real life foodie adventures

I’m a Midwestern girl at heart. Temporarily, though, I’m relegated to the hot, muggy summers and non-winters of North Carolina. I’ve learned a lot about “Southern” food since moving here almost five years ago and there are a lot of traditionally “Southern” and “Carolina” foods that I just can’t get into… grits, Brunswick stew, Carolina BBQ, country ham… just not my thing. But, I’ve got to say, there are some things the people on this side of the country do undeniably well… biscuits, hushpuppies (with butter!), sweet tea, banana puddin’ (say it right!), and the thing I never liked… pimento cheese. Who knew that, when done correctly, it’s some of the most wonderful stuff ever?

Now I know… and I’ve been tipped off to a great recipe that’s dead easy, too.

The goods: pimentos, mayonnaise, and three kinds of cheese - sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, and colby jack.

Hand-shredded cheese is key - shred up 1 1/3 cups of each of the three cheeses.

Nobody said it was good FOR you - mix in about half a 16 ounce jar of mayonnaise and two 4 ounce jars of pimentos (drained).

Once it’s all combined, salt and pepper to taste. You can also add in a little cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or garlic powder if that’s what floats your boat. Me? I like mine plain. Cover and put it in the fridge for a few hours so the flavors can meld.

Once it’s chilled (if you can wait that long), serve on crackers, bread, in celery, as a dip… whatever your heart desires!

People all over the blogosphere are making vampire cupcakes these days. They’re everywhere. Really.

Considering we’ve been jonesing for cupcakes and Halloween is this week… I had to give it a shot. I tried a variation on a new recipe and, unfortunately, the cupcakes didn’t rise quite as much as I’d anticipated. So, although not quite as cute as everyone else’s… still a fun little Halloween treat for the ghouls and goblins.

(more…)

It’s not even Halloween yet and already the holiday stuff is creeping out onto the shelves everywhere I look. Though the stockings and decorations this early makes me twitch, I also noticed recently that this year early-edition eggnog has found its place on the shelves of my local grocers. As much as I might find the holiday push disturbing, I have to admit… I did a little dance in the middle of the aisle when I happened upon the eggnog.

Even more exciting than just plain eggnog was the discovery of Archer Farms flavored “nog milks” at my favorite Super Target. Seems as though there were a couple of flavors there on the shelf, but I couldn’t see anything past the Pumpkin Spice Milk. If pumpkin pie and eggnog had a love child, this is what it would be like. Heaven. In a glass.

In spite of the thousands of fat grams and calories {indulgent, indeed!}, we split a cup of the happy orange concoction this morning and then - because we’re bad like that - we each put a shot into our morning coffee. Really, this stuff will be lucky to last the week in this house. And I’ll be lucky to still fit into my jeans by the time it’s gone.

Four stars!

That’s right. Another… food… blog. With any luck, we’ll all have a little fun here.

Enjoy!