Gooey White Cheddar Bacon Crostini + Tillamook Blog2Farm Summit Part 2

The adventures continue for the Tillamook Blog2Farm Summit with our travels to the Oregoncoast.  After the Tillamook factory tour was complete, we loaded onto our party bus and headed west to the foggy Oregoncoast.  We took a short detour to visit a lighthouse and vista point on the coast.  The sky was amazing and the views spectacular – what stunning sights.  The land is so lush and green compared to the drought stricken Bay Area – a welcome sight indeed.

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We filed back onto the bus and were excited to stop at our resting location for the night – The Inn at Cape Kiwanda.  A quaint hotel that sat almost on the oceans edge was our home for the night.  I believe each of our rooms sported a balcony with a view of the ocean and a large, I mean large rock that would play peek-a-boo with the fog that would drift in and out.  The rock is actually called – Haystack Rock. 

As sunset was approaching, we headed towards the PelicanBrewery for our Sunset Beach Dinner.  What an amazing treat for the evening – need to bring my hubby back here, so he can enjoy the weather, food and views.  A tent with a long table was all set up for us along with darling Tillamook beach blankets to keep us warm should the weather turn chilly.  Amazingly, the weather never got too chilly.  The appetizer course was filled with Oregoninspired and appropriate delights.  We were treated to Chilled Oysters on the Half Shell, Clam Chowder Shooters, Three Capes Crab Fritters and Tillamook Cheese, Crackers and Crudités.  I have to say the Crab Fritters and Aged White Cheddar were my favorites – could have made a meal out of those.

We had our choice of entrees – Blackened Salmon Salad, Chicken Pesto Pasta, Brewers Blend Cheeseburger or Rockfish Tacos.  The salad was calling my name and was quite tasty.  After dinner, we adjourned to the fire pit on the beach with our blankets, glasses of wine provided by the Union Wine Companyand got ready to have some delightful smores.  In addition, Tillamook provided Tillabars – boy I need to buy these when I get back home.  The entire evening was very relaxing and enjoyable. 

Soda Pop PR Team + Katie from Tillamook: (Left to right: Becky, Katie, Dyan and Kelly

The next morning, we packed up our things, enjoyed a great breakfast with handmade granola and Tillamook Greek Yogurt – my kind of breakfast.  With our yellow boots in hand, we loaded onto the bus to head to the farm to learn about where the milk comes from for all this delicious cheese, ice cream, butter and yogurt.  We visited the dairy farm that Wendy and Ryanown.  I have to say that I was simply amazed to see the love, dedication and true soul that was put into each and everyday by Wendy and Ryan. Owning a dairy farm is a labor of love and these two certainly depict this attribute. It all starts on the farm.

Everyone adorned their yellow boots to tour the farm. I thought this was such a fun gesture from Tillamook and Soda Pop PR to provide.  Tillamook is a co-op of farmers, Tillamook County Creamery Association, in the valley and there are close to 100 farmers included.  The quality standards displayed was amazing.  They have close to 400 cows on the farm along with some goats that their kids enjoyed playing with.  Each day the cows must be milked twice a day.  This happens around 2:00am and 1:00pm each day.  The large Tillamook trucks makes its rounds twice a day to pick up the milk to ensure the ultimate in freshness and brings it back to the factory to make all of the delicious cheese, ice cream, yogurt and butter.

These are the epitome of happy cows – they are well fed, well loved and well cared for by Wendy, Ryan and the entire team of folks on the farm.  We were fortunate enough to see baby cows and know that they will have a great life ahead on the farm. I believe it takes almost two years until they are ready to produce milk.  I noticed on our tour that a few cows were licking this barrel of dark brown substance.  I found out it is a molasses sort of food that the cows just love.

I could tell by the end of the farm tour that Wendy and Ryantake pride in all that they do and idealize the quality that the Tillamook products represent.  The quality of the milk was evident from how they feed, care for and love their cows.  When I go to the store next time and purchase a Tillamook product, I have such an appreciation for the quality these products represent.  From the farm to our shelves, this is a product you can be proud to purchase.  I am now a Tillamook fan for life!

Gooey White Cheddar Bacon Crostini

Makes 20 to 22 

12 Slices of crispy Bacon, chopped fine

4 Tablespoons White Onion, Minced

2 Cups White Cheddar, Grated

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire

4 Tablespoon Mayonnaise

Pinch of Salt

6 Grinds of Pepper

20 to 22 slices of baquette

To a medium bowl, add the bacon, white onion, white cheddar, garlic powder, worcestershire, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.  Stir well until combined.

On a large cookie sheet, lay out the sliced baquettes and toast under the broiler on one side only until golden brown.  Remove from broiler and top each one with a heaping teaspoon of the bacon cheddar mixture and spread to cover the top of each baguette.  Return to the broiler and cook until golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Check out my fellow bloggers re-cap of the Tillamook Blog2Farm Summit:

Stephanie from 52 Kitchen Adventure

Dorothy from Crazy for Crust

Glory from Glorious Treats

Heather from Heather's French Press

Jane from This Week for Dinner

Deseree from Life's Ambrosia

Anita from Dessert First

Jessica from One Sweet Appetite

Rachel from Set the Table

Liren from Kitchen Confidante

Lizzie from Your Cup of Cake

Cheddar Cheese Beignets with Tomato Jam + Tillamook Blog2Farm Summit Part 1

Several months ago I received an email from Kelly at SodaPop PR inviting me to the Tillamook Blog2Farm Summit.  It was a simply click to respond to the email with a resounding YES.  I first met Kelly here and I was first introduced to Tillamook’s New Greek Yogurt.  It was simply divine and my favorite flavor is the Coffee House flavor.  I grew up with Tillamook but this was a perfect opportunity to learn more about this successful company and its high quality products.

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It seemed like light years away until the day arrived that I would jump on the plane to Portlandto begin my journey to Tillamook.  I was ecstatic to learn that my good buddy Liren was invited and we would be on the same flight.  What a fantastic time to catch up.  We were transported in style from the airport to Hotel Lucia which is one of Portland’s chicest hotels. After unpacking and touring the hotel a bit, we decided to venture out explore Portland.  One of the Tillamook buses was right out our hotel offering Ice Cream to the bloggers - what a treat. We discovered Powell’s Books, Food Trucks, Voodoo Doughnuts, shops and the general vibe and culture of Portland.

It was now 5 O’clocksomewhere so that meant Liren and I headed back to Imperial for a Prosecco with St. Germaine and a quick bite to eat before we would meet up with the other food bloggers and the Soda Pop PR girls.  I would highly recommend the handmade sausage – simply divine.  The Imperial perfects the Northwest culinary scene along with imparting a completely cool vibe. 

Chef Vitaly Paley is somewhat of a celebrity chef in this area and after tasting the food, I can understand why.  The atmosphere is current, creative and welcoming.  The evening began by mingling and enjoying passed appetizers and great wine.  It was nice to run into Jane who I met last year at another blogger event. We all sat down and enjoyed the wide variety of divine delights and got to know each other.  What a wonderful group of people – smart, nice and really into food.

After a group photo in the lobby we had the opportunity to meet, greet and chat with the CEO of Tillamook, Patrick Criteser.  He has held many leadership roles but as a native Oregonian, this was an opportunity that could not be passed upon. After speaking with him, you can sense his vision and dedication to the continued success, quality and growth of Tillamook. It was getting late, so we turned in to get some sleep before our early morning call to head to Tillamook.

Bottom Row:  Stephanie, Lizzy, Jane, Deseree, Anita

Top Row: Rachael, Glory, Jessica, Heather, Dorothy, Me, Liren

After a great breakfast, we loaded onto our luxurious bus and headed to Tillamook for a comprehensive tour of the factory.  The Tillamook Cheese Factory is over 100 years old with a rich history of quality and dedication.  It is an award winning Co-op of almost 100 farmers from the Tillamook Valley.  The Morning Star is the original ship that reached markets back in history to bring cheese to Portlandand beyond.  Folks back in the day knew that good cheese came from Tillamook and that is still the belief.  Tillamook makes a perfect place to make great cheese due to the endless rain and nutritious grass for the cows to produce high quality milk.  The factory receives one million visitors each year to understand how this quality cheese is produced.  I felt privileged to be on this tour since we had the behind the scenes tour.

Our tour began with Dale Baumgartner who is the Head Cheesemaker for Tillamook.  Dale has been with Tillamook for 45 years and worked his way up.  He leads the effort to perfect and uphold the quality of Tillamook Cheese and is a valued member of the Tillamook team. A quote from Dale – “If someone were to ask me what makes Tillamook Cheese special, I would first say our taste.  We just flat make the best tasting cheddar you can find.  Then I would say consistency.  No place else can meet our standards for quality and produce a superior tasting cheese again and again and again.”

We toured the warehouse where all this delicious cheese is stored.  Let’s just say that 64 million pounds of cheese will stay put for a minimum of 60 days to develop the extraordinary flavor along with meeting the rigorous standards set forth by Tillamook.  At a moments notice a block of cheese can be located and tested for quality.  It was truly a marvel to see.  We then headed to meet Jill Allen who is the Manager of Product Quality.  Okay what a cool job – right?  She gets to taste cheese and ice cream along with being part of the team who creates new products and flavors.  Jill is a native Oregonian who has been with the company for a little over 14 years.  We were privileged to taste some new products that have not hit the market yet. (We signed a non-disclosure agreement, otherwise I would have shared)  There are two in particular that I will definitely purchase and hope they make it to the Bay Area.

After a delicious lunch, we shopped a bit in the expansive gift shop and then headed to the Oregoncoast for our next adventure.  With such a wonderful trip, I decided to split this post into two parts.  Stay tuned for part two next week.  In the meantime, I was inspired by this divine cheese to make a snack for hubby and I last weekend.  The Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese was my hands down favorite and inspired me to make these Cheddar Cheese Beignets with Tomato Jam.  They were simple and tasty.

Cheddar Cheese Beignets with Tomato Jam

¾ Cup Flour

¾ teaspoon Smoked Paprika

½ teaspoon Dry Mustard

¼ teaspoon Salt

¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

½ Cup Whole Milk

4 Tablespoon Butter, diced

2/3 Cup Grated White Sharp Cheddar Cheese

2 Eggs

Oil, for frying

Tomato Jam (click here for recipe)

In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients together (flour, paprika, mustard, salt and cayenne pepper).  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add the milk and butter. Bring to boil then our in the dry ingredients.  Stir over medium heat until the dough forms a smooth ball – about 3 minutes.  Place the dough into a stand mixer bowl and add the grated cheese.  Blend on low speed until incorporated.  Add the eggs one at a time and make sure totally smooth until adding the second one.

Heat 3 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or equivalent to 350 degrees.  Drop a round tablespoon of the batter into the oil.  Fry until golden brown on all sides.  Remove and put onto a paper towel.  Serve with tomato jam.

Pecans with Rosemary, Honey and Smoked Salt | Friday Night Bites + "Yummy Supper" Cookbook Giveaway

Years ago I found Erin’s blog – Yummy Supper.  I added it to my list of blogs I love on the sidebar of my blog.  I had a sneaking suspicion back then, that she would make a name for herself and my intuition was correct.  She has published her first cookbook.  I have to say, I followed her journey as she described it on her blog and I really got excited for her. 

I was honored when she reached out to me a few months ago to ask me if I would like to have a copy before it was launched.  Okay that was a no brainer and I was absolutely thrilled that she thought of me.  I was even more excited when her publisher asked if me if I would like to have a copy to give away to my readers. I gave a resounding YES!  At the end of the post, I give a quick “how to” enter to win your very own copy of this stunning cookbook.  The photos and recipes are simply mouthwatering.

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I am not a gluten free person but do try to eat rather healthy.   After following her blog for years, I actually never thought about it being gluten free but rather that it had some really darn creative and tasty food.  Just browsing through the table of contents, you sense something special and different, with titles such as: Slurp, Egg, Veg, Sea, Butcher Shop, Grain + Seed, Nut, and Odds + Ends. 

After flipping through the book 3 or 4 times, I kept landing back at “Toasty Pecans with Garden Rosemary, Honey and Smoked Salt”.  I thought this would be the perfect recipe to highlight and share for my weekly series – Friday Night Bites.  This recipe is the epitome of what our Friday Nights are all about - simple, savory and tasty snacks that hubby and I can enjoy with a great bottle of wine from our cellar.  This is a crowd pleaser and is the perfect snack to set out when your guests arrive so they have a nibble with their glass of wine or cocktail before the main event appetizers arrive.

My taste buds sometimes have a fight between salty and sweet – this recipe let them both win.  I added a bit more honey and butter to the recipe to satisfy my craving along with an ample toss of the smoked salt.  I am a bit obsessed with the Hickory Smoked Sea Salt from WilliamsSonoma.  This was the icing on the cake for me for choosing this wonderful recipe.  The end result was a delicious nut recipe that I will be making for years to come and I know will be a forever crowd pleaser.

I encourage you to enter to win a copy of this stunning cookbook to add to your collection.  If you are not the lucky winner, simply click here to order a copy for yourself – you will not be disappointed.  A few recipes that I have bookmarked for the future are:  Lemon Rosemary Cordial, Spring Omelets with Asparagus and Green Garlic, Old School Cesar, Wild Salmon with Dill Butter and Fennel, Bourbon Braised Short Ribs with Brown Sugar and Coffee and Blood Orange Granita with Tangerine and Cardamom. 

How do I win a copy of the Yummy Supper Cookbook?  It is so simple – you just need to leave a comment on this post about this recipe or why you want to win this gorgeous book.  Simple …..right?  

The last day for comments and your chance to win will be at 6pmon Thursday, September 4^th at 9:00pm(PST) I will update this post with the winner and notify them via email on Friday, September 5th.

CONTEST WINNER:  Drum roll please - It is Laura from Tutti Dolci!  I used the random number generator and she was the lucky winner!  I will email you to find out where you would like the book sent. Congrats Laura - I know you will LOVE the book!

Pecans with Rosemary, Honey and Smoked Salt

Makes 1 ½ Cups

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Generous Tablespoon Honey

3 Tablespoon Rosemary

2 Cup Raw Pecans

½ to 1 teaspoon of Smoked Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and honey over medium to low heat.  When it is warm, toss in the rosemary leaves and turn off the heat.  Let the rosemary infuse for 5 to 10 minutes.  Finally, toss the nuts into the pan and stir to coat.  Spread the nuts over the parchment paper and put into the oven.  Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the pecans are lightly toasted.  Immediately sprinkle the smoked sea salt over the hot pecans.  Let them cool and firm up before serving.  Store the pecans in an air tight container.  Enjoy!