melting your mouth

I’m sorry I couldn’t get a better picture of this — our camera is still screwed up so that everything is coming out dark, so I’m having to use flash on all my pictures, which makes them not look as good. But, I hate to just stop blogging because I’m less than thrilled with the pictures I’m getting, so, you’re just going to have to take what you can get for a little while! Our camera is still within warranty, so we’re going to have to send it off to Nikon to be repaired, which means it may be a while before we get it back. So please be patient with us!

So anyway, I promise that pimento cheese is much tastier than it might look in the above photo. If you’re not a Southerner, you may not have heard of this spread, which is extremely easy to make, and is a pretty yummy snack. Since we’ve been exercising more, we’ve found the need to keep more quick and easy snacks or meals on hand, so I made a batch last week. We like to use it to fill celery sticks (so you can tell yourself you’re balancing out the healthiness of mixing cheese with mayo), or spread it on sandwiches. If you’re going to put it on a sandwich, I think it’s much, much better if you toast the sandwich (in a toaster oven, already filled with the spread, so the cheese gets gooey and melty), but there are those in my family that disagree and think it’s better without toasting. Either way, you should give it a try, as it takes all of 10 minutes to whip up a batch.

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These are a tradition in our family, and especially one of my Dad’s favorites. Even better, they’re super easy, and only have a few ingredients that you’re likely to have on hand. I made some tonight as a little different holiday gift than the usual cookies, but they make great appetizers or snacks, too, and they never stay around too long at our house.

I didn’t have a cookie press, but I managed to find a cheap one at Bed Bath and Beyond for $6, so I enjoyed using my new toy. A cookie press makes these more fun, but I expect they would taste just fine made like drop cookies too. Or, I think a pastry bag with a star tip would make a fine substitute as well.

As a side note, I made another 101cookbooks recipe tonight, Heidi’s recent Hazelnut and Chard Ravioli Salad, except I used spinach, pumpkin ravioli, and acorn squash, and I added a bit of pancetta too, although it definitely didn’t need it. It was absolutely delicious, and I highly recommend it.

Here’s the recipe for the cheese straws:

Ingredients:
8 oz. Sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 3/4 stick margarine
2 c flour
1/2 t Cayenne pepper

Cream margarine and cheese. Add flour and pepper. Mix well. Fill cookie press with desired shapes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.