Smoky pimiento cheese – pimiento cheese with a twist. Yes, it’s delicious, but it’s not your mom’s pimiento cheese. Nope. At least not my mom’s.
But before I tell you about this one, I’ll tell you about mom’s, since you mentioned it. Ok, maybe I mentioned it. I love my mom’s pimiento cheese. It’s one of those foods that since she’s passed I know I’ll never get it again – from her kitchen, you know what I mean? But my sister came to visit and made “mom’s pimiento cheese” to refresh my memory of the recipe.
My mom’s pimiento cheese is nothing special. It’s probably what everyone’s pimiento cheese recipe is. You know, mayo, cheese, pimiento, pepper and salt. But this is what she did with it, and only for major holidays. She stuffed it in celery. It was just her thing. And we all loved it. Stuffed celery was so engrained in us we figured every family had stuffed celery for the holidays. Like stuffing and turkey.
I found out real quick like one Thanksgiving that that is simply not the case. I invited a crap ton of people over for Thanksgiving one year – people who were not related to me on any level. Just my adopted friend family. What did I do? I made a crap ton of mom’s stuffed celery. Of course! I mean, what else would I do? Thanksgiving, major holiday and all that.
At the end of the day, the fried turkey was just a carcass. The chicken and dumplings, gone. Lima beans, gone. Stuffing, completely did a vanishing act. The stuffed celery? Every sad celery stick with the pimiento cheese was still there laid out like soldiers. Well, that’s not true. There was two missing, but I had eaten them when I was making them.
No one even tried one. I don’t think they understood what to do with it. Never made that “holiday” food again! My wife, after all these years, is still baffled by stuffed celery.
Let’s fast forward to present day smoky pimiento cheese. It’s a little less pimiento for the red and more sun-dried tomatoes. Smoked cheeses replace the standard cheddar and cream cheese for that extra cheesy, creamy, put the extra weight in the middle goodness. It’s robust and smoky!
My mom would have loved it! And I promise, it’s great stuffed in celery too or on a charcuterie board, if you’re into that, or just plainly spread on white Bunny bread.
Smoky Pimiento Cheese
Smoky Pimiento Cheese – Not your everyday pimiento cheese. Nope. We used smoked cheeses, a dash of chipotle powder, and sun dried tomatoes for extra smokey goodness!
Ingredients
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 pinch cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces smoked cheddar, shredded
- 8 ounces smoked gouda, shredded
- 1/2 of 8.5 ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
- bread, crackers, celery
Instructions
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In a large bowl, stir together cream cheese, mayonnaise, paprika, chipotle powder, and cayenne until well blended.
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Add the shredded cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and chopped pimiento until combined.
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Stuff in celery. Just kidding, do what you want with it. It’s especially good with sour dough and warm tomato soup!
This recipe partied at: Meal Plan Monday
OH. MY. WORD.
I am laughing out loud at your stick soldier story! My mom always made stuffed celery just like this for holidays. OMG – we love it and still do! I will definitely try your new receipe for smoked pimento cheese – it sounds delicious!
Have you ever served it in mixed company? If so how did that go? If not, think twice man, I’m telling you…brutal.
You reckon that stuffed celery was a generational thing? You just don’t see it around anymore. Not very gastronomic, I would imagine. lol
Loved your story and happy I stopped by. I’m a fan of both pimento cheese and stuffed celery, my mother made both. I had to laugh because I took stuffed celery to a Thanksgiving buffet (stuffed with blue and cream cheese) and while some was eaten, I don’t think it was too popular. I’d make a big dent in your dish of stuffed celery if I had been around. 😀
Blue and cream cheese stuffed celery!!?? I would devour that! Funny about stuffed celery – it’s a love, hate, or baffled situation.
I hate it when people don’t eat what I make them either. Makes me a little sad but at the same time, I have to take a step back and figure out why no one wanted to eat it. Sometimes it’s the flavor and maybe it wasn’t as good as it should have been. Other times it’s because they were saving their stomach room for one particular thing which is usually the main course and dessert. #Alitthebitofeverything
The upside is to people not eating your food is there’s more for you!
I love stuffed celery! We used to have it when I was a kid, either stuffed with cheddar or cottage cheese. Your Pimiento Cheese sounds amazing no matter how you serve it, Jaxx. Pinning and sharing. Thank you for sharing, and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Hope to see you again this week. Have a great week ahead!
We are Pimiento Cheese Fans here at the cottage and will love this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
Miz Helen
I grew up eating those little jars of Pimento cheese from Kraft. Dad (never Mom) would buy a jar and we’d all stand around like little birds with our mouths open waiting for the next one as he’d make a cracker for each of us, then one for himsellf. But it DID give me a lifelong affinitiy for Pimento cheese and I’m always looking for a fun, new spin on the real stuff!
I love your story, btw, and am a little surprised no-one wanted to try them – shame, shame, shame on them!! 🙂
I would have gone right for that stuffed celery…it sounds fantastic!
Looks really good. Thanks for sharing it with us. #Ablogginggoodtime
My mom used to make a similar spread. Your’s looks simply delicious! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Hope to see you again at tomorrow’s party. Have a great weekend!
I almost bought some pimiento cheese at the grocery store today. So I happy I didn’t, this looks so much better. Thank you for sharing with us at Celebrate Your Story and have a great weekend.
This pimento cheese recipe sounds fabulous. Thank you for sharing at Friday Frenzy.
We always had stuffed celery growing up and I still make it. YUM! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
Jann
Let stuffed celery rule!
We love pimento cheese around here and this recipe sounds wonderful!
I love pimiento cheese! Pinned your recipe. Thank you for sharing your fabulous recipe on Fiesta Friday!
My family also had the “special” stuffed celery sticks with pimento cheese spread for special holidays!
LOL!! I have never found another with the stuffed celery! Gotta love it.
I remember pimento cheese from my childhood… Looks great!!
This sounds and looks really tasty, I am going to try it very soon #alittlebitofeverything@_karendennis
Hi Jaxx! My mother, who passed away last year at the age of 90, loved to make pimento cheese too! We didn’t have it at Thanksgiving but she would mostly make it to put in little ladylike sandwiches for bridal teas. We were always happy if there were left overs so we could eat her pimento cheese. No “store-bought” brand can match how good hers was but I don’t have a recipe so I am going to “adopt” your recipe! thanks for sharing it with us. I saw your post over at DIY By Design blog party.
Love it! Mother’s and their pimiento cheese. You are so right – there is no store bought that can match homemade! Enjoy!
I haven’t had a Pimiento Cheese sandwich in years. This looks like a good one!
OMG I’m sooo making this!