Cheese Straws: A Must for Any Southern Occasion!

Here in the south there are some things that just define the culture... Some of those being the humidity (take note, southern women don't sweat, we "glisten")

The dialect (hun-neh and pah-dun, included)and especially important, the food.
And be quite certain there "ain't" no one that can serve it up like someone's momma or grandmomma. Those of you that were not lucky enough to be born in the south can cook like one, with the proper instructions, mind you.
Today we are going to examine some of those essential and defining southern dishes. Pretty soon, you will be serving up a slice of cornbread and sweet tea like a southern belle.
Ok, almost....we still need to work on that drawl.
In the meantime....the food.
Every Tuesday on my recipe blog, Plates and Places, I will introduce you to the fine art of southern cuisine... that being SOUTHERN STAPLES.

Today, at Tales from Bloggeritaville, I shared of attending a friend's wedding. I also spoke of the reception food fare, "In the South, you can hardly have a thing without cheese straws or salted nuts. There's no self-respecting Southerner who doesn't have a cheese straw at every important moment of her life. You just have to have them. You're not married if you don't have a cheese straw. It’s almost as if the wedding isn’t consummated without a cheesestraw." And it's true. In the south, a cheese straw is serious business, people actually have cheesestraw empires on which their roofs are paid for. But you can simply make your own cheesestraws, it isn't difficult. And remember, cheesestraws are perfect at any meal: breakfast, lunch, supper and midnight snack. It really IS the perfect food.

Southern Cheese Straws
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tsp worchesterhire sauce


Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In a food processor, add the butter, cheese, flour, salt, worchestershire sauce, and cayenne and process until a smooth dough is formed. Scoop it into a cookie press, fitted with a flat ridged tip. Pipe the dough in 2-inch strips onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. (Alternatively, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes and roll on a lightly floured surface into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Cut into smaller rectangles, about 2 by 3-inches, with a pizza wheel or sharp knife.) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to racks to cool.

Many Thanks to Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday again!