Pimento Cheese

After many years of enjoying this delicious Southern delicacy, I've decided to make my own version of it!

I can't tell you how many times I've eaten my mother's pimento cheese or bought Palmetto Cheese which by the way, if you're ever in a grocery store in SC - grab a tub of this deliciousness!

However, pimento cheese is few and far between in these parts (NJ) so what better way to embrace my heritage than to make my very own? After my first try, I'm pretty much a pro... 

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• About 3 to 3.5 cups of your favorite shredded cheese, I used a little sharp cheddar mixed with a little taco cheese because I had opened bags of both in my refrigerator
• About 1/3 cup of mayonaise - nothing is better than Hellman's :)
• A couple of squirts of Miracle Whip - I really detest this stuff, but it adds the perfect sweet/tangy touch
• 4-5 turns each of pepper and ground garlic
• Pinch of salt
• 1.5 oz of pimentos - they are sold in 3 oz. jars, so I used half of said jar
• Have fun with it: add a few strips of finely chopped bacon (cooked), some jalapenos also chopped, whatever your heart desires! I didn't add a thing to my first batch and it was perfecto!

First, I used my hand mixer to whip the cream cheese in a medium sized bowl. Tossed in the other ingredients and mixed until everything was completely incorporated. I couldn't believe how easy this was! I chose Pretzel Crisps to serve with the cheese because they were on sale in my grocery store. One thing I learned is that the cheese tastes better after a day or two in the refrigerator! This recipe makes about 10 oz I would guess but I split it into containers to give away so I'm not exactly sure how much it made. It can be kept in the refrigerator for months, although it would NEVER last that long in mine :)

This is after it was all finished - it looks light because of the sunlight and I used white cheddar - yours may be more yellow/orange. I happen to be a big fan of olives, so I went to the grocery store where we have a huge salad bar and olive bar with all sorts of stuffed and unstuffed olives for you to stuff yourself. So obviously...

made the best decision of my life by stuffing them! I just used a small butter knife and loosened the opening up and stuffed them full of pimento cheese. Delicious! Perfect Superbowl party food :)

Cheers :)