Pimento Cheese

Growing up, there were a certain number of snacky-type items always in our house. Doritos. Triscuits. Goldfish. Salsa. Pickled Herring in Sour Cream (no, I'm not joking... you'll have to ask my Mom about this one.) And Cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. Block cheeses, imported cheeses, cheese spreads (mostly of the port-wine variety from Kaukauna, WI), and pimento cheese.

I always found the look of pimento cheese totally unappealing. The texture was always just a little off, in my opinion. Also, as a child, I think the flavors were too tangy or spicy for my palatte. So, I just always avoided this snack option (along with the aforementioned herring), and went for one of my old standbys (most likely an entire bag of parmesan goldfish.)

About a month ago, when we were going over to my parents for dinner, I decided to bring an appetizer. Flipping through my Paula Deen cookbook, I found a recipe for Pimento Cheese dip, and I felt compelled - for my Mom's sake - to make this. Of course, I had to make a few changes... Paula's a great lady and all, but damn if her recipes don't just make your heart stop beating immediately reading about all that fat! So, I healthied it up a bit, not to mentioned used more than the recommended pimento peppers, and it turned out great. I made it again this past Friday for a dinner party we had, and it was a decisive hit. Try it.

Pimento Cheese

3 oz. reduced fat cream cheese (I wouldn't recommend going totally fat free here, because, well, that stuff is nasty.)

2 C. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 C. pimento peppers, chopped (you can find them in a jar by other jarred veg)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/2 C. plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

Cream the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat until fully combined (don't overdo it!). Serve with crackers (I used Kashi Honey Sesame, which was kind of an awesome spicy-sweet combo with the dip.)