If you didn’t know it, the sign should indicate that there are some great artisan products at the Oregon Cheese Festival!

Is there a better place to be than with fellow cheese lovers in a town that also holds a festival for William Shakespeare and has a totally down-home, hippie vibe that loves locals and welcomes artisans?! No. There is not. I know this because this past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to, along with two co-workers, represent Tillamook at the Oregon Cheese Guild’s 9th Annual Oregon Cheese Festival!

Four varieties of Oregon Cheeses made for one amazing dinner

The weekend started with a dinner featuring 4 varieties of Oregon Cheeses – and that doesn’t even include the cheese plate before the meal with about 20 different cheeses! WHOA! I had tasted some before (if you haven’t had it, you must try Portland Creamery’s Sweet Fire! It’s an unbelievably delicious Chevre with a Habanero Marionberry jam) and some I hadn’t had. After making sure to taste them all, I left with a greater appreciation of the quality of cheese making in Oregon. We’re pretty lucky.

Just one picture of the nearly 10,000 people who came to the 8th Annual Oregon Cheese Festival

The next day was the main event. Held right next to Rogue Creamery’s headquarters in Central Point, OR, nearly 10,000 people came to celebrate Oregon bounty under a tent that blocked not rain, but sun on this beautiful weekend! Tillamook was there with other Oregon cheeses from Rogue Creamery, Willamette Valley Cheese Company, Portland Creamery and many, MANY other artisan producers. We handed out about 60lbs of free samples of some of our more specialty cheeses: Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar, Garlic Chili Pepper Cheddar, America’s Best Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar, Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar and Sharp Cheddar cheeses. We also gave people recipes to try at home and wine pairing guides (which came in very handy – there were some great Oregon wines on hand to be tasted).

Driving up the Oregon Coast is always a good idea – made better when the sun decides to peak out!

I have to throw in that if you are Ashland, you should stay at the Ashland Springs Hotel. It’s a beautiful, old hotel that is part of the Historic Hotels of America and is close to everything downtown Ashland has to offer. Try out Standing Stone Brewery for some great beer and Mix café for an AMAZING chocolate croissant, then hike Lithia Park and take a drive through Myrtle Creek and up the coast through Coos Bay, Newport, and Lincoln City to see all of the incredibly natural wonders that allow Oregon to have all of the bountiful food we do!

This event was an incredible celebration of the growing cheese industry in Oregon and Tillamook was truly thrilled to be a part of it! Make sure you remember to put this on your calendar next year so you too can enjoy some of the best cheeses in America – all under one HUGE tent!

By Matt

The Valero Alamo Bowl will be played Saturday, Dec. 29 at 6:45 p.m. EST. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played Thursday, Jan. 3 at 8:30 p.m. EST.

As an Oregon company we are excited not only about the wonderful area where we live and the great community we have, but about our college football! We are fortunate to have not just one, but two of our major universities playing in major bowl games this year. The Oregon State Beavers will be taking on the mighty University of Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio while The University of Oregon Ducks will play Kansas State University in the Fiesta bowl in Phoenix.

While the Fiesta Bowl may have a higher billing, the Alamo Bowl is a great prize for a hard fought year from the Beavers. If they play a quality football game, they will certainly give Texas a run. If they win, they will finish a great year with a very respectable 10 wins. A few more than last year!

If the Ducks win, it would be their second BCS bowl victory in a row and would cement them as one of the premier college football programs. After a devastating last minute loss in the 2010 National Championship, the Ducks defeated Wisconsin in the 2011 Rose Bowl. Kansas is a solid football team, so this should be a great game!

Both Oregon schools have found success stemming from their commitment to using only the highest quality players and working tirelessly to perfect their craft. Kind of sounds like Tillamook products, eh? Enjoy this bowl season with some Tillamook Cheese or Ice Cream and root on both Oregon teams. Go Beavers, but especially GO DUCKS!!

By Matt

Oregon is home to so many delicious foods! While Tillamook Cheese is always the first food I think of when I dream of tasty Oregon treats, hazelnuts are a close second. Often called filberts in Oregon, these distinct little nuts have been combined with desserts by many great chefs for hundreds of years. With an Oregon themed dinner party on the horizon, I knew I needed to combine these tasty nuts with Tillamook Ice Cream to make the perfect Oregon inspired dessert.

First step: Make the meringue!
Yields: 16 disks for 8 sandwiches

Ingredients
1½ cups toasted hazelnuts
1½ cups sugar
5 egg whites
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract

In a food processor combine the toasted hazelnuts and 1½ cups sugar. Mix until the nuts are as fine as the sugar. Use a spoon to fluff up the nuts and make sure there are no large nuts left.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a pencil and a round glass about 3 inches in diameter, trace 8 circles on each sheet. Flip the sheets over so the pencil side is down.

In a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until they foam. Add the salt and cream of tartar. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Leaving the mixer on, slowly add the 3 tablespoons of sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until hard shinny peaks form. Turn mixer off and using a spoon fold in the almond-sugar mixture. Place the meringue in a pastry bag and starting with the outside of the circle, pipe the mixture onto the cookie sheets ending in the middle of each circle. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour or until the meringue will move around on the sheet when poked. Take out of the oven and allow to cool completely.

Once the meringue disks have cooled. Take out your favorite flavor of Tillamook Ice cream. (I used Tillamook Mudslide but I suspect many other flavors, like Espresso Mocha, would be delicious.) Let the ice cream melt a little so that it is easily molded without breaking the meringue cookie. Place a scoop of ice cream on top of a meringue disk, smash it down so it’s level and place another disk on top. Wrap each cookie in saran warp and place in the freezer until you are ready to eat!

These little Oregon treats are great for a quick dessert whenever you’re ready for a Pacific Northwest snack!

By Kelly

Looks fancy, tastes delicious

There are many party themes out there. You can have an Italian party, a murder mystery party or even a chocolate themed night. But when I was planning my next dinner party I could think of no better party theme than Oregon! An Oregon party lets me celebrate all the things I love! My home state makes so many tasty foods, the party is practically planned before you even get started. What better way to start an Oregon party than a salmon dip?

Yields (number of servings): About 14

Ingredients
Smoked Oregon salmon – about 2 inches wide
½ cup Tillamook Premium Sour Cream
¼ cup cream cheese
3 teaspoons capers, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
5 green onions, diced
2 splashes of Tabasco
Salt and pepper
2 rolls – like hoagie rolls

Oregon ingredients for this Oregon appetizer

With your fingers, shred the salmon into a bowl. In a separate bowl combine Tillamook Premium Sour Cream and cream cheese. Then combine with the salmon. Add lemon juice, onions, Tabasco, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir until well combined. Refrigerate until the mixture firms up a bit (about 20 minutes). You want it to hold its shape.

Cut the end off your rolls and hollow out the inside of the roll so you can see all the way through it. Be careful not to puncture the crust. Use a spoon to fill the roll with the salmon mixture. Cut the filled roll into ½ inch slices.

Tillamook Sour Cream and Oregon salmon start any Oregon themed party off on a delicious note!

By Kelly

Oregon Hood Strawberries

Nothing says “Summer’s almost here!” better than a big bowl of Tillamook Oregon Strawberry Ice Cream. It has been voted “Best Strawberry Ice Cream” in my house every year since I’ve been married. It’s made with real chunks of juicy, Oregon-grown strawberries!

Why does Oregon produce the perfect strawberry? They’re so sweet, red, and juicy!  One important contributor might be the rain. Our long, mild spring and summer, combined with cool nights and hot days, are perfect for growing the sweetest strawberries. The berries are able to stay on the vine and ripen slowly to allow the sugars to reach maximum sweetness levels right before harvest. So this year, don’t hate the Oregon rain, love the strawberries!

Oregon strawberries are always delicious… but they’re best in Tillamook Ice Cream! Happy National Strawberry Month!

By Matt

Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub - Portland, OR

If you live in Porltand and like to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, odds are that you’ll be heading on over to Kells’ annual celebration for food, beer, and live entertainment. It’s not surprising that Kells is rated the #1 Irish Restaurant in the nation – it feels authentic, inviting, lively and the food is fantastic. Watch international soccer (er – football) and rugby games on their big screen TVs, and enjoy live Irish music 7 nights a week.

Sample Menu:

Kells Shepherd’s Pie – Ground beef simmered in Guinness, carrots, onions, and peas, baked in a cheddar-potato crust.

Crab Mushroom Caps – Mushroom caps broiled with Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar and crab filling.

Grilled Ham & Cheese – Black Forest ham, Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, and fresh tomato grilled on egg bread.

BLTC – Thick-cut bacon, lettuce, tomato, Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, and mayo on toasted artisan multi-grain bread.

Kells Cheddar Burger – Natural ground beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, and chipotle sauce on a rustic bun (or substitute a veggie burger).

Kells Country Pie (new menu item) – A twist on traditional corned beef and cabbage, topped with Tillamook Sharp Cheddar.

Drinks – Bottled and draft beers, wines by the glass, soda, juice, hot tea and coffee, milk and more.

Tip: Catch a lift on Kells double decker bus to the next Timbers or Blazers home game. Bus departs at 6:30pm, so arrive early to have a few brews!

Kell’s Irish- Portland
112 SW 2nd Ave.
Portland, OR 97204

M-Th: 11:30am – 1am
Fri: 11:30am – 2am
Sat: 7am – 2am
Sun: 7am – 1am

Photo: RowdyKittens

By Loafy

Did you know that 1 in 5 Oregonians struggles with hunger? When you think about how many people are in your social network, this number is pretty astounding; it’s our neighbors, friends, and children you see every day that could be struggling to put food on their tables. 

The need for emergency food has reached a record high, and that’s why Tillamook Cheese is sponsoring the KGW Great Food Drive. During the month of March, buy any Tillamook Cheese at local stores in Oregon and SW Washington and we will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Great Food Drive, which supports the Oregon Food Bank.

Please join us in supporting a healthy community. Together we can fight hunger!

By Tillamook

It’s Always Stormy in Tillamook is the name of the latest musical EP from a lovely group called Meg & Dia, who fueled their lyrical creations with Tillamook Cheese while renting a house in Tillamook. But it’s also a rather intriguing invitation to visit our little town of Tillamook on the Oregon Coast. Yes it’s stormy right now, but what a spectacular site! Green moss coats prehistoric forests on your drive out to the coast along HWY 6, raging storms whip up the ocean and beat rain against our coastal cliffs, and dramatic waves show you exactly how Haystack Rock got carved over so many years ago. My favorite part about the Oregon Coast is that no matter what time of year, there is always something amazing to see.

After your visit to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, cozy up in a B&B or the great room of a hotel with BIG windows and watch the show.

For those of you who have made it to the Oregon Coast during winter, what are your favorite things to see? Where are your favorite places to stay?

Photo courtesy of Oregon State Archives

By Gillian

The Tillamook Cheese Factory – the cheesiest place in the whole wide world! I always find smiling faces and hearts full of Loaf Love whenever I’m there.

By Loafy

Little Big Burger in Portland, Oregon, boasts a basic menu with a big taste. All burgers are made with a 1/2 lb. of cascade natural beef, local brioche buns, local cheeses (like Tillamook Swiss and Medium Cheddar!), organic veggies, and Camden’s Catsup.

Menu:

Cheeseburger – $3.75
Hamburger – $3.25
Veggie Burger – $3.50
Fries – $2.75
Drinks: Sodas, floats, beer

Tip: Don’t skip the truffle oil French fries!

Little Big Burger
122 NW 10th Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
503.274.9008

Photo by Stuart Mullenberg

By Tillamook