To Dental School and Beyond: Jalapeno Pimento Cheese

I'm very excited to be posting the first recipe for the blog! The past few days have been interesting. First, with some news I cannot yet share, and second, with Joseph getting the stomach bug that I had last week. I am on call for work tonight, and ended up working extra today, so my usual "after work grocery run" to pick up a few items turned into "What is Abby craving right now?".

Joseph is sleeping off his illness, so I was on my own for dinner. I have been wanting to make pimento cheese for the past few days, so I finally got some pimentos and went to town. The recipe I found is very similar to Taziki's (click link to see menu and if there's one near you!) pimento cheese, which is delicious and slightly spicy, which I always LOVE!

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and only switched fresh jalapenos for pickled because that was all I had at home. Click here for the original recipe.

4 ounces cream cheese

1 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp garlic powder

2 ounces diced pimentos, drained (1/2 of a 4 ounce jar)

2 ounces diced pickled jalapenos, drained

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in standing mixer or with handheld mixer until well blended. Add salt and pepper as needed. Enjoy! You can double or triple this recipe to take to a party or tailgate. Dip with crackers, or make a sandwich. I used pretzel crisps, they're my favorite right now!

In other news, I have a new guilty pleasure snack. I have always loved Talenti gelato (you can get it at any Publix), but I have never tried the Salted Caramel flavor. Well, ladies and gentleman, it is out of this world good! The flavor is wonderful, and there are little chunks of caramels in the ice cream with a hint of salt in them. You CANNOT just take one bite. I actually did that, then 5 minutes later I was opening the freezer to get another spoonful of goodness!