Southern Style Pimento Cheese

Southern Pimento Cheese

Actually I suppose all pimento cheese is Southern.  Here's a simple recipe of pimento cheese that is good for serving on crackers, topping a homemade pizza,  or for making a grilled pimento cheese sandwich.  I'm going to a "livermush party"  next week, and I'll take some pimento cheese that will be good to add to a livermush sandwich.

Here's the recipe for Southern Pimento Cheese:

Southern Pimento Cheese

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup Duke’s mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)

1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimento, drained or 4 ounces grilled sweet pepper

Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayo, cayenne pepper, and pimento in the large bowl of a mixer.  Beat at medium speed with paddle until thoroughly combined.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

 

Use a good extra sharp Cheddar.

Duke's mayo is a must for this.

I used half of this jar of grilled peppers.

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl of mixer until blended.

Ready to enjoy.

If you've only tried the commercial pimento cheese, I suggest making your own.  It's less expensive and it is ever so much better. 

Easy Recipe for Mardi Gras King Cake

Mardi Gras King Cake.

I didn't get around to making a King Cake until late in the evening of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).  Mardi Gras is the day you can eat all you want because it will be followed by Lent where one usually gives up something they like. Alas, we didn't get around to eating any until the next day, Ash Wednesday.  I sometimes give up sweets during Lent, but find that I can't quite succeed so this year I'm just cutting back on sweets.

Here's the Easy Recipe.

RECIPE FOR EASY KING CAKE

Ingredients

Butter for greasing the pan

2 cans (8-ounce) reduced-fat crescent rolls

4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Icing and Sugars:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons skim milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Colored sugars (purple, green and gold)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 350F. Coat a baking sheet with butter.

2. To prepare cake, separate crescent rolls at perforations, into

16 triangular slices. Place slices around pan with points in the center. Overlap the sides of the triangles about 1/4 ". 

About halfway down from points, press seams together.

Place crescent roll triangles to form a circle.

3. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in a

mixing bowl. Using a mixer at medium speed, beat until

creamy. Spread cream cheese mixture on dough in the center

where seams have been pressed together.

Add cream cheese layer in middle of circle.

4. Combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Stir with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over cream cheese.

Fold dough points over filling, then fold base of triangles

over points forming a circular roll.

Circular roll ready for oven.

5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

6. To prepare icing, combine all ingredients except colored

sugars in a small bowl. Whisk until icing reaches desired

consistency, adding more powdered sugar or milk as needed.

Drizzle over cooled cake.

7. Sprinkle colored sugars in wide horizontal bands over the

iced cake.

 

Baked and decorated.

 

Notice the cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon layer in center of cake. 

This is so easy to make, and it is quite delicious. 

Pesto Cream Cheese Stuffed Crimini Mushrooms

Pesto Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms.

These make for a nice appetizer or finger food for a party. This recipe is from Channel 14's Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute.


Pesto Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
(Number of Servings depends on how big your mushrooms are)
INGREDIENTS
One 8 oz. package white button or cremini mushrooms (I used cremini.)
2 oz. olive oil
Salt and pepper to season mushrooms (I omitted the salt.)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 oz. prepared pesto
2 oz. grated parmesan cheese
2 oz. prepared bread crumbs (I used Panko bread crumbs.)
PROCEDURE
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash mushrooms and pat dry. Remove stems. Drizzle mushroom caps with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place mushrooms on baking sheet, and bake for 5 minutes to par cook the mushrooms. If any liquid ends up in the caps, pour it off before continuing. Pat dry.

Drizzle mushroom caps with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with fresh ground black pepper.

Mix together cream cheese and pesto.

2. While the mushrooms are par-cooking, mix together the pesto and cream cheese. Fill the caps with a sizeable dollop of the mixture. Top the mushrooms with grated parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.

Par cooked mushrooms.

Place a dollop of cream cheese mixture in each cap, top with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

3. If preparing ahead for a party, stop here and refrigerate the mushrooms. When ready to serve, bake mushrooms in 375°F oven until browned and bubbly on top (should be 5-8 minutes - less time if prepared straight through without having to account for the chill from the fridge).

Out of the oven and ready to serve.

These are easy and very tasty.