Cheese Straws

Did you watch Trisha Yearwood's cooking show Saturday mornings on the Food Network? It's called Trisha's Southern Kitchen. Since I'm a fan of Trisha's voice, it's only natural that I buy her first cookbook, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, too. If you caught her Nissan Live Sets on TV or online a few years ago, I asked Trisha the question, "What is your family's favorite meal you cook for them?" Trisha answered--the girls like mashed potatoes and her husband is a meat and potatoes man. If you don't know her music, here's one of her earliest songs, She's In Love With the Boy--a favorite in our family.

These Cheese Straws are featured in Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, and on her Food Network show. They remind me of those famous cheese cracker bits, so if you like those, you'll like Trisha's Cheese Straws. Trisha's Southern Kitchen has been picked up by the Food Network for the fall--I'm looking forward to watching Season 2!

Cheese Straws

from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients:

3 10 oz. bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, room temperature

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

dash of garlic powder

The recipe calls for putting the room temperature softened cheese into the mixer bowl with the butter, but I grated the cheese. 

I thought it might make the mixer work too hard to get to the consistency of whipped cream. It cut the mixing time by about half, to 15 minutes.

Gradually add 4 cups sifted all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper and a dash of garlic powder to the butter and cheese mixture.

The dough should be somewhat stiff, but still soft enough to push through the cookie press. If the dough is too soft, the straws will spread out too much and not keep their shape, so it needs to be stiff enough to be picked up in a clump as shown above.

I used my old Wearever Super Shooter with the star attachment and made long lines.

Bake at 325ºF for 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

At first I was cutting them when they were still warm, but later I left them long and just broke them into smaller pieces.

Itadakimasu!


***


Our family has grown!

Meet my first grandchild--a granddaughter, Rachel!

 Here, she is just hours old.

My friends have been telling me, for years, how wonderful it is to have a grandchild.

Everything they have said is so true. It is truly incredible to have a grandchild.

 

When my first child was born, I remember my mother gazing into my little one's face for hours. I found myself doing that, too. Gazing into that sweet face. I wonder what she's thinking about...

Visitors, clockwise from left: Sarah, Beeto and Colin, Greta and Katt. Colin and Beeto happened to be in the area for Colin's LMU baseball game against Santa Clara University, and luckily, Rachel arrived in time for them to meet her!

 

Katt asked Karen if there was anything she wanted--and Karen said, "A double-double!"

I think she's adorable.

That's my prerogative--I'm her Grandma.

My sister-in-law, Amy brought us this meal the day the family came home from the hospital. It was a HUGE help--I hadn't planned anything for dinner since we were busy getting settled in--we are so grateful to Amy for all her hard work and thoughtfulness! The meal was oh-so-delicious!

I stayed for a week to help my daughter, and was able to snap a few photos that I will be posting. 

This is one of my favorite photos of Rachel's first week.

Thanks for indulging me. 

I'm new to this Grandma thing.

***

Cheese Straws

from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients:

3 10 oz. bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, room temperature

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

dash of garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Put the softened cheese and butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer. Using the heaviest mixer attachment, beat the cheese and butter until the mixture has the consistency of whipped cream, about 30 minutes.

On a sheet of waxed paper, sift 3 cups of the flour with the salt, black pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder. Gradually add the seasoned flour to the cheese mixture by large spoonfuls, beating well after each addition. Add the unseasoned flour until the dough is somewhat stiff but still soft enough to be pushed through a cookie press; you may not need to add all of the flour.

Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Put a portion of the dough into a cookie press fitted with the star tube and press the dough onto the cookie sheet in long strips that run the length of the pan. (Note: If you don't have a cookie press, form the dough into 1-inch balls and flatten them with a fork.) 

Bake for 20 inutes. The cheese straws should be golden brown and crisp. With a sharp knife, but the long  strips into 3-inch lengths. Use a flat, then spatula or egg turner to remove the cheese straws from the pan. Allow them to cool on a wire rack. When they are completely cool, store in a tightly covered container.