A couple of weeks ago I started getting a craving for pimento cheese. I know, I could just go over to Publix and buy a tub, but that's too easy. And not that great, honestly. I'm not even sure why I suddenly had a desire for it, but there it was. So I picked up some ingredients and got to work.

I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. Pimento cheese was everywhere. You could even order it at lunch counters. My mom sometimes bought tubs of it and ate it herself, but as a child, I wasn't sure what a pimento was, how you made cheese from it, or why anyone would eat something that bizarre shade of orange.

But one afternoon we were driving around north Knoxville, some area I'd never been before, and mom started telling me about her life before she married dad. We passed a run-down building that used to house the office where she had her first job, and her boss taught her the recipe for pimento cheese. The lady liked mom's so much she started buying it from her after hours.

For years I didn't even think about pimento cheese. Sometimes I'd see it in a friends' fridge or notice it on sale at the store, but despite my massive food nerdiness, I never really knew what the heck it was. So when I went to make it I did what any normal American would. I Googled it. I wound up with a New York Times recipe that sounded acceptable - minimal amount of mayo, sharp cheddar, okay, I can handle this. For the record, if beer if proof God loves us and wants us to be happy, then mayonnaise is proof that Satan reigns over this dark and fallen realm. I hate the stuff.

The only thing missing was Worcestershire sauce. As I was adding red pepper, I realized that Mom would have added it to hers, so about a teaspoon went into mine. Not too much, don't want to water it down. It came out great, and I've had one sandwich from it so far. I went out of my way to find a really sharp cheese, and settled on Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar, and I didn't cut it with any mild. But I like strong-flavored things, so this worked out well for me.

I'm just not sure what else to do with it besides sandwiches. Maybe I'll get some pretzels.