The other day I was shopping at Publix here in Atlanta, obviously, and stumbled onto something in the ice cream aisle. Yes, I was getting ice cream, leave your judgments at the door people. But I noticed a name I have not seen in ages. Tillamook. I used to live in Portland, Oregon from the age of 10 to 16.
During that time, my sister worked at the local Tillamook Ice Creamery. The perfect little restaurant serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus, all your favorite ice cream flavors from Tillamook. I grew up on this stuff. We would go on summer nights with our two giant dogs to get a cone or milkshake (fun milkshake hack, add half a banana!). My favorite flavors growing up were Udderly Chocolate (formerly known as Brown Cow) and cookie dough. Always on a sugar cone with sprinkles of course.
So when we moved to the south, we had to find new ice cream, cheeses and yogurts. They were a staple in our house but not available anywhere near us. Tillamook is everywhere in the Northwest since they’re based in Portland. A family-owned business who cares about quality ingredients, happy cows and incredible products. But now we can enjoy Tillamook again since they’re now in the Southeast! You can find Tillamook near you here!
Last night, I was honored to attend a VIP event at Sweet Auburn BBQ with Tillamook. It was a cheese and ice cream bonanza! So many incredible dishes and bites to enjoy. In honor of the best cheese around, I had to share a delicious breakfast bowl perfect for the weekend. My cheese grits and chorizo egg bowl. It’s actually very easy to make and heats up as leftovers quite well.
This post was sponsored by Tillamook. All opinions and views are my own.
Chorizo And Tillamook Cheese Grits Breakfast Bowl
The below recipe serves about 4 people. It just depends on how many eggs you want to be honest. Serve these up in a shallow bowl so you can get the perfect bite every single time. Should you have leftover chorizo or grits, they actually reheat quite nicely the next day. I re-made this for myself the following morning and just fried a fresh egg to put on top. Just pop the grits and chorizo in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds until hot. You can always add some extra cheese to get things really gooey and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 lb of chorizo
- 4-6 eggs
- 1-2 avocados
- 1 cup grits
- 4 cups whole milk
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cups Tillamook cheddar cheese, shredded
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Cilantro for garnish
Method
Step One – Brown Your Chorizo
The first thing you’ll want to do is prep your chorizo. You can even do this ahead of time if you’re serving this to a crowd. Take your chorizo links and remove the casing and brown in a skillet over medium heat. Break up the meat until it’s crumbled. You can also roast this until cooked and then slice up the links into half moons or quarters. It’s totally a preference!
Step Two – Start Your Grits
Bring 4 cups of milk and butter to a simmer – WATCH IT IT WILL BOIL OVER. Then add in your grits slowly while whisking. Reduce the heat and cook over low heat until thickened. You can head to Step 3 while these cook so everything finishes at the same time!
Mine took about 15 minutes, just depends on your grits! Once you’ve got grits, remove from the heat and add in your Tillamook cheddar cheese and season with salt and pepper. Mix until your cheese has melted, just takes a few seconds!
Step Three – Cook Your Eggs
While your grits are cooking you can begin working on your eggs. This is again a total preference on how you like your eggs. I’m an over-easy kind of girl. But you can poach, sunny side up, or scramble. Be sure to season your eggs with salt and pepper. I also like a little red pepper flake on mine too.
Step Four – Plate Your Breakfast Bowls
Take a good scoop of grits and place in a shallow bowl. Top with chorizo crumbles and your eggs. Add a few slices of avocado and a sprig of cilantro to finish the dish.
