Pimiento Cheese

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What is the first thing you would do if you were alone in your home? I took a nap and decided I’d think about what I wanted to do when I woke up. John and grandson David went to the train club, so I’ll have over 24 hours to make choices before David comes back. John will return in four days.

The thing I am least likely to do when people are around is read a book. I opened one where I’d left off days ago and immersed myself in it. Lots of my blogging friends are voracious readers, and I want to know how you do it. How do you bring yourself back to the real world after being totally in another? I become the main character and float through that setting as if there were no other. With no interruptions, I covered several years in the character’s life. I surfaced when the setting flipped to another decade, which seemed to break the spell. Do any of you set a timer to come back to life? I suspect it could be dangerous to lose oneself in a book. What if you never came back?

John started the dishwasher before he left. I don’t like starting a meal until the kitchen is in order, so I put the clean dishes away before making the next choice. With no one to cook for, I opted to prepare pimiento cheese for light meals. My mother served it fairly often, so it’s comfort food for me. What a rude shock I had when I married John and moved north! No one, NO ONE, would eat it! Evidently it was popular only in the South. People weren’t content to say no thank you. They looked at me like I had two heads. These same people could eat the stinkiest cheese in the world and smack their lips over ones that tasted rotten to me, but they refused to touch pimiento cheese. As you can imagine, I never served it to anyone again. There is only person who shares it with me now, son John $. I don’t always remember to make it when he is coming, but I should. Is there anyone reading this who would eat pimiento cheese? If so, you are my soul sister or soul brother, and I love you.

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

77 thoughts on “Pimiento Cheese”

      1. You couldn’t find a ‘like’ button because there isn’t one! It’s just one of my quirks. I have one on my photography blog, but wanted to encourage comments where I do my writing.

        Now I want pimento cheese!

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  2. I have never had pimento cheese but, as I love cheese, I would give it a try! Yes I know just what you mean about losing yourself in a book. I try to stay out of the library if I have projects that need to get done. If I start a book I have an awful time putting it down to do anything.

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  3. Anne,
    This was a post that resonated with me.
    The book and losing myself in it- it happens all the time to me. My husband complains about my losing myself in my books and losing myself totally from the world. I try to jolt myself back to reality but what happens is half hearted and I am not my usual “jovial”self. PS: Which book did you read ?
    About the cheese, I haven’t eaten that cheese before- to me, all cheese tastes the same- so I wouldn’t know.
    But the idea of serving dishes popular in my family to others’ and being looked at as if I had two heads’, I have had that before. Comments like ” that is not an accepted combination” still rankle.
    Susie

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  5. I love pimento cheese, plain, toasted, grilled. Most of our finer deli’s serve it as a specialty. Newks has a grilled pimento cheese with a fresh slice of tomato on it. Delish. I’m in your camp, Anne. My fav

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    1. Great, Ruthie! There are more people in my camp than I ever imagined. I had to look up Newks. I think the only one in NC is in Greensboro. One of the closest is in TN and about four hours away. I’m not likely to get there any time soon. Restaurants here have pimiento cheese on the menu, but I’m always interested in something else. I make it at home and haven’t felt a need to try it elsewhere. Who know what I’ve been missing??? Thanks for reading and commenting.

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  7. Add me to your pimento cheese soul sister group. I love it! It’s not my husband’s favorite so there is always more for me.

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  8. I had never tried it until last year. I love it. If I run out, I buy more. I’ve tried 3 brands and keep going back to the first one.

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    1. You are a new lover of pimiento cheese! Welcome to the group! I have never bought it and have no idea what brands might be good. Would you share your favorite? It’s OK if you don’t want to; I’m just curious.

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      1. Funny, as much as I share on here… I have no problem talking about cheese 🙂 The first one I tried that I like the best is Ruth’s Orginal The Finest (made in Charolotte NC) and it has a pepper on the lid. I tried one called Palmetto which is how I started calling it and didn’t like it, and another that was too chunky. I should’ve been keeping up with the ones I tried and didn’t like. I like the consistancy of the first one too. I don’t see me ever trying to make it from scratch. I don’t like being in the kitchen and for a few bucks I’ set for a few weeks.

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        1. I’m going to look to see if our supermarket has Ruth’s Original. Since it’s made in Charlotte, there is a good chance they will carry it here in Waynesville. I can understand your not liking to be in the kitchen; lots of people feel that way.

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    1. Well, I don’t know what’s not to love, since I adore pimiento cheese. I’m glad to know you have an open mind. I consider you a soul sister, anyway, so it doesn’t matter if you like pimiento cheese or not.

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  10. Anne, I had no idea other people don’t know about pimiento cheese. What a sheltered life i’ve lead.
    As for books…I have started re-reading the Mitford series by Jan Karon. I read them years ago and did not know Jan had added several new books. Of course I don’t remember hardly any of the first ones so this has been fun. I still need to order the last two.We all should live in Mitford NC.

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    1. There is a world with pimiento cheese and a world without. Arlene in Manila loves it!!!

      I think I’ve now read all the Jan Karon books. If I didn’t have a long list of books to read, I’d go back and read all of hers again. Of course, when you read only three or four books a year, the list doesn’t get shortened appreciably.

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  11. Anne, I’ve been listening to books while I’ve been gardening. I have found a new tablet app called Hoopla that lets me borrow library books for 21 days. It’s been great. When it is windy outside I am not fond of the sound or sensation of gusts around my ears. I put on earphones, place my tablet in a backpack, and off I go to weed. I am listening to ‘Becoming Mrs. Lewis’ by Patti Callahan. It’s a great read…or should that be…listen??? I am also reading ‘Marmee and Louisa,’by Eve LaPlante. I was lucky to find this book in the discarded section of my library for only 25 cents. Since I love ‘Little Women,’ it’s been fun to read about the author and her mother, and also the many literary figures who inspired them both.

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    1. Didn’t like pimento cheese as a child, but might try it again as an adult. I would not eat tomatoes as a child, but at age 40 developed a ravenous appetite for them. Pimento cheese might be a delight to me now.

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    2. What a marvelous idea to listen to a book while weeding! I wonder how it would sound with my huffing and puffing?? Actually, I doubt our WiFi would reach beyond the back porch. Connections are iffy here in the mountains.

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  13. No–so sorry. I did give a hearty and good effort at trying to like it, though. When I’m alone, I like a one-course meal (usually just a protein). When Mike’s around, we have to have the whole meal with all the food groups included. 🙂

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    1. I’m not sure I’ve ever had pickle and pimiento loaf. John and I both like pickle and olive loaf, which is amazing, since neither of us is particularly fond of olives. There is a bit of pimiento in it, but I won’t tell John if you won’t.

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    1. I’ve never eaten pimiento cheese from a jar.

      I don’t have a recipe, because I just stir together the same things my mother did. I use shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, minced onion, a sprinkle of sugar, and a dash of salt and pepper.

      Grandson Nathaniel wouldn’t touch pimiento cheese with a ten foot pole. I tease him all the time about putting weird things together. He will eat peanut butter with chicken, so I should offer him pimiento cheese and peanut butter.

      Thanks for reading and commenting.

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  18. I had it years ago but I don’t remember if I liked it or not. My parents used to buy it in a jar that looked like a juice glass and it was made by Kraft. They had different specialty cheeses and my parents got it to have on crackers around the holidays. I didn’t know it was specially made up to have on bread – I just though it was something like Philly cheese spread.

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      1. This was just a little jar so that’s probably why just for crackers. The jar of pimento cheese was so small, it would have only been enough for one sandwich. I just Googled it and Walmarts has it – I remember having it years ago and can’t recall seeing it at Meijer. I don’t know if it is in the refrigerated section or a shelf product.
        https://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Pack-Kraft-Pimento-Spread-5-oz-Jar/47243560?athcpid=47243560&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=58ab8fdc-14f-16a56a9226bb4a&athena=true

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          1. It was just a little jar too … I remember it came in other flavors, like a smoky cheese, bacon and maybe horseradish. It has been years since I had it. You’re better to make it yourself as it tastes better I’m sure.

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  19. My grandmother used to make pimiento cheese sandwiches for me when I was a little girl. I still like it, but my recent cholesterol test will put it off the menu for me now. I am opting mostly for salads for lunch now. Enjoy your solitude and your book!

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  20. You sure woke folks up with this one! Pimento cheese? I’d almost forgotten about that. I haven’t had it in ages and have no clue how to make it. I think I bought it in the store in AL.
    So, let me get this straight, you aren’t originally from NY but John is? My hubby is NY, White Plains more specifically. Enjoy the pimiento!

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    1. Yes! You almost prove you are southern when you say you’re had pimiento cheese.

      John was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens. We met in college in Memphis. Hello to White Plains! How did you two meet?

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