Pimento Cheese and Cucumbers

This is seriously the best snack ever. Now listen...I'm usually all for buying things like cheese already shredded, and for most situations, pre-shredded works great. But not here. Buy the block and shred your own-it will make all the difference. I've read and tried about a dozen pimento cheese recipes. I also take a look-see every time I see pimento cheese on menus. There are variations (I've listed a couple of ideas to try below).

Ingredients:
1 block sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 4-ounce jar diced pimentos
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of cayenne powder (I actually add a bit more than this when serving on cucumbers...it can be a bit spicier when you have the cucumber to cool it down)

1 large cucumber

Directions:
Shred cheese (fine grate), and mix everything together (except cucumber). Most recipes say to drain the pimentos, but I don't. I usually just go a little light on the mayo and pour the juices right on in.

Now, if you don't own a mandolin, GO BUY ONE. Not only will it actually make you like vegetables more (okay, I can't be sure about that, but it's just part of my sales pitch), but it is a huge time-saver, AND, it slices your veggies in perfectly standard widths. Who doesn't want that? Salads, sandwhich toppings, whatever. Consistent slices are always bettter!

Use your newly aquired mandolin to slice up your cucumber. Top each slice with a bit of your pimento cheese, and voila! Amazing, carb-friendly, snack.

Variations:
"Fancy" Pimento Cheese: experiment with your cheeses. Try gouda, white cheddar, colby, smoked cheddar (oooooh!); anything creamy that you like.

Try halving the mayo and using some cream cheese. It makes the cheese thicker, which, if it's going to be sitting at room temperature for a while, say, at a shower or something, the cream cheese helps it all stand up a little better. BUT, if you plan on refrigerating it before eating, the cream cheese makes it too thick...just play around with it a bit.