hot hot hot

Once we got our licenses, my friends and I would pile into the car  cross the border and head to Charlotte. (Sorry, mom. I know you told us not to, but we were 16 and we were such great drivers already. Ok, not really.) Since we couldn’t really get into clubs or bars or anything, we mostly shopped and ate. Our favorite place was the Penguin, which has since been featured on The Food Network and gone through some management drama.

But, before all that, we loved it. I’d never had sweet potato fries or a black bean burger before then, which seems crazy now. Not many diners have a lot of vegetarian offerings along with meaty fare, but they did it well. I know this will give me negative foodie points, but I love pimento cheese sandwiches, and I’m not above ordering them at restaurants. The grilled Penguin Pimento Cheese Sandwich was one of the best I’ve ever had, and so after making one version of their recipe successfully this summer, I decided to build on it and make it more my own.

Pimento cheese falls into the category of food that is so much better made at home than from the store, and it really takes no time to make a LOT of it.

Cheese is better melted.

Spicy Pimento Cheese

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb grated cheese (I used 1/2lb mozzarella, 1/2lb colby jack, and 1/2 habanero cheddar, but you can use whatever you want for varying degrees of hotness.)
1 4-oz can of diced pimentos (or whole peppers, diced)
3 small green pickled hot peppers, diced finely (this makes a Medium-hot spread, use 1 or 2 for less heat)
2/3 cup light mayonaise
1/3 tsp garlic salt
1/3 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper

Directions
1. Grate cheese (or pour it out of the bag, if you`re lazy.)
2. Chop peppers and add to cheese.
3. Stir in mayonnaise.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper around the top. Try to spread it around so it doesn’t clump together.
5. Stir, and serve either cold or hot.