Friday evening was Girls Night Out at Joanie's new home. Since our ringleader, Shelly, moved to Phoenix, we've not been as faithful about getting together. Nor have our adventures been as well attended. This time was different. We were only missing a couple of gals and had two newbies. The group started over 15 years ago so we've had LOTS of time to really get to know each other. It's a wonderful group of women and I'm very lucky to be a part of it.

I took one of our favorites - Pimento Cheese. This is an old Southern favorite so I'm always a bit hesitant to share the recipe - being a true Northerner :-) But, we love the stuff and fix it on a regular basis. It's SO easy to make. Grate a 20 oz. bar of Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Cheddar, toss in a 4 oz jar of pimentos, a good bit of dry mustard (I'd guess it's about 2t but could be as much as 1T) and a dollop of mayo (that's the real stuff, not the salad dressing called Miracle Whip.) Mix with your hands and serve with crackers. We prefer Triscuits but everyone's got their favorite cracker!

Joanie made a wonderful cream cheese and onion dip. You take several onions (looked like 2-3) and slice or chunk them. Sprinkle about a teaspoon each of salt and sugar on them. Toss in a couple of bay leaves. Saute them VERY slowly until they're caramelized. Then, pour over a bit of white wine and reduce it until the liquid is gone. Pour the onions over the softened cream cheese and serve with crackers. I think that one's going on the holiday party menu. It was spectacular.