Pimento Cheese is Back on the Menu

     pimento cheese has never held any appeal for me. i mean, what is it even made of? and i associate it with raw celery sticks, which i also detest. why smearing some questionable cheese mixture on a stick that tastes like a root would make a good snack is beyond me. so, that being said, when my dear friend, janice, had me over for lunch and told me she was making grilled pimento cheese sandwiches, i of course smiled and said, "okay". (my momma raised me as a good southern girl: you just don't blurt out that you'd rather eat something else!) but why would i question my friend's good judgement anyway? she has great taste in décor, clothes, friends... 
back to the sandwich. 
     once she brought it to the table, i prepared myself to stifle any gag reflexes, jerks, seizures and took a bite. ? what's this? what's this delicious goodness spreading from the front of my mouth to the bottom of my toes? i looked inside the sandwich and all that lumpy orange mess had melted into pure smoothness. the bread had been pan fried and was now a perfect buttery home for this melted cheese. in short, it was the most delicious lunch i have had in a long time. 
     after our wonderful visit of much cackling (and there was indeed cackling), i left janice and immediately called steve to tell him of the wonders i had eaten. 


he wasn't buying it.


he wasn't having it.


he wasn't eating it.


and there was some bit about not with a goat, on a boat or wearing a coat.


but i was on a mission to replicate that sandwich. i started looking for the cheese. i knew i did not want Ruth's as i have tried her chicken salad, and that is not a tub of deliciousness. i called my friend to see what  brand she uses, but it's a south carolina brand and was nowhere to be found. so then i thought to find out what are the ingredients in hers. and this is very important: the first ingredient needs to be sharp cheddar cheese (not mayonnaise or processed cheese product...mmm, i wonder why i've never liked pimento cheese before). once i found a suitable looking list of ingredients (never mind that there are about 50...i'm sure they're all natural), i set off to win my family's collective tummy!

cheese, cheese

  and more cheese

  butter. hmm, i'm not sure if janice would approve the amount used. i'm now seeing some thin areas. 

mmm, cheesy-gooeyness

verdict? good enough to have again for lunch the next day, and this time savannah made them!