I was recently in Houston, TX on business (yes, that does mean that Texas has Tillamook!!) and was told that I HAVE to try this cool Gastropub with the best burgers in town. In a city known for their burgers, I obviously obliged without much fight – and I am glad I did! When I walked into BRC Gastropub (519 Shepherd Dr  Houston, TX 77007), I knew I was home. Was it the warm red and white wallpaper? The butcher paper specials menu? The kind and genuine service? Yes! And then there was the smell of burgers and melted cheese! Some may call it sensory overload in the best way – I call it perfection!

It was a Monday night – a busy night for BRC due to the burger special they feature – so we sat at the bar to start with a nice glass of red wine and some Poutine St. Baconry. Put this in front of any red blooded man and you will hear, “OH LORD. I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN EAT ALL OF THAT, BUT I’M GUNNA TRY!” Crisp Fries, Pulled Pork Shortrib, Mushroom Pan Gravy and Chile con Queso. You can even add a fried egg if you’re not drooling enough already!

We were seated surprisingly quickly, for how busy they were, at a table right in the middle of the room. Our bartender continued to be our server – and we couldn’t have been more pleased. He was terrific. I was with two co-workers and we all ordered a burger of various types – all thoroughly enjoying them! I ordered the BRC Pub Burger with fries and cheddar cheese. With fresh ground beef, mapley bacon, really nice sauce (that’s actually what the sauce is called on the menu, and Tillamook Cheddar Cheese, it was tender, moist and incredibly flavorful. The bun (courtesy of Slow Dough Bread Co.) had great flavor and texture – holding the patty and fixins’ together perfectly.

Tillamook has partnered with BRC in the past when the Loaf Love Tour was in Houston and we really hope to be back in 2012. If you are reading this and live in Houston or if you plan to visit Houston, PLEASE make sure BRC is on the schedule! It is an establishment that has been given the Tillamook stamp of approval! Enjoy!

~ Matt of the Tillamook Team

By Matt

Holy Cheesus – It’s The Grilled Cheese Grill!

There is a new face in the Tillamook Kitchen. Portland, Oregon’s The Grilled Cheese Grill and owner Matthew Breslow has shared some of their most popular, unique and cheese-tastic recipes for all Tillamook fans to enjoy. You can stop by the Tillamook Kitchen to check it all out, but here are a few highlights you don’t want to miss!

Did you know that The Grilled Cheese Grill has two locations in Portland, each made out of an old bus?

SPOLIER ALERT: one bus is an old school bus and the other is an old double decker bus!

One of my favorite recipes from The Grilled Cheese Grill is the Quesus Cheeseburger. Brace yourself for this…it’s a cheeseburger prepared with all the fixins’, and instead of a bun on either side of the patty, they use a grilled cheese sandwich, made with Tillamook Pepper Jack and Tillamook Medium Cheddar on each side of the patty.

Most of us at Tillamook eat our fair share of grilled cheese sandwiches. But until recently I had never, EVER experienced a grilled cheese sandwich quite like this one….

Test out some of these great recipes at home, or if you’re in the Portland area, pay a visit to Portland’s premier grilled cheese food cart yourself!

~ Mary of the Tillamook Team

By Mary

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if your family is anything like mine, you’re not only planning for the BIG turkey meal, but the dozens of meals you’ll make after Thanksgiving with the leftovers! One of the classic post-Thanksgiving meals is a turkey sandwich with all the holiday fixings – turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Our friends over at simplethings sandwich & pie shop in Los Angeles are famous for their Thanksgiving Sandwich and have agreed to share the secret to their mouthwatering recipe with all Tillamook fans!

SIMPLETHINGS THANKSGIVING SANDWICH (4 sandwiches/servings)

4 tablespoons Tillamook Unsalted Butter
4 slices of bacon, chopped
2 teaspoons jalapeno, minced
2 cups (16 oz) prepared cornbread stuffing
1/2 cup (4 oz) Tillamook Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
4 eggs
1 cup (8 oz) turkey gravy
1 lb (16 oz) oven roasted turkey (sliced 1/8” thick)
1/2 cup (4 oz) cranberry relish
4 rustic rolls

Prepare the stuffing:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the chopped bacon and sauté until crisp. Add the jalapeno and cook until jalapeno is soft, then set aside. Place the stuffing in a large bowl and add the bacon mixture, Monterey Jack Cheese and eggs. Mix completely. Place mixture in a buttered dish and bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside until ready to make sandwiches (note: this may yield more stuffing than what’s needed for 4 sandwiches).

Make the sandwiches:
Heat gravy in a saucepan. Add the turkey to warm through and coat completely. Split each roll and top the bottom slice with ¼ cup of the jalapeno stuffing. Top the stuffing with the gravy soaked turkey. Spread the cranberry relish on the top piece of bread and place on top of sandwich to serve.

This sandwich is amazing! Give it a try with your Thanksgiving leftovers and let us know what you think!

P.S. If the cold weather and holidays have you craving warm, comforting home-cooked dishes, such as the Thanksgiving Sandwich from simplethings sandwich & pie shop, stay tuned for exciting additions to the Tillamook Kitchen! We have a new group of Chefs and restaurants we’re excited to introduce to you and your family this holiday season.

By Mary

The Pepper Box Food Cart in Portland, Oregon is a tasty blend of Pacific NW ingredients prepared in a Southwestern style. The owner, Jim, brought his culinary experience from New Mexico, but is now blessing Portland with his homemade tortillas, which are both delicious and sturdy enough to hold all of the gooey goodness contained inside. With tacos for breakfast and quesadilla sandwiches for lunch, you get your pick of fresh ingredients paired with an irresistibly flavorful but not-too-spicy Chile créma. And, luckily for us, Pepper Box uses Tillamook in every standard dish offered.

Sample Menu
Visit Pepper Box’s website for a full menu.

Breakfast (Served all day)
The Original ($3 each or two for $5)
Homemade Tortillas filled with Cage Free Eggs, Potatoes and Tillamook Cheddar Cheese with either Homemade Chorizo, Bacon or Avocado, AND New Mexican Red or Green Chile

Farmer Breakfast Tacos ($4 each or two for $6)
Homemade Tortillas filled with Cage Free Eggs, Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Avocado, Tillamook Cheddar Cheese and Green Chile Crema.

Lunch
Albuquerque Turkey ($4 each or two for $6)
Turkey, Avocado, Bacon, Arugula, Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese and Green Chile Crema

Primo ($4 each or two for $6)
Pastrami, Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese, Pickled Peppers, Onions and Chipotle Crema

Mac and Cheese (small $3, large $5)
Tillamook Cheddar and Pepper Jack Macaroni and Cheese made with Roasted Poblano Peppers. Add homemade chorizo $1.

Tip: Even though you can always order just one taco or quesadilla, take my word for it: you’ll want two! Go with a friend and you can trade!

Dreamer’s Marketplace
2737 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97217

Open Tuesday – Saturday, 9:00am – 3:00pm

By Katie

Cupcakes from Bliss Bake Shop

Bliss Bake Shop is owned and operated by two sisters who make fresh cupcakes and other goodies daily from scratch. Their treats are made from premium ingredients, including sweet cream butter, organic sugar, Callebaut chocolate, and real Madagascar bourbon vanilla. Bliss uses fresh, organic or all natural ingredients, and always buys local, hormone-free dairy products. Their cakes and cupcakes are not only delicious, they’re cute to boot!

Sample Menu

Cupcakes (Many are also available in vegan and gluten-free):
    – Vanilla Bliss – Vanilla bean cake topped with vanilla buttercream frosting
    – Red Velvet Bliss – Southern chocolate cake topped with cream cheese buttercream and red sprinkles
    – Mocha Bliss – Yellow cake filled with coffee and mini chocolate chips topped with mocha buttercream and a chocolate covered espresso bean
    – Triple Chocolate Bliss – Chocolate cake with fudge filling topped with chocolate buttercream and real chocolate shavings
    – Rainbow Bliss – Vanilla bean cake stuffed with sprinkles, topped with vanilla buttercream, and rolled in mini M&Ms
    – Funky Monkey Bliss – Banana cake filled with fudge, topped with coconut cream cheese buttercream and a chocolate dipped banana chip
    – Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss – Chocolate cake filled and topped with peanut butter buttercream and topped with chocolate shavings
    – Luscious Lemon Raspberry Bliss – Lemon cake with raspberry filling, topped with lemon buttercream and a fresh raspberry
    – And many more

Cookies – Baked from scratch daily

Custom cakes – Round, square, giant cupcake-shaped cakes, and cupcake pull-apart cakes

Tillamook Ice Cream – French Vanilla, Tillamook Mudslide, Oregon Strawberry, Mocha Almond Fudge, Rocky Road, Cookies and Cream, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Mint Chocolate Chip, Udderly Chocolate, Bubble Gum, and Carmel Butter Pecan

Tip: Getting married? Bliss Bake Shop makes beautiful cupcake towers, custom cakes, and full dessert bars with other treats!
 
Bliss Bake Shop
4708 NW Bethany Blvd.
Portland, OR 97229
(503) 645-6000
baked@blisscupcakeshop.com

Monday-Saturday: 10am-8pm
Sunday: 11-5pm

By Loafy

The Ice Cream Grilled Cheese PB&J by The AMERICAN Grilled Cheese Kitchen includes a cheddar cheese ice cream recipe!

Have you ever made an ice cream recipe that called for cheddar cheese? And have you ever had a grilled cheese with ice cream inside? Chef Heidi Gibson of The AMERICAN Grilled Cheese Kitchen decided to try both. Her Ice Cream Grilled Cheese PB&J recipe first calls for you to make a cheddar cheese ice cream recipe with Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese before assembling the sandwich and grilling. The result is fantastic – it’s unlike anything you’ve ever tasted! 

Ice Cream Grilled Cheese PB&J

Ingredients:

For the Cheddar Ice Cream (makes 1 quart)
7 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups (6 oz) Tillamook® Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

For Sandwiches
16 slices pain de mie sandwich bread (or use brioche, challah, or other rich white breads)
8 tablespoons high quality cherry jam (you can use strawberry or any other flavor you prefer)
8 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
8 – ½-inch slices of cheddar ice cream (see recipe)
4 teaspoons Tillamook® Salted Butter

Preparation:

Cheddar Ice Cream Recipe
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar and salt into the egg yolks with a hand mixer until thickened and pale yellow. Set aside. Bring the half and half to a simmer in a heavy medium pan over medium heat. Slowly beat the hot half and half into the egg mixture. Pour the entire contents back into the pan and place over very low heat (or over a double boiler). Stir constantly until custard thickens slightly; do not let the mixture boil. Remove from heat, transfer back into bowl and then stir cheese into the custard until it melts. When cheese is melted, stir in cream and vanilla. Cover and chill until cold. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions, then transfer ice cream into a greased 9×5 bread loaf pan, cover tightly, and place in freezer overnight (or at least 2 hours).

Assemble the Sandwiches
Butter one side of each piece of bread, then place buttered sides down. Spread jam on inside of one piece of bread, and peanut butter on the other. When ready to cook, remove ice cream from freezer, turn out from loaf pan onto a cutting board, and slice ½ inch thick slices of ice cream. You can reserve these in the freezer until the last possible minute. Add a slice of ice cream to each sandwich, close the sandwich, and grill over medium-high heat in a, pre-heated pan just until toasted. Get the sandwiches off the grill as quickly as possible before the ice cream melts. Slice in half and serve immediately.

I never knew that an ice cream recipe could be so intriguing – thanks, Heidi!

By Laura

"The Reggie"

Droooool! Fried chicken, bacon, Tillamook Cheese, and gravy on a fresh buttermilk biscuit… It’s time to plan a brunch date at Pine State Biscuits!

Thanks for sharing this delicious photo in our Tillamook Cheese fans group on Flickr, BreadnBadger!

By Gillian

Pacific Pie Company in Portland, Oregon specializes in handmade, Australian-style savory pies, pasties, and sausage rolls. They use local, humanely-raised meat and seasonal veggies. They also bake up delicious, seasonal sweet pies!
 
Sample Menu
Visit their website for a full menu, which includes starters, salads, sides, and sweets.
 
Cheese + Veg Pastie ($6) – Turnip, yam, potato, onion, carrot, and butternut squash slow cooked in a savory spice mix and combined with Tillamook Cheddar Cheese.
 
Classic Beef Pie ($7) – Local grass fed beef and onion in a rich, homemade sauce.
 
Creamy Chicken Pie ($7) – Free range chicken in a creamy white sauce with peas and carrots.
 
Classic Sausage Roll ($4.50) – Homemade sausage made from Sweet Briar Farms all natural pork, seasoned with sage and thyme and wrapped in a flaky pastry.
 
Tip: Looking for a unique menu for your next party or office lunch? Pacific Pie caters! Local lunchtime bike delivery is also available from Portland Pedal Power.
 
Pacific Pie Company
1520 SE 7th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 381-6157
 
Open 7 days a week, 11am – 9pm

By Loafy

Earlier this month, The Oaks Gourmet participated in "Tillamook Cheese Grilled Cheese Week" in Los Angeles. Their special of the week was a grilled cheese made with Tillamook Cheese.

The Oaks Gourmet in Los Angeles, California is an upscale neighborhood market serving breakfast, lunch and dinner items, baked goods, and fresh espresso drinks. Gourmet items, such as imported oil, vinegar, spices, pasta, and sauces are available, along with assorted artisanal cheeses, chocolate, beer, wine, and liquor. Known for their friendly, knowledgeable staff, Oaks Gourmet is committed to serving their local community.

Sample Menu
Visit their website for a full menu.

The Oaks Bacon Breakfast Burrito ($7.00) – Three eggs prepared over-medium with black forest bacon, sharp cheddar, and spring onion

Breakfast Calzone ($9.50) – Scrambled eggs, bacon, fennel sausage, spinach, mushrooms, red onion, and sharp cheddar cheese.

Sesame Chicken Salad ($9.95) – Spring greens, watercress, cabbage, wasabi peas, black radish scallion, snow peas, grape tomatoes, and miso vinaigrette

The Oaks Grilled Cheese ($7.95) – Cranberry-walnut bread with Fontina, extra sharp cheddar, and Camembert

Pancetta, Cracked Egg & Crispy Potato Pizza ($10.75) – Caramelized onion, smoked mozzarella, and white truffle oil

Tip: Every Wednesday is Grilled Cheese Night at The Oaks Gourmet! Order yours with Tillamook Cheddar.

The Oaks Gourmet
1915 North Bronson Ave.
(At the corner of Franklin)
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 871-8894

Open 7 days a week
7am – midnight

By Loafy

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