Dungeness Crab Mac and Cheese with Hazelnut Crust

Last year, the Best Places to Kiss Cookbook came out. Sandlake Country Inn for many years has been listed in the book Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest with the highest rating of 4 lips (Simply Sublime). We were very fortunate to be featured in this new cookbook!

A couple of days ago I was browsing through the cookbook and I came across a recipe that I can't wait to try. Our breakfasts here at Sandlake Country Inn are based on real comfort food. This new recipe, while not for breakfast, screams real comfort food to me! I haven't tried it yet, but I thought I would share it with you. It uses local ingredients and if you try it before I do, let me know what you think! We would use Tillamook aged white cheddar, local dungeness crab & Oregon hazelnuts. It's Oregon's Bounty!

DUNGENESS CRAB MAC & CHEESE WITH HAZELNUT CRUST
Recipe from Sybaris Bistro, Albany, OR

2 1/2 Cups uncooked penne pasta
2 Cups heavy cream
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup grated white cheddar cheese
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1/2 Lb Dungeness crabmeat (from a 2 lb crab)
Dash of Tabasco
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2 Cup hazelnuts, roasted and finely chopped
Lemon wedges (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cook the pasta in boiling water, following package directions, until it is not quite al dente. Drain and let cool.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over high heat. As soon as the cream boils, add the cooked pasta. Bring back to a boil and stir in the cheeses and mustard. Bring the mixture back to a boil and add the crabmeat, Tabasco and salt. Remove from heat and season to taste with pepper.
3. Put the crab-pasta mixture in a greased casserole dish and sprinkle with the hazelnuts, Bake until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.

Variation: Fpr am attractove [resemtatopm. bake the crab macaroni and cheese in clean crab shells. Ask your neighborhood fishmonger to save four crab shells for you to clean and bake in. Preheat the oven to 400 degress F. Place the shells on a baking sheet, carefully fill with the crab-pasta mixture, and sprinkle with the hazelnuts. Bake until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.

Tillamook Medium Cheddar Wins Best Medium Cheddar in the World!

Tillamook Medium Cheddar Wins Best Medium Cheddar in the World
March 19, 2010

Cheesemakers from 20 different nations united in Madison, Wisconsin from March 16-18th for the 2010 World Cheese Championship Cheese Contest. Tillamook Cheese, traveling cross-country from Oregon, took home the gold medal for “Best Medium Cheddar in the World,” beating a whopping 59 other entries.

Here at Sandlake Country Inn bed and breakfast on the beautiful Oregon Coast, we exclusively useTillamook Medium Cheddar. Located just 20 minutes from Tillamook means that we have amazing locally produced milk, cheese, yogurts and ice cream produced at the Tillamook Creamery. Our commitment to using local, fresh products whenever possible is certainly made easier by having the Tillamook County Creamery Association Cooperative farms nearby.

When your travels take you to near the Tillamook Cheese Factory, consider staying in one of our romantic, luxurious and affordable rooms where we will deliver your 4 course hot breakfast to your door each morning. Unless you're sensitive to dairy foods (let us know if you are), you'll be delighted each morning to taste the unparalleled quality of Tillamook products!

Oregon Coast Bed and Breakfast Celebrates Oregon's Bounty

Here at Sandlake Country Inn you can experience Oregon's Bounty in many ways. All you have to do is look out your window of your suite or take a walk. Don't be surprised if you see deer, beaver, a multitude of birds and amazing beauty. Take a walk on the nearby beaches and the bounty of beauty will astound you.

As part of our commitment to being "green", we purchase local and regional foods and products when possible. For an example, our exceptionally comfortable Englander Eurotop beds are made in Oregon, we use our local Tillamook Cheese for all our cooking and we buy only Pacific Seafood smoked salmon for our Togetherness Baskets. That's just a fraction of what we do to not only promote green practices, but we feel it's very important to help promote our local economy and businesses.

In our historic farmhouse which was built in 1894, the original homesteader was the very first cranberry grower in Oregon! His name was W.C. King and he became known as "The Cranberry King". His original property here was approximately 250 acres and so he had plenty of room to grow his cranberries. To harvest the berries, he would block the creeks (there are 2 on our property) which would flood the fields. The cranberries float to the top of the water and then are harvested. The areas around us now are mostly dairy farms, but there still are a few Ocean Spray cranberry growers left.

This time of year fresh produce is a bit limited, but Oregon is fortunate to have fresh cranberries, apples and pears. When you stay with us, you will have an amazing 4 course breakfast delivered to your door each morning. The menu changes every morning, but you always will get some kind of fruit course. One of our guest's favorite this time of year is my Apple Cranberry Crisp. Sometime I will also add fresh pears with the apples.

To help celebrate Oregon's Bounty, I thought I would share this favorite recipe with you! Better yet, come and stay at our Oregon Coast Bed and Breakfast and I'll make for you. No dishes to wash up!

Apple Cranberry Crisp

1 12 Oz Packages Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
4 Cups Chopped Apples (or a combo of apples and pears)
2 Tbl. Butter, cut up
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts (or Oregon Hazelnuts)
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Butter, melted
1 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Flour
Whipped Cream or Ice Cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom of 13x9 baking dish. Toss berries & apples in dish. Dot cranberry mixture with butter. Sprinkle evenly with the 1 1/4 cup sugar and nuts. In bowl, whisk eggs, melted butter, 1 cup sugar and flour. Pour over top of berry mixture. Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Top with whipped cream. Serves 8

Tillamook Farmer's Market is Back!

Tillamook Farmer's Market opened its season on June 13th and will be each Saturday from 9:00am - 2:00pm until September 26th.

Tillamook Farmer's Market is 60% traditional farmer's market products (fruits, vegetables, meats, etc) and 40% arts, crafts, jewelry, etc. Come and explore the farmer's market to get the real "flavor" of Tillamook.

Tillamook is an easy 20 minute drive from Sandlake Country Inn and you might as well stop when you're on your way to visit the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory. The location is on the corner of 2nd & Laurel, in Tillamook

A Tillamook Treasure

No, it's not the home of the Spruce Goose, but frankly, I really prefer the Tillamook Air Museum. The Tillamook Air Museum is the largest wooden structure in the world! In 1942 & 1943, the U.S. Navy constructed 2 blimp hangers in Tillamook to house a fleet of 8 blimps. The blimps were used for anti-submarine patrol along the coast as well as convoy escorts.

Naval Air Station Tillamook was decomissioned in 1948. Only 1 of the 2 hangers is left due to a fire in 1992.

Since 1994, Hanger B has been home to one of the top 5 privately owned aircraft museums in the nation.

On your stay with us at Sandlake Country Inn, you might want to take a short drive into Tillamook to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory and also to visit this one of a kind museum.




Naval Air Station Tillamook was decommissioned in 1948.




Naval Air Station Tillamook was decommissioned in 1948.