Cheese Straws

Good with Methodist punch, a Cosmo, a glass of champagne, or Earl Grey tea, this basic Southern appetizer is sure to please.

Welcome to my blog post! This is the first in a series of my mother's recipes, shared by popular demand among family members, because Mom was a fabulous cook, daughter of a fabulous cook, sister of a fabulous cook. Some were written here exactly as they were found, scribbled on the backs of envelopes or checks, or typed carefully on recipe cards. Some have been shared from other sources when no written record could be found.

Yes, guys can make cheese straws too!

Cheese Straws or Wafers

1 stick margarine or butter

1/2 lb. extra sharp cheese, grated

1/2-1 test. salt

1/4 tsp. red pepper

1-1/2 cup plain flour, not sifted

You will need: a cookie press

Soften cheese and margarine. Add other ingredients and mix until smooth and soft. Put dough in cookie press and press into whatever shape you want on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes, or until just before they brown. Do not let them brown or they will taste bitter.

* Mama Nell would roll a log of the dough above in wax paper, let it harden in the refrigerator, and cut rounds to bake as above. Sometimes she'd put a pecan half on top. The pecans would come from my grandparents' trees, but there were pecan trees all over Dublin. You could hardly take a walk in the fall without stepping on the nuts. Farmers in the old days would plant a pecan grove so they could sell the nuts to pay their taxes.