Whipped Pimiento Cheese

As God is my witness, this will be the LAST recipe that you get from me for pimiento cheese…probably. This whipped version just barely qualifies as pimiento cheese, in my opinion, because it contains so many ingredients, including a wide variety of different cheeses. Despite that fact, it goes together easily by tossing everything into the food processor, and the results are wonderful. It’s great as a sandwich spread, it’s a wonderful burger topper, but I like it best as a part of a charcuterie board because it is so delicious when spread on slices of apple, or when grapes and/or cornichons are used as dippers. If you prefer savory to sweet in such instances, tiny cherry tomatoes are perfect as dippers here. The smoothness of this cheese makes it more versatile than the classic version. You are going to love it!

Whipped Pimiento Cheese
Adapted from Chef Steven Goff

1/3 jar Melissa’s roasted red bell peppers
½ lb. aged cheddar cheese, shredded
2 oz. triple-cream brie
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 oz. cream cheese
¼ c. Duke’s mayonnaise
¼ c. yogurt*
1 T. TexasPete hot sauce
1 T. Texas Pete hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t. Melissa’s minced garlic
King cobra malt liquor to thin (8 ounces or so)**

 Drain peppers and purée in a food processor. Add cheeses, mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, and seasonings and purée until combined. Slowly add malt liquor blending until smooth.

* I used Greek
** I used Guinness

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Mandarin Orange Slaw

What does one do when she has way too much cabbage and an excess of mandarin oranges? Combine the two in a similar fashion to the Mandarin Orange Salad, and make one whale of a delicious, refreshing coleslaw. I wasn’t quite so sure how this was going to work out, but I have to say this is my new favorite way to make coleslaw. Savory, tangy, and sweet all in one, the Mandarin oranges give it a burst of citrus flavor while the mustard and cayenne add a peppery punch. With barbecue season coming up (It IS coming, isn’t it?), it’s time to start looking at recipes for new and different summer salads. Let this be one that you try this year.

Mandarin Orange Slaw

 Dressing:

1/3 c. Duke's mayonnaise

1 T. sour cream

2 T. granulated sugar

2 T. cider vinegar

1 t. dry mustard

½ t. celery salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

 1 small head Melissa’s organic cabbage, shredded

1 large carrot, grated

¼ c. chopped scallions

1 10 oz.can mandarin oranges, drained

 Combine all dressing ingredients together in a bowl, whisking until well blended.

 Place the shredded cabbage, carrot, and scallions into a bowl, and toss with dressing until thoroughly coated. Gently fold in mandarin oranges.

 Refrigerate to for at least one hour allowing flavors to meld.  Lightly toss again before serving.

 Make coleslaw at least an hour before serving. For best results let it sit 2-3 hours.

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Butter Pecan Cookies

In my wizened old age, I have come to the conclusion that there are butter pecan people, and non-butter pecan people, and there is just no in between. Case in point, the late Mr. O-P used to LOVE butter pecan ice cream. I mean, he couldn’t get enough of it. Me? Frankly I could take or leave butter pecan anything, as well as ice cream. Just don’t care for either one. But the other day I was thinking about him and his butter pecan interest, and wondering how something like that would translate into a cookie. So, with him in mind, I set to work, and I may have just become a butter pecan convert. These are so buttery and flavorful. Toasting the pecans is key, as well as a hefty amount of butter emulsion. If you have butter pecan fans in your family, these are a must make.

Butter Pecan Cookies

2 c. pecan halves
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
¾ c. dark brown sugar
¾ c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 t. vanilla flavoring
1 t. butter flavoring
 2¼ c. flour
1 t. baking powder
½ t. salt

Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray baking sheets with cookiescoop or use a Silpat; set aside

Toast pecans. Generally, I like to do this in a 350° toaster oven for 5 to 7 minutes, but ovens can vary. Just make sure to watch them because they can burn easily, and, if they do, they turn bitter.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add sugars, beat again for 2 - 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flavorings, beat again. Whisk together flour, soda, and salt, and, with mixer running on “low” slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture, beating just until combined. Fold in toasted pecans.

Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to put mounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, or until degree of doneness is desired.

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Margarita in Retrograde; Cocktails for Every Sign, Reviewed

 Sometimes it’s not easy to find something new in cookbooks. There are days when I feel as though everything has already been done. That is certainly not the case in this new, cute little volume Margarita in Retrograde; Cocktails for Every Sign by Vanessa Li and Bowen Goh, co-owners of Mood Ring, scheduled for release on April 19th.

While I must admit to reading the occasional horoscope in the newspaper, and I did have my astrological chart plotted when I was in college, it’s not something that I tend to be totally on board with. That said, this book, divided into categories by astrological sign, really had me pegged when it came to cocktails.

The PLUR (an acronym for peace, love, unity, respect), is a measured combination of a cocktail that I have poured for myself, willy-nilly. The wonderful mix of aviation gin and St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and topped with Prosecco, is unexpected, complex, and refreshing, much like this Libra girl herself.

Each astrological sign featured has four signature cocktails suitable for the personality of the individual who possesses that star sign. Names range from the humorous “Butt Massage” (Taurus), to the more apologetic “Sorry I Ghosted You” (Sagittarius), to the innocence of “I Like You a Latte” (Virgo), to the whimsical “Miss Piggy Fan Club”(Gemini). There are also cocktails specific to the period when mercury is in retrograde and Saturn returns. Suggested dates for the various star signs are also included although, truth be told, mine was way off the mark.

The book is clever, and will certainly be a great topic for conversation, but it is useful as well. It provides information on how to set up a homemade bar, what glassware to use, as well as information as to the possible personality types you can expect from various star signs.

While there’s nothing scientific to this at all, it is great fun, and the plethora of recipes is cleverly named, uncommon, and delicious. The authors are co-owners of Brooklyn’s bar, Mood Ring, a bar that is, allegedly “astrologically attuned.”  If you’re familiar with that bar, then this is a must have. If you’re not, I think it would certainly be a worthy addition to your cocktail bar or cookbook library.

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 Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Margarita in Retrograde from Abrams Books as a member of their Abrams Dinner Party 2021-2022.

 

Masters Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe

You’re probably looking at this post and thinking, what is WRONG with this woman?! Another pimiento cheese recipe?! Yep, that’s what this is. But, I do love a good recipe with a checkered past. This recipe is, allegedly, a clone of the original Masters recipe. Its posting today is significant because the 2022 Masters Tournament (the 86th edition of the Masters Tournament and the first of the men's four major golf championships held in 2022) is being played from April 7-10, 2022, at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

 Pimiento cheese sandwiches are a major staple among the foodstuffs offered at the Tournament, and have been from the very beginning. The sandwiches, with the cheese filling developed by long-time cheese vendor, Nick Rangos, were initially sold for a dollar a piece (now $1.50). When Ramos' contract was not renewed, he refused to part with his recipe, left in a huff, and took that iconic recipe with him to his grave in 2015. Enter replacement, Ted Godfrey, who worked tirelessly to replicate the recipe, only to suffer a similar fate, being replaced by in-house catering in 2013. He took his recipe with him as well. Saving the day was Augusta food blogger, and lifelong Masters enthusiast, Gina Dickson, who reverse engineered the recipe based upon ingredients listed on the package. There is so much more to this story than what I've written here, but it is intriguing, no? Here is her version of a copy of the original.

 Masters Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe

From Intentional Hospitality

 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
4 ounces cream cheese
½ cup mayonnaise (“just don’t use Miracle Whip—that’s a Northern thing”)
4-ounce jar pimiento peppers, drained and diced
1 tablespoon onion, very finely minced
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour to allow it to become firm. Serve on white bread.

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Peanut Butter Heavenly Hash Squares

Easter is on the way and, as usual, thoughts of the heavenly hash eggs that I would annually give to my dad, come to mind. He loved his sweets, particularly when studded with marshmallows and nuts. I added peanut butter to this version, taking it over the top. Dad would have loved it!

Peanut Butter Heavenly Hash Squares

 1 11-oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips

1 11-oz. bag butterscotch chips

1 c. Jif peanut butter

½ c. roughly chopped pecans, toasted

2 c. mini marshmallows

 Prepare a 9” x 9” baking pan by lining it with parchment paper, allowing 2”-3” excess to hang out over two sides of the pan. This will allow you to lift the whole block out of the pan once it has cooled, making slicing a breeze.

Prepare a makeshift double boiler by using a 6-quart saucepan half full of water, and a large metal mixing bowl. Into this bowl place chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture has melted. Add the marshmallow and nuts, folding them together until they are well coated.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing it out, and flattening the top as well as you are able. Allow the chocolate to firm at room temperature before slicing. Do not refrigerate at this stage, or you whist risk getting white streaks in your chocolate.

Once it has firmed (3 - 4 hours on the countertop) you may then store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

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Blueberry Broccoli Salad

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Let’s start the week with something healthy and nutritious, savory and sweet, chewy, crunchy, juicy, and bursting with flavor. I bought a lot of broccoli to use in a couple of new recipes I had discovered. A couple days after I bought the broccoli, those “discovered” recipes were nowhere to be found. Time to get creative. The first thing that came to mind -- other than enjoying broccoli as a vegetable with my evening meal -- was to make my mom’s broccoli salad, but I didn’t have grapes on hand. Enter the fat, juicy, and ever-so-sweet blueberries that I had, and this wonderful combination has become one of my new faves. The crunch of the toasted pecans, the chewiness of the broccoli, the peppery onion, the sweet blueberries, salty bacon, and the tasty dressing, make this a salad you’re going to want to enjoy again and again. It doesn’t get much healthier than this.

Blueberry Broccoli Salad

2 c. fresh broccoli florets
1/3 c. diced red onion
½ c. diced celery
2/3 c. fresh blueberries1/3 c. broken pecans, toasted

3-4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 c. raspberry vinegar
2 T. sugar
2 T. raspberry vinegar
Pinch of dry mustard

 In large salad bowl, combine the broccoli, onion, celery, blueberries, and toasted pecans. In another bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and dry mustard; pour over broccoli mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Stir in bacon just before serving.

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