Pimento cheese and ham biscuits—two of the life-sustaining staples of Southern gatherings. Weddings, funerals, church suppers, ladies’ luncheons, Fourth of July picnics, you can depend on these favorites as much as you can depend on a choice of ice tea—sweet or unsweet.  So if you want to carry something southern to that Kentucky Derby party but you don’t cook southern (yet)—here’s your ticket to the Winner’s Circle. 

I could have tossed a cat at my stack of plastic spiral cookbooks and found some version of this recipe in any one of them.

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (mostly I use only yellow cheese, but I need this tomorrow so I used what I had)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 4 ounces diced pimentos, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
• Splash, or two, of McIlhenny Tabasco Pepper Sauce

 Mix the cheddar cheese and softened cream cheese together. Mix for 2-3 minutes.
Add in the mayo and mix.
Add in the garlic powder, paprika, onion powder and dry mustard. Stir everything together.
Mix in the pimentos.
Refrigerate before serving.

Sometimes this is served with crackers, but often it’s made into those little square, crusts-cut-off, tea sandwiches.
The Kitchen Hive