the peanut butter of the south.& just like peanut butter, pimento cheese can be eaten a ton of different ways: spread on crackers, sandwiched between 2 slices of white bread for a traditional sandwich, served cold as a dip, served warm as a dip, grilled between 2 slices of whole grain bread as an awesome version of grilled cheese, scooped on top of a burger, made even better if that burger has a fried green tomato.

i love, love, luuuuuuuuuuuv this stuff, yet we never have it in our house.

why?

i can’t be trusted.  i will eat every. last. bit. & i wish that was an exaggeration.  the other half of this household is able to exercise more self control.

yeah, you can pony up $3+ for a small, already prepared tub, but when you hoss it down like i do, it’s not really cost effective, considering you can make about twice as much on your own, for around the same price.  plus, there is something called “imitation salad cheese” lurking in some brands of prepared pimento cheese.  do you know what that is?  yeah.  me either.

the following recipe contains only real cheese & by making this yourself, you can adjust the texture by increasing or decreasing the wet ingredients to suit your needs.

makes 1lb

16oz grated sharp cheddar cheese (for a smoother texture, grate your own.  for more defined texture, use thick preshredded.)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/4-1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded & minced
1 4oz jar diced pimentos, with the liquid

1.  add shredded cheese to a medium bowl.  set aside.  in a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, cayenne, jalapeno, pimentos & their juice.  stir to combine, taste & adjust seasoning.

2.  add the wet ingredients to the medium bowl with grated cheese & stir to combine.