Pimento Cheese Recipe

Photo Kendra Bailey Morris

I know, I know. More pimento cheese...but I can't help it. Pimento cheese is just so darn tasty and it's so easy to make your own instead of shelling out $5 or $6 bucks for a container of that heavily mayonnaised stuff at the store.

There's no doubt that many cooks have placed their own unique spin on this classic combination of cheese, mayo and pimentos, but I am still a go-with-the-classics kinda gal. Over the years, I've tweaked this recipe over and over, and what I've found is that using as little mayo as possible while bumping up the flavor with pimento juice (along with the chopped pimentos) really makes a difference. This, and the addition of a generous pinch of cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper is all you need to elevate this spread to something swoon worthy.

Photo Kendra Bailey Morris

For more on tricks and tips to making pimento cheese along with my family's recipe, check out my original post on Food Republic, and while we're at it, how do you like to make your pimento cheese? What's your secret to making this spread swoon-worthy?

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Caprese Salad Recipe

So simple and elegant the Insalata Caprese is, no? I simply love diving into this classic salad straight from the Campania region of Italy, and this year's crop of Virginia's own Hanover tomatoes has elevated the easy insalata to new heights. Maybe it's the beauty of a good summer drought that made our 2011 tomatoes so strikingly sweet and acidic, but whatever the mystery conditions are, I'll say this, they're equally tasty sandwiched between two slices of white bread spread with a couple of tablespoons of Duke's mayo as they are beautifully layered between fresh basil and mozzarella.

So, take your pick on how to maximize the last of this year's bounty, but if you decide to tackle the Caprese, here are a few basics to make this already simple salad even better (as if that's possible).
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