This week’s obsession is that all-American comfort food favorite: the Grilled Cheese. In case you didn’t know it, April is National Grilled Cheese Month and if you’re planning on making a grilled cheese this weekend, grab your iPhone or video camera and take a short video of you preparing your amazing grilled cheese recipe and send it to Tillamook Cheese for a chance to win two tickets to the Grilled Cheese Invitational in LA on April 23rd. Nothing fancy, just you making your grilled cheese – no editing necessary according to the official rules.
Two weekends ago I caught the Tillamook Loaf Love Tour at TeWinkle Park in Costa Mesa and became a official Master Melter by concocting a yummy, gooey, grilled cheese filled with veggie goodness! Tillamook invited a number of Orange County bloggers to join in the fun and I’ve got to say that the OC bloggers rocked that contest!
Bringing home the Best Overall with his “So Cal Delight” was Mark Howerton, the daddy behind the scenes at Rage Against the Minivan;
Best Teamwork: Shelby Barone,who runs a business and blog at GlitterfulFelt Stories, and her little guy with his “Trees of Love” ; and
Most Creative: yours truly with my “Spring Fever” (a slathering of pesto, with grilled asparagus and sundried tomatoes layered with Tillamook’s award-winning medium cheddar inside and crunchy strips of red bell pepper on top for a bright bit of crunch with every bite 🙂
Last year I joined Tillamook’s Loaf Love Tour at at Haven Gastropub in Orange where the always innovative Chef Greg Daniels prepared an amazing four-course dinner inspired by Tillamook cheeses expertly paired with one of their signature cocktails or a selection from their extensive craft beer and wine list. I reread that post and my feelings haven’t changed about Tillamook – they’re still the kind of company that I can get behind and that I wish the U.S. had more of:
Tillamook is the sort of “grass roots” company with core values that I can get behind. Tillamook was founded nearly a century ago and has earned a reputation for producing the best tasting, premium-quality dairy products. They are nationally recognized for their firm commitment to quality and over the years have distinguished themselves as great supporters of local and state dairy organizations and as committed stewards of the environment. Unlike most national brands, Tillamook cheese is made with milk from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones – all their suppliers, whether farmer-owners or contract milk suppliers are in compliance certifying that the milk they supply is from cows not supplemented with rBST.
SO, if you think you’ve got the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sammich in ya – give it a shot and enter one of the four categories! Join in the fun with tens of thousands of fellow grill cheese lovers, hopeful master melters, and Grilled Cheese Truck followers – I might see you there 🙂
Lisa { AuthenticSuburbanGourmet }
April 10 at 3:21 pmWhat a fun event! Did not know if was national grilled cheese month. They are one of my FAVORITE kinds of sandwiches. Your grilled cheese looks SO delish!! Have a great Sunday!
Pachecopatty
April 10 at 4:17 pmCongratulations you rock with your creative flavorful grilled cheese sandwich.
We will have to celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month, soon before it’s May;-)
Sandra's Easy Cooking
April 10 at 8:35 pmCongrats Priscilla! it’s look like fun event, your sandwich look fantastic and really tasty!!!
spcookiequeen
April 10 at 9:05 pmI loaf this. I want to make a grilled cheese video. What I really want though is to be able to cruise around in that bus.
Angie's Recipes
April 10 at 10:00 pmPriscilla, that sounds like a fun and delicious event! Cheese sandwich looks so good.
Pudding Pie Lane
April 11 at 1:59 amYou have grilled cheese trucks?? Thats so cool. I wish I lived in LA. Or America, for that matter 🙂 The sandwich with the avocado looks really good, I love the combination of avocado and cheese!
fooddreamer
April 11 at 3:59 amHow fun, Priscilla! I love your Spring Fever, it sounds fabulous. Congrats on your win.
5 Star Foodie
April 11 at 6:09 amHow fun, i love Tillamook cheeses. Your grilled cheese looks fantastic with avocado!
RavieNomNoms
April 11 at 8:52 amCongrats lady! That looks like so much fun! I almost made a grilled cheese this weekend but then didn’t. I think it is time to make one now after seeing this! 🙂
[email protected]
April 11 at 12:16 pmWhat fun! Wish I had been there to watch you bring it home! 😉
sippitysup
April 11 at 6:42 pmI “loaf” this sandwich. Congrats creative girl. GREG
Jean
April 11 at 7:21 pmI love Tillamook cheese! How cool not just to win but to be the “Most Creative”, yay! Hmmm, maybe it’s time to make a grilled cheese–it’s been a while and I really like them.
Great job, Priscilla. 🙂
Monet
April 11 at 9:19 pmHow fun! I want to try! Ryan and i love making grilled cheese sandwiches (with homemade, bread of course) Thank you so much for sharing with me tonight. I always know I will find something that will make me smile! Your sweet and creative spirit brings me such happiness. I hope you have a great day tomorrow full of hope and love.
[email protected]
April 11 at 9:48 pmCongrats on winning, Priscilla!!! I love grilled cheese sammiches!
Anita
April 12 at 11:13 amhow cute you look in that photo!!
FOODESSA
April 12 at 2:06 pmPriscilla…it’s so nice to see you casually having a great time…especially within such an event.
It’s great that you were such a dedicated Foodie…it certainly paid off ;o)
I wish I assisted to more events like this one…looks like fun times.
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
Magic of Spice
April 14 at 3:53 pmCongratulations! Looks like such a fun event 🙂
Kim
April 15 at 8:49 amCongrats on “most creative!” 🙂
My family is from Oregon and have a beach house in Rockaway, just about 30 minutes north of Tillamook. As a kid, the family tradition was always to make an ice cream stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, if not going TO the beach house, then coming home FROM the beach house. My favorite snack was the “cheese curd” you could buy from their gift shop. It squeaked when you ate it. Oh, I miss Tillamook!!!
[K]
Quyen - Kitchen Runway
April 15 at 10:55 pmLooks like you had a great time!! Yay for grilled cheese sandwiches!