Miles to go for incredible pimento cheese…

My friend Merrill had some tests run last week after feeling terrible for several days.  When the girls in the NAJA office called to check on her, she said, “I’m at home on my death-bed.  Somebody bring me a pimento cheese sandwich and a milkshake.”  Typical Southern last-meal request.  Pimento cheese is one of my favorite foods.  I love it as a dip with crackers, as a sandwich on fresh white bread, or toasted like a panini with lots of butter.  A perfect pimento cheese recipe is a Southern girl’s secret.  While Southern Living once devoted a full article with six variations on the concoction, I think the simpler the ingredient list, the better the result.  This morning I made it with 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1 large jar of diced pimento and lots of Blue Plate mayo.  Nothing else.  It’s divine.  I’m enjoying it with crackers while Bud made a sandwich.  I’m keeping up with the other ingredients Southern Living recommends, but as for now, I’ll stick with the basics.  And, I’m even sharing my secret recipe — the Blue Plate is the secret.

Other ideas for dressing up your pimento cheese, though I think I’ll pass:

sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice, Tabasco, wine vinegar, Durkee’s sauce, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, parsley, Velvetta, Cream Cheese, Worcestershire, horseradish, green chilies, ground cumin, evaporated milk, black olives.

What is on your pimento cheese ingredient list?

Here’s a link to an article about keeping it simple with Pimento Cheese from my favorite magazine, Garden and Gun:

http://gardenandgun.com/article/spread-love