Marinated Cheese off the Minions' Menu

At our last game night, a double whammy of Galaxy Trucker and Ticket to Ride, on a whim I whipped up a little dish called marinated cheese. I had heard someone talking about it, and it sounded funky, but good, plus, anything with olive oil is pure win in my book. It went over very well, and nothing was left of it by the end of the night.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 (2 ounce) bottle diced pimento, drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons minced green onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cold

Directions

1. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the olive oil, wine vinegar, pimento, parsley, green onion, garlic, sugar, basil, salt and pepper. Shake vigorously to blend. Set aside.
2. Cut the block of Cheddar cheese in half lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices to form squares. Repeat with cream cheese. Arrange cheese squares alternately in a shallow baking dish with slices standing on edge. You can arrange in a single long row, or 2 parallel rows depending on the size of your dish. Pour the marinade from the jar over the cheese slices, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
3. To serve, remove slices to a serving platter so they are still arranged in an alternating pattern. Spoon some of the extra marinade over the cheese, and serve with crackers.