New South Pimento Cheese

This weekend is a fun one - The Metropolitan Cooking and  Entertaining Show has arrived in Atlanta! I am thrilled to be presenting at the tasting and entertaining workshops, where I am making 3 quick appetizers inspired by 50 Delicious Daytrips Outside Atlanta. (I'll share more about my Delicious Daytrips soon!) I placed the recipes for the Vidalia Onion Dip and the Georgia Peach Goat Cheese Lollipops in the Friday Four this week, but only gave a tip on updating your favorite Pimento Cheese Recipe. So here is my entire recipe - definitely not your Momma's Pimento Cheese!

 

New South Pimento Cheese
1 Cup Light Mayonnaise
3 Roasted Red Peppers, Minced
2 Tsp Coarse Grain Mustard
2 Dashes Hot Sauce
1 LB Extra Sharp Cheddar, Grated
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
1 Loaf Thin-Sliced Bread
Butter-Flavored Spray
1 Bunch Basil, Julienned

Step One Add the mayonnaise, red peppers, mustard, hot sauce, cheddar and black pepper to a large bowl. Mix to combine the ingredients. Place the New South Pimento Cheese in *Sandwich Cups and garnish with the roasted red pepper or basil.

*Sandwich cups are made by cutting a slice of bread with a 2 - 2 /12" round cookie cutter. Spray 4 mini muffin tins with butter-flavored spray. Place the rounds in the holes of the muffin tins.
Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until the bread begins to brown , remove from the oven and cool.

Huevos Rancheros Before and After

The mayor of Denver welcomed us to the IACP conference last week. A former brew pub owner, he urged us to try Denver's Mexican food before leaving. At the airport early Saturday morning I spied a Mexican food stand, and not wanting to miss the experience, ordered my favorite Mex breakfast - Huevos Rancheros. Oh! they were good! 2 eggs are hiding under that blanket of green chili sauce, resting on warm, soft corn tortillas. Why can't we get chili sauce or tortillas like that in Atlanta? My goal this spring is to develop a recipe for green chili sauce. I'll share when I get it perfected:) 

Hot Dogs, Denver and a Great Sign

I don't know about you - but hot dogs are not the first thing I think about when Denver crosses my mind. I'm out here for the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference - a gathering of passionate and interesting foodies who meet once a year to share ideas and learn from each other.  So it's not surprising that a group of us visited Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs today for lunch. Although a red hot is among his menu options, we all chose to experiment with his more exotic offerings like the pheasant, reindeer or wild boar. Here's a picture of the jalepeno elk dog. Our verdict? Glad to try it, probably would not seek it out again, but fun to try. 

Couldn't resist taking a picture of the sign. It says: "Today is a Great Day For Drinking". Certainly a great way to advertise your bar!

Lunch for Legislative Spouses

Wanted to share a couple of pictures from the GA Dept of Agriculture lunch for Legislative Spouses. We celebrated beautiful Georgia Produce by cooking from our friend Hans Rueffert's new book, Eat Like There is No Tommorrow. We served his Blue and Blue salad to an appreciative crowd by "channeling" his enthusiasm for fresh local produce. Missed you much, Hans - everyone enjoyed your delicious recipe!