bread
• olive oil for grilling

*Note: canned Chipotle peppers (packed in adobo sauce) can be found in most supermarkets. **Fresh pineapple is my preference, but canned will do.

Instructions:

Measure one tablespoon of chipotle peppers (refrigerate the remainder of for future use). Place in a mini food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and olive oil and process until blended.

In a small bowl, mix together the diced pineapple, mango, and red pepper. If using canned pineapple make sure to drain well. Makes about 1 cup of fruit salsa.

Heat a cast iron or other heavy skillet or grill over medium-low heat. Using a pastry or grill brush, brush one side of each slice of bread lightly with olive oil. Place bread, oiled side down, on a cutting board. Spread each slice with chipotle mayonnaise. Place one slice of cheese on each slice of bread. Add a tablespoon of the fruit salsa to one side of each sandwich, spread to cover bread. Place partner slice of bread with cheese on top and transfer to heated skillet.

Cook for about 3 minutes per until  golden brown then, using a spatula, carefully turn over to brown the other side, about 2-3 more minutes . Watch carefully. Optional: cover with a pot lid to trap the heat to make sure the cheese melts – must have melted cheese!

By Tillamook

An unexpected concoction of yummy

Laurie Caspell has been a dedicated member of the Tillamook packaging team since 1989 – 23 years!  Laurie, who grew up with a wonderful cook for a mother, said she never liked to cook!  She would have rather spent all her time outside, playing and being a tomboy.  It wasn’t until she had a family and had to learn to cook that she actually started enjoying it.  Nowadays Laurie cooks mostly from recipe ideas she creates in her head (she’s not much for using recipes, because she can’t ever seem to find the one she wants)!  Laurie says the packaging department is full of adventurous cooks who share ideas and recipes back and forth.  Laurie has a great big garden every year and really likes cooking with the fresh ingredients that she grows herself.

Both at work and home, Laurie is a volunteer first responder.  Laurie says that helping others in times of need is her greatest passion and she prides herself on being able to comfort and aid others.  Someday Laurie hopes to go on a volunteer mission for a disaster relief mission.

Recipe Details

• Prep time:  2 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes
• Total time: 12 minutes
• Yield (number of servings): 3 servings

Recipe Overview

The Grilled Strawberry ‘Cheese-Cake’ Sandwich is a sweet take on the traditional grilled cheese sandwich that is unexpectedly delicious.

Ingredients List

• 6 Slices of buttermilk bread
• 6 slices of Tillamook Cheddar Cheese, either Sharp or Medium, depending on your preference
• 5 tablespoons of strawberry jam
• 1/3 cup of cream cheese
• 1 tsp. of honey
• 1/8 tsp. of vanilla flavoring
• 4 to 5 fresh strawberries
• 3 grapes
• Tillamook Salted Butter

Preparation/Instructions

Spread butter on 3 slices of bread and place them butter side down on a flat skillet.

Place 2 slices of cheese on each piece of bread. Top each sandwich with a buttered slice of bread and grill 4 to 5 minutes, or until you see the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown.

Set grilled cheese sandwich on a plate.

Mix cream cheese with the honey and vanilla. Powdered sugar can be used in place of the honey, if desired.

Spread approximately 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam over the grilled sandwich.

Gently spread 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mix on top of the jam.

Place the strawberries in a flower design as shown in the picture, and place 1/2 of a grape in the center of the strawberry flower. Enjoy!

By Tillamook

A fresh take on your favorite sandwich

Healthy Mom’s Kitchen provides family-friendly fat burning recipes and menu plans as well as natural solutions for healing and cleaning with essential oils. Bloggers Nisha Riggs, Michelle Bailey and Brittany Hansen seek to empower moms with  tools to take care of their own health and the health of their families.

Recipe Details

• Prep time: 3 minutes
• Total time: 5 minutes
• Yield (number of servings): 1 sandwich

Recipe Overview

Attention cheese lovers – you still CAN eat healthy and enjoy grilled cheese comfort food!  This Tuscan Multigrain Grilled Cheese features three different kinds of cheese on a homemade multigrain bread with pesto, sprouts, and avocado to give it that healthful Tuscan flare.

Ingredients List

• 1 slice Monterrey Jack Cheese
• 1 slice Tillamook Colby Jack Cheese
• 1 slice Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese
• 2 slices Healthy Mom’s Kitchen Homemade Multigrain Bread (½ inch slices) See recipe
• 1 teaspoon basil pesto (½ tsp on each slice)
• 1 teaspoon Smart Balance Mayo
• 2 tablespoons sprouts
• ½ small avocado
• ½ small tomato

Preparation/Instructions

Cut 1/2 inch slices of homemade multigrain bread. Toast slices in toaster til lightly golden brown.  Slice 1 small roma tomato thinly.  Slice 1 small avocado thinly.  Measure 2 Tbsp sprouts.

Spread 1/2 teaspoon mayo on each slice of bread.  Spread 1/2 teaspoon pesto on each slice of bread.  Add Colby slice on one piece of bread, trim edges to fit perfectly on bread.  Add Medium Cheddar and Monterrey Jack slices on other piece of bread, again trimming edges to fit perfectly on bread. Lay bread slices on oven safe cookie sheet and broil on high for approximately 2 minutes.   Do not preheat oven – turn broil on once bread and cheese is in the oven.  Watch carefully.

Take bread out of oven and top one piece of bread with tomato, sprouts, and avocado.  Cover with other piece of bread and enjoy!

Homemade multigrain bread

By Tillamook

With Mardi Gras right around the corner I was inspired to cook up of my favorite Cajun dishes, jambalaya, but with a twist. I wondered… what would happen if I added another favorite, Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, to the mix? The answer, delicious! Combining the traditional flavors of the jambalaya with the gooey, cheesy texture made me love this dish more than ever. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Andouille sausage
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes (28oz.) w/ juice
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 teaspoons oregano
• 3 teaspoons parsley
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 lb. large white shrimp
• 2 cups long grain rice, cooked
• 1 cup Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Cooking Instructions:

In the slow cooker add the sausage, bell pepper, onion, diced tomatoes, celery, chicken broth, oregano, parsley, cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning. Cook on low for 7-8 hours (stirring occasionally). 30 minutes before serving, add the shrimp and cooked rice. Add shredded Tillamook Cheese until you reach desired cheesiness. Then eat!

By Blu

With the launch of our Cheese’wich App, we’ve been staring at so many photos of grilled cheese sandwiches that it left us hungry for the real thing. We experimented with making grilled cheese sandwiches on a Cuisinart sandwich grill. On the cheese list: Tillamook Medium Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack cheese. Let’s get grillin’.

A grilled cheese press, three Tillamook loafs, Tillamook butter and some Oat Bran wheat bread.

The first sandwich we made was with Medium Cheddar. First we spread butter onto each slice of bread, then placed a generous slice of Medium Cheddar between the bread.

Onto the grill it goes!

Each sandwich took about 2-3 minutes in the grill.

Yum! Using Medium Cheddar makes a classic American grilled cheese sandwich.

Next we made a sandwich with Monterey Jack.

The Monterey Jack has a more subtle taste than Medium Cheddar. It was tasty by itself but might have been even better with a bowl of tomato soup.

Last we made a Pepper Jack grilled cheese.

We experimented with both white and wheat bread to see which suited Pepper Jack better. The wheat was a nice compliment to the zing of Pepper Jack cheese and came out as the winner!

We cut the sandwiches into small pieces so everyone could sample each kind.

In the end, we still liked the classic cheddar grilled cheese sandwich on white bread best. What kind of cheese do you like on your grilled cheese sandwiches?

By Scott