Melty Fest with Tillamook

Y’all. I never thought I’d be such a brand advocate for one that I literally just started consuming a month ago. This blog post may be sponsored, but all the delicious opinions are my very own.

Last night, we went to an event called Melty Fest. If you were following along on my stories, you saw all the mouthwatering food that was created by five of Charlotte’s BEST chefs. And let me tell you, no flavor was spared. It was all there! They knew exactly how to create mouthwatering food that kept you wanting more. First, we were invited to a little VIP intro before the real party started happening, so we got to sample some of Tillamook’s cheese, eat delicious heirloom tomato pie, and hang out in the gorgeous atmosphere at Hello, Sailor.

When the event started, the people began lining up to taste all the chef’s creations. You could see the hunger in people’s appetites increase as they brought a whole hog outside for BBQ and as Chef Matthew Kelly started melting cheese on a raclette to adorn his delicious Summer Squash Casserole.

And while everyone was eating all of the delicious dishes that these chefs created, I can honestly say we had the best views of the night. I think Tillamook brought in some of their cooler weather just for us! The sun stayed behind the clouds so we could take it all in. It was such a great vibe.

One of my friends who actually lives in Washington was talking about Tillamook about two months ago to me. Her grandfather had worked there, I believe, and everything she said about it just made me want to try it right then and there. So, when I heard they were coming to Charlotte and their products were going to be in our grocery stores, I was SO thrilled! Tillamook is basically the West Coast’s best kept secret, except it shouldn’t be a secret. I love that they stand behind what they call Dairy Done Right. Above all, you’ll find that they’re stewards. Tillamook is comprised of 80 farming families. And they make sure they’re taking care of their animals, farms, and families. And they believe they shouldn’t have to sacrifice any of that for good dairy. If you go to their website and read about how they treat their dairy cows, you’ll fall even more in love with the brand. Their cows basically wear a fitbit so that the farmers know they’re okay! I think that’s something we can all stand behind. Not to mention, their cheese and ice cream really is delicious. Every time my husband or I go to the grocery store, we grab another flavor of ice cream that we haven’t tried yet.

So far, Kevin’s favorite flavor of ice cream is Oregon Strawberry. Mine is their Birthday Cake. And the girls love Tillamook Mudslide. As for cheese, Kevin’s favorite is the Pepperjack farm style slices. Mine is the Swiss farm style slices. And the girls like all the shredded cheese! If you weren’t able to attend Hello, Sailor for Melty Fest, but still really want to try Tillamook, follow this link to see where the nearest store is to you in Charlotte!

ALSO, after you buy some Tillamook cheese, here’s Chef Joe Kindred’s Cheesy Crab Dip Recipe from Hello, Sailor:

Joe Kindred’s Cheesy Crab Dip 

Recipe by Joe Kindred

Ingredients

1 Pound Lump Crab Meat

1.5 pound Cream Cheese, Room Temp

1 TBSP Tarragon, chopped

2 TBSP Parsley, chopped

1/3 cup Meyer Lemon Juice

1 TSP Smoked Paprika

1 TBSP Salt

2 TSP Ground Black Pepper

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Tillamook Medium Cheddar Shreds

2 Cups Diced Roasted Red Peppers

2 TBSP  Texas Pete Hot Sauce

1 TSP Worcestershire

1 TSP  Soy Sauce

1 Cup Crushed butter crackers

1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment start mixing the cream cheese on low speed. Mix 2-3 minutes or until cream cheese is smooth and soft
2. Add the tarragon, parsley, meyer lemon juice (you can use normal lemon juice), smoked paprika, salt, pepper, sour cream, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and soy sauce
3. Strain any excess liquid off of the roasted red peppers (you can roast your own, but canned work just as well)
4. Add the peppers and cheddar cheese to the cream cheese mix
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the crab meat into it using a rubber spatula
6. Place mixture into an ovenproof baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until the mixture is hot throughout and bubbly on the edges (about 8-10 minutes depending on your dish. It may take longer)
7. Cover the crab dip with the crushed crackers and bake for an additional 4 minutes
8. Serve with crackers or sliced veggies