I’m seriously just going to make you all want to move to Oregon this week. If the pictures of the coast weren’t enough, let me tell you about the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It’s a magical place on the Oregon Coast where all things lovely and creamy are born. Tillamook Cheese is some of the best I’ve ever had. At the factory, you can learn all about how the company began and the cheese is made, then actually watch it being made. How cool is that?

After exploring the factory, you get to sample cheeses. The cheeses to sample include squeaky cheese (cheese curds), medium cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and, when we went, garlic white cheddar cheese.

I’ve never had garlic white cheddar cheese before. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. I about collapsed right onto all the other Tillamook visitors waiting in line behind me. I’m a serious garlic lover, and I adore white cheddar cheese. I’d never considered the flavor explosion combining them would create.

While there, I learned about the Grilled Cheese Recipe Contest Tillamook Cheese is throwing and knew that I had to create something magical with this cheese and enter it into the contest. Here’s what I came up with.

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Okay. Here it is. I made a grilled cheese on a kaiser roll with garlic white cheddar cheese, bacon, and onions caramelized in bacon fat. And it was so amazingly perfect.

Here’s that magical cheese again. Take it in. Slice up some pieces of it. Make sure there’s enough to go on the sandwich and enough to snack on while you’re making it. Don’t think that you won’t be snackin’.

I used a cheesy kaiser roll, because, who can have enough cheese? And I lopped the top off of the top half to make sure I could grill it all nicely.

I buttered up the bready sides of the kaiser roll. Then I laid on some cheese.

Then some bacon.

Then those onions. Those beautiful onions.

Here’s a closer look at those onions.

Some more cheese.

Then I threw it onto a nonstick pan.

My strategy for grilled cheeses is low heat and I cover it with a cookie sheet or another pan to lock in the heat. I want the cheese to get nice and melty before the bread gets too dark.

Then, when everything is gooey and melty and grilly, it’s time.

Garlic white cheddar cheese might be my newest addiction. It’s sold at most Safeways with the specialty cheese- I highly recommend wandering over them and grabbing yourself some.

Disclaimer: Tillamook Cheese is unaware of my existence and did not ask me to write about them. I just really dig their cheese and entered their contest.

Garlic White Cheddar Grilled Cheese

Ingredients
1 cheesy kaiser roll
2 tbsp butter, room temp.
Several slices Tillamook Garlic White Cheddar Cheese
6 slices bacon
1/4 onion, roughly chopped

Directions
1. Cook the bacon in a medium sized skillet until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the fat.
2. In the same pan used to cook the bacon with some of the reserved fat, cook the onions over medium heat until brown and caramelized.
3. Cut the kaiser roll in half and trim the top off of the top half of the roll. Butter the bread side of the bottom half and the top of the top half.
4. Layer half of the cheese onto the bottom half of the roll on the non-buttered side. Add bacon and caramelized onions on top of the cheese. Add the remaining cheese and the top half of the roll, buttered side up.
5. Heat a clean skillet to medium-low heat. Add the sandwich and cover with a lid or another skillet. When the bottom of the roll is browned, flip the sandwich and brown the other side, allowing at least 3 minutes per side to ensure the cheese melts. Enjoy!