The winners:

Three award winners from Tillamook Creamery Cooperative. Photo by Elvira
Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

 
All three cheeses were also voted “America’s Best” in their respective categories, a special shout-out for superior taste and quality.

It wasn’t an easy win. There are many fine cheese makers in the U.S. This year, the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest had a record-breaking total of over 1,700 entries across 82 categories, including seven categories of Cheddar.

ABOUT TILLAMOOK CREAMERY

The Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) was established in Oregon in 1909, when several small creameries teamed up to ensure the quality and reputation of cheese made in the Tillamook Valley. Today, membership comprises more than 100 dairy farm families, many of whom are kin to the early pioneers.

The farmer-owned cooperative is famously known for its award-winning, naturally aged Cheddars. But it is quickly becoming known for its variety of cheeses (including Colby Jack and Pepper Jack), butter, ice cream, sour cream and yogurt. Approximately one million people visit the cheese factory each year. The products are distributed nationally.

ABOUT CHEDDAR CHEESE

Cheddar is a semi-hard cows milk cheese, the most popular cheese in England. Based on aging, from 3 months to 30 months, it varies from mild to extra sharp. Cheddar has been made at least since the 1100s; the first were made in Cheddar, a village in southwest England. The term has become almost generic, so Appellation of Controlled Origin-protected cheddar is labeled “West Country Farmhouse Cheddar,” which includes neighboring counties of Somerset, where the town of Cheddar is located.

In the U.K. the slang meaning of cheddar is money—similar to how “gravy” is used in the U.S.

Here’s a tasty apple and grilled cheese sandwich, courtesy of Tillamook.

RECIPE: GRILLED CHEESE & APPLE SANDWICH

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT a grill pan or regular frying pan over medium heat.

2. ASSEMBLE cheese and apple slices onto one slice of bread. Top with optional extras and second slice of bread.

3. DRIZZLE olive oil on outer sides of bread and transfer to the pan. Grill a few minutes per side, or until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown. Cut in half and serve immediately.
 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE CHEESES IN OUR GOURMET CHEESE SECTION.

Made by hand by Gearhearts Chocolates, the milk chocolate bonbons are filled with silky chocolate ganache, which is lightly infused with handmade peanut butter.

And they’re guilt-free: Five percent of sales of Peanut Butter Pups is donated to Companions for Heroes, a not-for-profit organization that matches rescue pets as companion animals to our nation’s wounded veterans.

Read the full review and order yours today.
 

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE CHOCOLATES &
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CHOCOLATE.

A traditional agua fresca is an infused, sweetened water, flavored with fruits and/or vegetables—often a more complex layering of flavors than lemonade and limeade. It is nonalcoholic and noncarbonated.

The recipes can include a combination of fruits or veggies, flowers (like hibiscus), herbs and/or spices, cereals (barley, oats, rice), seeds (chia), even almond flour. Agua de horchata, a very popular recipe, is made of rice spiced with cinnamon.

While some look forward to Margaritas and other alcoholic libations to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, kids and adults who refrain from drinking should indulge in an agua fresca or two. Of course, you can add a shot of rum, tequila or other spirit for those who want to celebrate with it.

Three of our favorite combinations:

They’re as easy to make as lemonade. Try different recipes and develop your own signature. You’ll be certain to have people dropping by through the warm spring and summer months.

TIP: To ensure that the sugar dissolves, use simple syrup or ultrafine sugar (which you can make by pulsing regular sugar in the food processor or spice mill). You can infuse the simple sugar with herbs (we like basil or rosemary). Here’s the simple syrup recipe.

And here’s the agua fresca recipe we had recently at Tres Carnes, a wonderful new Texican smoked meat spot in New York City (more about it below). The house agua fresca, a combination of apple, cucumber and lime, was so refreshing that we had a second. Thanks to executive chef Sasha Shor for sharing her recipe.

TRES CARNES AGUA FRESCA RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MAKE a basic simple syrup by boiling water and dissolving sugar in it. Reduce by 1/3 until a syrup forms. Cool completely.

2. TRIM ends from cucumbers and chop into large chunks.

3. CORE apples and remove stems, discard cores and seeds.

4. PURÉE cucumbers and apples with lime juice in a blender or food processor until all is incorporated and you have a thick purée. The consistency should be similar to thinned applesauce.

5. STRAIN the purée mixture through a fine mesh strainer, removing all fruit and vegetable pulp. You may have to strain twice depending on your strainer.

6. ADD simple syrup and water and stir well. You may have some sediment but that’s ok!

7. CHILL the agua fresca and serve over ice. Garnish and serve.
 

TRES CARNES RESTAURANT: TEXICAN SMOKED MEATS IN A FAST FOOD VENUE

Tres Carnes is the newest best thing to happen to fast food. The first outpost launched recently in New York City (at Sixth Avenue and 22nd Street). If the great food and lines snaked out the door are any indication, it’s a smash hit.

You move through a line past the hot table, where personable counter staff put whatever you want in a bowl, in a burrito wrap or onto a plate with two soft tortillas. You choose from three kinds of smoked meat (the “tres carnes”) prepared by Mike Rodriguez, an award-winning pitmaster—smoked brisket, chicken adobo and BBQ pork shoulder—and revel in the delicious sides of beans, corn, greens, guacamole and squash. Chili is Texas-style: all meat, no beans.

There are so many delicious sides that vegetarians can have as wonderful a meal as carnivores. Everything is seasoned with great finesse, and the food is of a quality that doesn’t get any better at far fancier, white tablecloth restaurants. In fact, we can’t think of any other Tex-Mex restaurant we’d rather return to.

The eatery is so new that there are no photos of the fab food on the website, no place to sign up for information, not even a Facebook page or Twitter. But keep checking at TresCarnes.com, and hope that a Tres Carnes comes to you, soon.
  

After we published uses for leftover pasta, we received requests for uses for leftover rice.

Any of these recipe ideas works for white or brown rice.

EASY FRIED RICE RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the eggs with the salt and pepper.

2. HEAT the oil in a frying pan or wok and add the eggs, stirring, until they are lightly scrambled. Remove, set aside and clean pan with a paper towel.

3. ADD 2 tablespoons oil, heat and add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes; then add the soy sauce.

4. ADD the scrambled eggs, combining thoroughly. Stir in the green onion and any other ingredients. Heat through and serve.
  

Few people turn down French fries. But in the name of getting your family to eat more veggies—and because they’re delicious—how about veggie fries? Arch Rock Fish has supplied its recipe:

VEGGIE FRIES RECIPE

Ingredients

Preparation

1. CUT vegetables into fry-shaped pieces (baton, a thicker julienne), about ½ inch wide. If a particular vegetable doesn’t lend itself to a julienne shape, cut into small florets (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower) or circles (e.g., broccoli stalks).

2. MIX seasonings into flour.

3. DIP vegetables into buttermilk to coat, then dredge in seasoned flour.

4. FRY until golden.
 
CUTTING THE FAT FROM FRIED FOODS

If you’re concerned about fried foods, here’s another great tip: the T-Fal Actifry low fat fryer.

This wonderful appliance lets you fry an entire batch of veggies in just one tablespoon of oil. It’s a great Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift for people who love their fried foods.

SOME FAT IS GOOD FOR YOU

Contrary to what many people believe, fat/oil is not bad for you: You need two tablespoons of it a day for healthy functioning of organs (more from the Mayo Clinic). It’s saturated fats, including cholesterol, that you need to avoid.

So grab the monounsaturated “good” fats—avocado oil, canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil—and an Actifry and feel good about eating fried foods.

Second-choice oils include the polyunsaturated fats, such as corn oil, flaxseed oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil.

Here’s more about good fats and bad fats.