Fall Virginia Gold Cup Races + Bite-sized Southern Pimento Cheese Tarts

A Day at the Races with Amazing Friends and a Twist on Pimento Cheese

As we geared up for the fall International Gold Cup races, the weather looked nothing short of slightly miserable – cold and wet. We shifted our departure time an hour and, luckily, our prayers were answered and the rain stopped – the sun even came through the clouds for a few minutes later in the day!

I’ve found that it’s always colder than we think it’s going to be, so dressing in layers for the fall races (and any outdoor event this time of year for that matter) is key. I layered on a lightweight J.Crew cashmere sweater with another cashmere sweater (similar here and here), thick boot socks under my jeans, a fur collar (similar here), blanket scarf (which I didn’t end up needing), and my Barbour to fight the wind.

It turns out, the girls and I were all on the same page!

Also, how perfect are Courtney’s wellies?!

We built our tabletop around these fabulous crates I found at Michael’s. They added much-needed height to the table. Our orange and white checked tablecloth (found at HomeGoods, but similar one here) was the perfect backdrop – and it coordinated so well with our racing silks bar tablecloth. Our floral arrangements also went with the orange theme.

Everyone brought so many amazing dishes. We had crabcakes, shrimp dip, a tray of three different brats, Chick-fil-a’s chicken minis, cucumber sandwiches, pasta salad, veggies and dip, pimento cheese tarts (recipe below), and so much more.

Our cups and napkins are custom from one of my favorite Etsy sellers, Sip Hip Hooray, and the swizzle sticks are from Amazon.

Chloe even brought a fall sangria, which included red wine, fruit, and apple cider. It was a hit!

A special thanks to my wonderful friends for making this year’s fall Gold Cup – and this post! – a huge success.

Our Pimento Cheese Tarts

In homes across the South, some staples are always on standby: sweet tea, beautiful linens, and pimento cheese. I find it hard to believe that many see pimento cheese only as a condiment. In our home, it serves as a spread, dip, main course, and is served hot, cold, and everything in between. For Gold Cup this year, we served them warm in perfect little tarts.

Magnolia Stripes Pimento Cheese

Ingredients:

1/2 package of shredded mild cheddar cheese

1/2 package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3-2/3 cup of mayonnaise

2 tbsp green olives with pimentos, chopped

1 jar pimentos, undrained

3/4 tsp paprika

1/2-1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine the cheeses in a large bowl.

Roughly chop the green olives with pimentos and add them to the cheeses. Repeat with the pimentos in the jar and mix all ingredients together.

Begin adding the mayonnaise bit by bit, beginning with 1/3 cup of mayonnaise. Add it to the bowl of cheeses and mix. Sprinkle in the paprika, garlic powder, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Add additional mayonnaise 1/4 by 1/4 cup or tablespoon by tablespoon until it’s the consistency you want. Then, adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

For the tarts:

For a fun twist, we scooped a little less than a tablespoon of the pimento cheese into phyllo tarts (found in the freezer section) and baked them in the oven using the directions on the package – about 5-8 minutes (until the cheese has melted). They were the perfect little bites for our Gold Cup tailgate spread!