Some Like it Hot: The Ultimate Grilled Pimento Cheese

The week after Christmas the 5 of us Harms ladies decided to go out to lunch at one of those great "girly" places, you know the kind. It's the kind of place your husband (or mine) wouldn't be caught dead eating at. This particular cafe/tea room is called Chocolate Angel. A darling place that serves soups, salads and dainty little sandwiches. Well, almost dainty.

On this beautiful, sunny, warm TEXAS December day I wasn't much in the mood for a grilled pimento cheese sandwich (I got the spinach salad), but my sister-in-law was and she ordered this AMAZING sandwich called "Some Like it Hot". Now as weird as this may seem, I have actually had grilled pimento cheese sandwiches a couple of times in my life, and I actually like them. But let me tell you, THIS is not your run of the mill, ordinary grilled pimento cheese sandwich!

Bless her wonderful, generous heart, Christy (my sister-in-law) was nice enough to give me a taste of hers, and wow! WOW! Oh my word! It was so good! I decided then and there that for sure I was going to have to go back some day and order me one! A few moments later though, I thought to myself: "Hey I can make that!" Because, well, that is just what I do.

So I did, I looked on the description of the sandwich, remembered what was in it and made me one up just  for myself. At the Chocolate Angel they may have some secret ingredient that I don't know about, but it doesn't mater, I had only one bite and I can't remember what it actually tasted like anyway. This sandwich is to die for!

The Ultimate Grilled Pimento Cheese

8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

¼  cup mayonnaise

1 small jar diced pimentos (the smallest)

**1 Tbsp. candied jalapenos (chopped)

2-3 slices bacon

Throw it all in a bowl.



Mix well.

your favorite kind of bread
real butter

strawberry jam

I'm not going to insult your intelligence by telling you how to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Just do it.
Serve it hot and spread the jam on top. I know this is silly, but I like to eat mine with a fork, it can be messy.

** If you are like me you probably didn't even know that there was such a thing as "candied jalapenos". It took me a while to find them. I finally located them at my local hooty tooty grocery store. You know, the kind that is ridiculously overpriced, but looks so pretty and clean and plays beautiful music while you shop. At these stores you get such wonderful customer service that they almost make it worth shopping there.
I'm sure you can find one near you.

 Anyway, they were not in the Hispanic food section. They were on the bottom shelf of the pickled stuff, alongside other peculiar foodie like food such as pickled pimentos and pickled green beans, etc...

So, here are the rules:

(because my food comes with rules)

Rule #1

You MUST grate the cheese yourself. It's yummier, more healthy, and with all of that effort you will work off about ½ of a bite of sandwich. If you buy grated cheese, it's cheating, and just opening the bag will only work off about ½ of a sliver of pimento, so, as you can see, the grating is totally worth the work (even if you break a nail).

Rule #2

You MUST try at least one bite with the jam. When Christy gave me my bite at the Chocolate Angel she put jam on it for me. Had I caught her in time I would have stopped her. I'm so glad I didn't. There is just something about the added taste of the sweet jam combined with the spiciness of the jalapenos. I know it all sounds weird, but trust me on this one. TRY it! And if you really don't like it after giving it a fair try, that's OK, I'll just have to feel sorry for you.

Rule #3

Be hungry and SLOW down! When you are hungry everything tastes better. However, when I ate mine I was too ravenously hungry that when I was done I really wished I would have slowed down more to enjoy the ecstasy.

Go make it now and ask your girlfriends over. They will think you are a godess.
Enjoy!!