It's the most wonderful time of the year...
Just this week (Christmas week) I received a little gift box of a pound of smoked sausage and a pound of smoked sharp cheddar cheese. I shared the sausage with a bottle of beer (and a few friends), but I saved the cheese for this...
Very handy to have around the house this time of year. A tube of Ritz crackers and you have a fast appetizer hors d'oeuvres. It makes a terrific sandwich spread (left over ham anyone). And it even makes a welcome hostess gift... Would this be considered regifting if I gave jar of this to the friend who gave me the welcome block of smoked cheddar??? And of course set a bit out for New Year's night and watch it disappear.
Classically southern delicious and yet so easy to make. Only seemingly tricky part is to get the pimentos, which are simply diced roasted red peppers. And really those are easy. The rest is just measuring and mixing and enjoying!
Simple, welcome and delicious... What could be better?
Pimento Cheese
Dip and SPREAD!
Dip and SPREAD!
Ingredients
- 1 Large Red Pepper, small dice
- Drizzle of Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 1 pinch each Salt and Pepper
- 16 Ounces Smoked Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, freshly shredded
- Spread diced red peppers in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, drizzle Olive Oil and a pinch of salt and pepper over the peppers
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Remove peppers from the oven and allow to cool.
- Mix with all remaining ingredients
- Serve at room temperature as a dip, spread on a cracker for an appetizer ... or make a very unique version of a breakfast sandwich with some ham and pepper biscuits (tomorrow's post)
- And ENJOY!!!
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Kind of an odd title for these posts. But the longer sentence is... Simple recipes that are easy and inexpensive that will take your cooking to the next level... Things like easy pickled items (I always have a jar of Pickled Red Onions for sandwiches in my fridge). Or how about the easiest bread to make in the world... Beer Bread that is tasty on it's own but also makes a wonderful open face pizza style sandwich... With easy to make Tomato Sauce. Or how about Roasting Garlic for a spread on toast points for a unique appetizer. Infusing Oil with Herbs or spices or spicy peppers. Or how about making your own BBQ sauce. Nothing sets you apart as a grill master like setting out a jar of your own specialty BBQ Sauce.
You get the idea. These recipes are very simple, take very little time but will set you apart as a better cook...
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A list of something NEW worthy of being shown off at a neighborhood BYODish (Bring Your Own Dish) Party, a Family special occasion dinner, Any Big Holiday Gathering or of course that glorious day when you bring a dish to share with your Church family...Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner. It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish). I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,
"A potluck, like a church requires work. At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights. But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth. I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables at my fondly remembered Liberty Baptist Church. Tables covered with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring... Enjoy
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I really like the idea of using the smoked cheese for this. Happy New Year.
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