Think you have the best macaroni and cheese around? Tillamook Cheese announced the call for recipe submissions for its 5th annual Tillamook Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Contest. Tillamook is looking for six home cooks from around the nation to compete in the grand finale cook-off in October. The contest, dedicated to an all-time favorite comfort food, continues to evolve, and this year gives foodies and home cooks alike the chance to win $5,000 in the national grand finale cook-off and $1,000 in the “People’s Choice” Awards.

Entering is a snap. Just visit http://www.macaroniandcheeseandcheese.com/contest to submit your homemade macaroni and cheese recipes. Select recipes will be tested by a professional chef and narrowed down to the top six recipes in the country. The six chosen finalists will compete in the grand finale cook-off in Portland, Ore., on October 23.

In addition, the finalists and their guests will be flown out to Portland, where they will cook their recipes from scratch in front of a live audience and a panel of judges consisting of national culinary experts and professional chefs. Finalists will compete for the 2009 title of the “Big Cheese,” $5,000 cash and 25 pounds of Tillamook cheese. The first runner up will receive $2,000 cash and 20 pounds of Tillamook cheese and the second runner up will receive $1,000 cash and 15 pounds of Tillamook cheese.

Due to its popularity in last year’s contest, the People’s Choice Award returns for another year. This year, grand finale cook-off attendees will vote for a “People’s Choice” winner at the event on October 23, and the winner will be announced after the judges have finished scoring all entries.

The deadline for online recipe submissions is August 17 at midnight (PST). Entries also can be mailed to: Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Contest, 1100 SW Sixth Avenue, Suite 1425, Portland, OR 97204-1014. Mailed recipe submissions must be postmarked by August 12 to be considered with other recipe submissions.

For more information, to submit a recipe, view winning recipes or learn how to make a Tillamook macaroni and cheese recipe, visit http://www.macaroniandcheeseandcheese.com/.