Bacon-Pimento Grilled Cheese

My mother always has pimento cheese in the fridge and it's amazing that I don't weigh 500 pounds. Pimento cheese is a southern delight that is a simple mixture of my great loves, cheese and mayonnaise. Now, I like to dice up some fresh jalapeno or add some diced green chilies to the cheese as well. For a snack, try dipping chips into the mixture and wash it down with a glass of milk. Otherwise, go big and fry up some bacon and add some kick to an American classic, the grilled cheese.

Bacon-Pimento Grilled Cheese
for the pimento cheese:
1 lb cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 small jar pimentos, or 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
tabasco sauce, to taste

for the sandwiches:
sliced bread
bacon slices, preferably thick, center-cut

Make the pimento cheese:
- Stir all ingredients together, refrigerate a few hours.

For the sandwiches:
- Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crisp and brown, set aside bacon on paper towels. If there is excess fat in the skillet, drain some of it off and set it aside, leave some fat in the skillet. Assemble the sandwiches: Spread pimento cheese on one slice of bread, top with a few bacon strips, top with the other slice of bread. Heat the skillet and fry the sandwiches until golden and crispy on both sides and the cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining sandwiches, using reserved fat if necessary.

Bacon-Pimento Grilled Cheese