In celebration of Hanukkah (the Jewish Festival of Lights) my family and I are cooking up some traditional potato latkes served with delicious Tillamook Sour Cream.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
4 cups peeled and shredded potatoes
2 tablespoons grated onion
5 eggs
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons salt
1 cup peanut oil
Tillamook Sour Cream

Preparation
Peel and wash potatoes and shred in a food processor or by hand. Then place potatoes in a cloth or cheesecloth and wring out as much water as possible. In a bowl, mix the potatoes, onions, eggs, flour, and salt.

Fill a deep skillet with the peanut oil over medium-high heat and heat until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil and press them into patties using a spatula. Brown one side, flip to brown the other side – do this carefully so you don’t splash hot oil. Remove latkes from oil and place on a paper towel to soak up excess oil. Serve hot with a dollop of Tillamook Sour Cream and apple sauce to your liking.

The good news is we can celebrate with latkes for eight days straight!

What traditional recipes do you look forward to this time of year?

By Amalya

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!”

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By Tillamook

My mother’s childhood friend passed along this recipe to me when I got married. She says it’s “a lifesaver for big holiday dinners.” Having my first big Thanksgiving with my in-laws, we’ll find out!

“NIGHT BEFORE” MASHED POTATOES

Ingredients (serves 10-12):

8-10 potatoes, peeled
dash of baking soda
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup Tillamook Sour Cream
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Boil and drain potatoes. Place potatoes back in pot and return to burner until all water is absorbed. Whip hot potatoes adding cream cheese and sour cream. Add a dash of soda before whipping to make potatoes fluffier. Continue beating until fluffy and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place in a 9×13 baking dish covered in cooking spray. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.  When ready to serve, bake (covered in foil) for 15 minutes at 325 degrees. Continue baking (uncovered) for 20 minutes. Stir and serve.

Does anyone have any fun additions to your mashed potatoes? I’ve heard horseradish can be good, or chives, or…?

Photo: Ernesto Andrade/Flickr (Creative Commons)

By Gillian

I love cooking. It makes me happy and I could spend a whole day in the kitchen and have a blast. Sometimes the hardest part of cooking is deciding what recipes I want to make! If you’re in the same boat as me, here are some wonderful recipes with Tillamook Cheese that will get you inspired for the autumn cooking season.

Tillamook Smoked Cheddar Biscuits with Crisp Bacon & Apricots

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
5 tablespoons cold, Tillamook Unsalted Butter 5 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped/broken into bits
⅓ cup chopped dried apricots
¾ cup Tillamook Smoked Medium Cheddar Cheese, shredded and chilled
¾ cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°.

In food processor or mixer, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Add butter and pulse/mix until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Transfer flour mixture to a large bowl. Stir in bacon, apricots and smoked cheddar cheese until well combined. Add buttermilk and stir until mixture just forms a dough. Gather dough into a ball and on a lightly floured surface knead gently 8 times.

Roll or pat out dough to 1 inch thickness. Use a sharp, round cookie cutter to cut out biscuits from dough. Combine scraps and re-roll scraps and repeat process until you have used up the dough. Bake biscuits in middle of oven 15 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Makes 8-10 snack size portions

Tillamook Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:
8 cups sliced potatoes (6-8 medium potatoes)
¼ cup Tillamook Salted Butter
¼ cup flour
2½ cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 cup Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, shredded
½ cup Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup chopped onions
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Thinly slice potatoes. Keep in cold water until sauce is ready. In a saucepan, melt butter, add onions and cook slightly. Stir in salt, pepper and flour. Blend until smooth. Blend in milk and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thick and smooth.

In a lightly greased 3 quart casserole layer in half the potatoes and top with half of the cheese, half of the parsley and half of the sauce. Repeat with the top layer.

Bake covered for 45-50 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are done.

Crab and Cheddar Bisque

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Tillamook Salted Butter
½ cup diced onions
⅓ cup diced carrots
⅓ cup diced celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
¼ cup flour
1- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup clam juice
3 cups chicken broth
½ – 7 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
3 cups (12 ounces) Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar
Dry sherry (optional)
9 ounces flaked crab meat
½ cup Tillamook Sour Cream

Directions:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, clam juice and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and stir in chopped peppers.

In a blender, puree the soup in small batches until smooth. Pour bisque through a fine mesh strainer into a medium saucepan. Bring soup to a simmer and stir in cream, 1 tablespoon tarragon, black pepper and Tabasco Sauce. Remove from heat. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Serve hot and garnish each bowl with a splash of sherry, a dollop of sour cream, crab meat and remaining tarragon.
Serves 6

Browse our complete stock of delicious cheese recipes here.

By Laura