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

Perfectly manicured grass, hot dogs, flat beer, a credit card with no limit to afford the hot dog and beer – it’s fall baseball, people!

The leaves are turning colors, the rain is falling, and the nation is abuzz with election giddiness. It must be October in America! The biggest America’s Pastime event starts today and it is always a fun trip down memory lane combined with anticipation of close games marked by clutch plays. Bring on the Fall Classic!

Like hundreds of thousands of kids I played baseball growing up and dreamed of one day playing in ‘The Show.’ I would stand in front of my parent’s 19” Zenith TV with my plastic whiffle ball bat timing pitches. It became clear to me early on that, given the opportunity, I would be the next Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Rogers Hornsby, or Lou Gehrig. The pitchers I was timing would fear me as I went on to bat .800 with at least 80 homers. In my head, I never missed! However, about that same time in life, I began playing baseball with real pitchers and realized that it is actually far more difficult than it seemed standing in front of our grainy television with my feather weight plastic bat. The pitches dodge, dip, dive, duck, and dodge away from the bat – or they come straight ahead. There was no way to tell! The experiences I had standing there in the batter’s box give me a great deal of respect for successful major league hitters – especially when the pressures of October are upon them.

Since I have retired from all things sports related – after a valiant attempt at a high school career – I have taken up eating as the activity of choice. If a person isn’t going to PLAY the sport, the next best thing is to scrutinize it from the couch eating nachos, a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, or mac n’ cheese – all made with Tillamook Cheese of course (I figure when the best is on your TV, it may as well be on your plate too, right?!).

Here are some tasty game day treats for inspiration.

Who do you root for – October or otherwise – and what is the food you eat when watching them play?

By Matt

The Super Bowl is this Sunday! What team are you cheering for? Or are you more interested in the commercials, halftime show, and food?

If you’re still planning your game day menu, here are some more Super Bowl snacking ideas submitted by our top contestants in the Tillamook Yum Bowl Cook-Off Contest. They all look delicious and I can’t wait to try some on Sunday while I watch this.

Read More

By Loafy

Congratulations to Kimberly James, winner of our Tillamook Yum Bowl Cook-Off Contest! Kimberly’s Creamiest-Cheesiest Spinach Artichoke Recipe competed against 7 other game day recipes to win the title of “Tillamook Yum Bowl Cook-Off Champion.” For submitting the winning recipe, she’ll receive up to $150 worth of Tillamook goodies to use at her own Super Bowl party! Here’s Kimberly’s recipe for those of you who are planning your Super Bowl menus:

The Creamiest-Cheesiest Spinach Artichoke Dip
By Kimberly James

Ingredients:
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Tillamook Sour Cream
2 cups Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 teaspoon garlic salt (optional)
Corn chips, for serving

Instructions:
Squeeze all the water out of the spinach, chop the artichoke hearts, and set aside.

In a big pot over medium heat, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, and cheese. Stir about 3-5 minutes or until everything melts together (don’t heat too long or the mayonnaise will separate).  Add the spinach, artichoke hearts, and garlic salt; stir to combine.  Serve immediately in bowls, while still quite hot, with corn chips.

What else is on your game day menu? Are you a true sports fan, or are you more interested in game day snacking like me?

By Loafy

Let the games begin! We’ve narrowed it down to our top 8 recipes that will compete in the Tillamook Yum Bowl Cook-Off. Throughout the week, recipes will be competing bracket style in hopes of winning the award for “Tillamook Yum Bowl Champion,” plus $150 worth of Tillamook goodies!

The first recipes to compete: Ultimate Oregon Coast Dip vs. Chile Con Queso

Visit the Tillamook Facebook page to vote on your favorite!

By Loafy

It’s time for the big BSC National Championship game! What are you snacking on tonight?

I’m not much for sports, but I love game-day entertaining. I want guests to feel comfortable, have a great time, and enjoy extra tasty snacks while they’re watching the game at my house. Tonight I’m assembling a slider burger bar so my guests can create their own mini masterpieces! The slider bar will be full of yummy spreads, toppings, vegetables – and my favorite new addition, Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese Mini Slices. The Tillamook Mini Slices are perfectly sized and convenient for cheesy, bite-size burgers. I just love that I can get my favorite cheese (not to mention the World’s BEST cheese) in miniature pre-cut slices!

This home entertainer’s job just got a lot easier thanks to Tillamook. So easy, in fact, that I might just might have time to actually watch the game….

By Mary

I have a confession: I don’t like football. I mean, I don’t completely dislike everything about it – I like the excitement and traditions that go along with the game, but I just really can’t get in to the sport (I try, I really do!). One thing I don’t dislike, though, is game day snacking. Who doesn’t love a good dip, nachos, pizza, chili, (veggie) dogs… I’m drooling.

If you’re like me and prefer the snacking side of sports, you’ll love this contest. And if you’re a football fan AND you like game day snacks, well then this is for you, too!

Tillamook Yum Bowl Cook-Off

Score a Tillamook touchdown at your Super Bowl party! Enter your favorite game day snack in the Tillamook Yum Bowl Cook-Off for your chance to win a selection of Tillamook goodies worth up to $150.

Important Dates

- January 13 – 21: Email your recipe to fans@tillamook.com
- January 24 – 27: Yum Bowl playoffs! Visit the Tillamook Facebook page each day to vote for your favorite recipe (during each round of voting, we’ll give our fans two recipes to vote on)
- January 28: We will announce the winning Tillamook Yum Bowl recipe on our Facebook page. The winner will receive their prize just in time for the big game!

Recipe qualifications

Your recipe must:

- Include at least one type of  Tillamook product – Cheese, Sour Cream, Butter, Ice Cream, or Yogurt
- List all ingredients, instructions, prep time, and serving size
- Be served in a bowl (hence the name “Yum Bowl”!)
- Be received by midnight on January 21

To enter: Send your winning recipe to fans@tillamook.com between January 13 – 21.*

Tillamook will pick our favorite recipe submissions to enter in the Yum Bowl playoffs on our Facebook page. We will let each finalist know via email if their recipe made it to the Yum Bowl Cook-Off playoffs. If your recipe makes it to the playoffs, don’t forget to round up your biggest fans to vote for it!

*Please note that not all received recipes will make it to the Yum Bowl playoffs on the Tillamook Facebook page

By Loafy