Tillamook Cheddar Cheese Curds

Yesterday was supposed to be “me time”; that’s what happens when The Lady doesn’t get up before the crack of dawn. Instead she sleeps in; stays home with The Man and her favorite feline foodie (that would be me) and I, the center of her universe, spend much of the day napping in her lap and/or napping with her as she catches up on the zees she loses on the days she goes to the cheese mines.
However, The Lady and The Man headed out the door and were gone for hour after long hour. The sun was dropping in the western sky when I heard the garage door raising but when The Lady walked in my heart soared.
I smelled cheese on her breath and not just any cheese…Tillamook Cheese… and I spotted a bag in her hand that could only mean one thing…she brought cheese home for me…
I immediately forgot about the nap time and “me” time lost. Even out of the house, she was thinking about me, the center of her universe.
I have had cheese curds before and I like cheese curds; those squeaky little morsels of cheese that explode in your mouth when your eye teeth tear into them. But there are no cheese curds to rival with cheddar cheese curds fresh from the Tillamook Factory.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Let me begin with the observation that the bag was half empty…for you optimists the bag was half full; but to this feline foodie, it meant The Lady and the Man had hit the cheese curd bag on the way home and I would not get a fair share. (Fair share equals ALL or most in my dictionary.)
When cold, the cheese curds have a squeak but when they reach room temperature, they just squeak their little hearts out and that’s half of the reason I eat cheese curds. The other half is that cheese curds are cheese…nuff said.
Tillamook’s cheese curds are made from cheddar cheese curds…duh…and the taste is a nice medium sharp cheddar with a tiny bit rubbery texture which adds to the fun and enjoyment of the curds. They have a bit of a salty taste to them and they are odd shapes which would be normal…after all…they are curds.
Unlike its competitors, Tillamook cheese curds are not sold through retailers except for the Fred Meyer store in Tillamook, Oregon (the store is pretty much right across the street from the cheese factory). Why? Because Tillamook wants their cheese curds enjoyed fresh and to sell them via retailers would require freezing them before shipping them. So if you want Tillamook cheese curds, you have to get in your car and head west…
Another bit of trivia, the bag from Tillamook was not plastic but made of a resin that is degradable making them eco friendly and doing their part to help the environment.
This feline foodie gives Tillamook Cheddar Cheese Curds 4 Squeaky Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).
Serving suggestions: Serve at room temperature with crackers, fruit and nuts.
Wine Pairings: Columbia Valley’s Waterbrook 2005 Meritage
Beer Pairings: Oregon’s SOB (Southern Oregon brewery) Pale Ale
Source: Tillamook County Creamery Association Cows’ Milk
If you would like to join this feline foodie as a fan of Tillamook Cheese,you can join the “official” Tillamook Fan Club; just  click here.
Up Next: Vegetarian Suitable and Raw Milk Cheese Chart for those who care…

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