Local Texas ingredients + two kinds of Tillamook Cheese = YUM!

J. Black’s Feel Good Kitchen & Lounge talented and creative Executive Chef, Josie Paredes, combines her experience and passion for exceptional food to create a delicious selection of starters, sharing plates and artisan pizzas at their two locations in Austin, Texas and Dallas, Texas. Chef Paredes has had a passion for food ever since she saw her mother cooking at 7 years old in South Texas. Chef Paredes has been with J. Black’s since 2007.

Recipe Details

• Prep time: 5 Minutes
• Total time: 8 Minutes
• Yield (number of servings): 1

Recipe Overview:

In celebration of Austin Grill Cheese Week, J. Black’s The Feel Good Lounge has put together the Open Faced Grilled Cheese B.A.T., featuring an overload of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack, topped with Niman Ranch Bacon, local Texas baby arugula and Texas tomatoes on a fresh thick cut of Challah bread.

Ingredients List

• 1oz Tillamook Unsalted Butter
• 2oz Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, shredded
• 2oz Tillamook Monterey Jack, shredded
• 1 thick cut slice of Challah bread
• 3 slices of Niman Ranch Bacon
• 2oz baby arugula
• 2 – 3 tomatoes slices

Preparation/Instructions

Lightly butter one side of thick sliced Challah bread and place it butter side down on medium heated pan or flat grill. Place shredded Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese on bread. Let cheese melt while checking the underside so as not to burn. In a separate pan cook the bacon until crispy. Once desired melted cheese consistency has been reached, remove from heat and top with baby arugula, bacon and tomatoes. Serve and enjoy.

By Tillamook

Albacore Tuna Melt from the guys at Bunk Bar

Tillamook Kitchen’s Tommy Habetz and Nick Wood fused their love of food and sandwiches together to open Bunk Sandwiches and Bunk Bar in Portland, Oregon. While Tommy’s love is Italian cooking and Nick has a knack for Southern cuisine, when you’re at Bunk none of the labels matter because everything coming out of their kitchen is tasty.

Recipe Details

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Total time: 20 minutes
• Yield (number of servings): 4

Recipe Overview

Perfect for a rainy Portland day, this classic sandwich gets a Northwest makeover. Oregon Albacore tuna meets mustard, pickles, balsamic vinegar and a melty layer of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar.

Ingredients List

• 2 - 6 oz cans albacore tuna
• ¼ cup finely diced red onion
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced basil
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 ciabatta rolls, split
• Dijon mustard and mayonnaise, for spreading
• 8 - ¼-inch-thick slices of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar or Tillamook Swiss Cheese
• 24 slices garlic dill pickles
• 2 tablespoons (1 oz) Tillamook Unsalted Butter, softened

Preparation/Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix the tuna with the onion, olive oil, vinegar, basil, and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a panini press or griddle. Spread the cut sides of the rolls with mustard and mayonnaise and top each roll half with a slice of cheese. Spread the tuna salad on the bottoms and cover with the pickles. Close the sandwiches and spread the outsides of the rolls with butter.

Place the sandwiches on the press or griddle and cook over moderate heat until the cheese is melted, about 6 minutes. To make sure the sandwiches are fully cooked, open them up and place in a 450°F oven for about 1 minute. Remove from oven, close sandwiches, cut in half, and serve.

By Tillamook

Why not celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the cheesy way? You bring the green beer, we’ll bring the white and orange cheese, and you’ve got yourself a St. Patrick’s Day celebration! From March 10-17, all Sharp and Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheeses are 10% off*.

*10% off all Sharp and Extra Sharp Cheddar cheeses on the Tillamook Online Store. Sale is valid March 12, 2012 at 8:00 am through March 17^th at 11:59 PST. Only valid for online purchases at Tillamook.com.

By Katie

Jason, a Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador, posted this photo on our Facebook wall of Loaf-loving firefighters in Rialto, CA.

Another week has flown by! Things are calming down around here after the hustle and bustle of National Grilled Cheese Month and the Grilled Cheese Invitational. Now that April is over, does that mean I have to stop eating grilled cheese!? No whey!

Here’s a little recap of some of my favorite conversations I’ve had with fans this week. As always, thanks for making each day a little more fun… and a little more cheesy!

Lots of Loaf Love,
Loafy

Facebook:

From Sharon F.: My fridge is never without Tillamook. I will go without if I don’t have a Tillamook option :) My kids are following my lead now as they set out on their own!

From Renee K.: So I was at my local grocery store yesterday and what do my wondering eyes do I see? TILLAMOOK CHEESE! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Missouri is now a little more bearable with the taste of Oregon!

From Brian S.: I am so glad to be back in Oregon so I can have great Tillamook Cheeseon a regular basis. I will take Tillamook cheese over the mid-west stuff any day!

From Charlsie P.: I saw the most darling Tillamook Cheese commercial here in Phoenix last night just after our local news. It was the one with the Baby Loaf and the Baked Potato …. their offspring… Tater Tots. It had me laughing until my side ached…WONDERFUL commercial. You’re commercials are great and so clever.

From Jeffrey J.: When worlds collide. Saw the Baby Loaf Buses AND the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile on the same day last week. A veritable Cheese-Dog day!!

From Rachel G.: Dear Loafy – We were desperately in need of a loaf yesterday and swung by our local Business Costco… no loaves! They tried to convince us to buy whatever other cheese they had instead, but that was a no go! A detour to Smart and Final found our delicious loaf of Sharp Cheddar… so far we’ve had apples and cheddar, grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna salad with cheddar and an omelet with cheddar. We love ya Loafy!! There is NO substitute!

Twitter:

From @robcalibur: @TillamookCheese Glad to see you’re on twitter. Your customer curd-esy is great! Gouda for you.

From @MommyBlogExpert: A @TillamookCheese #GrilledCheese Sandwich recipe that’s #healthy that #kids can make http://tinyurl.com/43taazg #kosher #kids #food

From @Lexirob: Dear @TillamookCheese thank you for making Marionberry Pie Ice Cream

From @EmbarkCreative: Wondering what @TillamookCheese is up to, besides making the tastiest cheese on the planet? They’re up to a lot http://bit.ly/kZQvoL

From @AdEase_Rachel: Cheese > chocolate. Especially when it comes to a delicious taco topping. Happy Cinco de Mayo @TillamookCheese #foodlovestillamook

By Loafy

Erica Olsen of CBS recently took a behind the scenes look at the Tillamook Cheese Loaf Love Tour while they’re in Southern California. Meet Jenn, our Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador, learn more about our award-winning cheeses, and see just how much fun our Loaf Love Tour team has on the road!

By Loafy