Classic Pimiento Cheese

Found this recipe in Relish Magazine. I´ve made it at least 3 times now, and we love it. Usually eat it on bread, but it would be great as a dip for tortilla chips or crackers. I never get it quite as creamy as they suggest, and I don´t have extra sharp cheddar, but definitely still worth eating.

Ingredients

2 cups finely shredded extra-sharp Cheddar
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1/3 cup mayonnaise, divided
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon grated shallot or yellow onion
1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained but liquid reserved
Ground cayenne pepper
English-style dry mustard

Instructions
1. Combine half the Cheddar and half the Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Mix together lightly. Knead in 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise until mixture is creamy and very smooth.

2. Work in remaining cheese, garlic, shallot, pimientos, 1 tablespoon of reserved pimiento liquid, a dash of cayenne and a small pinch of dry mustard. Knead just enough to mix well: it should still have plenty of texture. Add remaining mayonnaise, if necessary—just enough to make it spreadable.

3. Let stand 30 minutes. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Good books to listen to/read

During my christmas vacation, I listened to/read about 5 books. All were pretty light reads.

The first one was The Christmas thief, by Mary Higgins Clark. I got it on cd, and listened to it as I cooked. Synopsis: Years ago Packy Noonan stole and hid diamonds in a huge spruce tree. He´s now out of jail and ready to go collect his diamonds. However, the spruce is now to be the Christmas tree for Rockefeller center. Doesn´t take much to figure out what´s going on and what will happen.

The next 4 were The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Blessing, The Christmas Hope, & The Christmas Promise, all by Donna VanLiere. You could read each book alone, but each book did have characters from the prior book. You kind of got to watch them grow and expand. These are all Christian books, reminding us of God´s love and care for us, and His hand in our lives.

The Christmas Shoes is about Nathan, whose mother is dying on Christmas Eve, and Robert, whose family life is crumbling. Their chance meeting changes the course of both their lives. The song The Christmas Shoes by Newsong is what prompted the writer to create this story.

The Christmas Blessing follows Nathan as he´s a third-year med student. Through his interactions with Meghan and Charlie, heart patients in the hospital, he finds his path in life.

The Christmas Hope is the story of Patricia & Mark Addison who unexpectedly spend one Christmas with a little girl who helps them come to terms with each other, and bring peace with their son´s death.

The Christmas Promise is of Miss Gloria, who has devoted her life to helping those in need. Through helping her cranky neighbor Miriam, and a young woman in need, she unknowingly helps her lost son find his way back home.