Lightened-Up Pimiento Cheese

Makes about 2 cups to serve 16 My mother would sometimes make homemade pimiento cheese salad with the bright orange cheddar coated in red wax, which my grandfather called “rat cheese,” because it was often used to bait mousetraps. Only in the South would grated cheese and mayonnaise be considered a salad! As a small child, I considered pimiento cheese a decidedly grown-up flavor and didn’t care for it in the least; it must have been those piquant jarred pimientos found at most Southern grocery stores. At some point, around middle school, it all changed. I’m not certain if it was a change in my palate or if I wanted to emulate my mother, but I grew to love pimiento cheese. It is traditionally served cradled in the curve of a celery stick. You can also employ bite-size cucumber cups, cored cherry tomatoes or even slices of radish.