Sweet Home Alabama

In my recent blog about our family trip to Hawaii, I mentioned my mom went along with us and shared her phenomenal cooking skills. Since we had our hungry, growing boys with us, we decided to budget our cash for activities and cook all our meals. With the exception of the luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center (excellent),

we did just that. Or should I say, Mom did just that.

My mother is a bona fide southern cook. Born and bred in Alabama, she learned to cook from her mother

who learned it from her mother

…you get the picture.

Today I’m gonna share my mother’s recipe for Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwiches.

You may or may not know that being a bona fide southern cook means being flexible, so when my mother decided that jarred roasted red peppers tastes better than jarred pimentos, that was the end of that.  And that’s why there’s no actual pimentos in my mother’s Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwiches. With that being said, I’ll add one caveat…this ooey, gooey, melted mess of deliciousness is NOT a diet food, y’all!

Ingredients
2 1/2 C shredded cheese (Cheddar, Montery Jack,  and/or Pepper Jack)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
jarred roasted red and/or yellow peppers drained and coarsely chopped
mayo
Dash of cayenne pepper

Mix your favorite combination of shredded cheese with the softened cream cheese.  You can do this in your mixer with your paddle attachment or with a food processor.

Add as many peppers as you please.

Add mayo until it’s as creamy as you like it.

Add the smallest pinch of cayenne pepper for a little extra bite and stir.  Brush your favorite bread with olive oil or melted butter, fill with yummy Pimento Cheese Spread and grill in a hot skillet.

Any leftover spread is great to use with celery or crackers as a dip

or as a substitute for the cheese in your next cheeseburger.

Bon Appetit!