1 lb grated extra-sharp cheese

1 stick butter

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp red pepper (cayenne)

Grate cheese and mix with softened butter.

Add flour and red pepper.

Mix and blend well. Use your hands and knead it into a nice smooth ball of play dough

Roll very thin between two sheets of waxed paper. It should be so thin that you start to see your counter top pattern though the rolled dough.

Cut into thin strips with a pastry wheel. The strips should be around 1/4 to 3/8 inch width. The wheel should produce a crinkly edge.

Transfer strips to baking sheet. This is the tricky and time consuming part. It is best to have two sheets going. Cook one while preparing the second sheet for baking. Dough temperature can be critical. Too warm and the strips will not separate from waxed paper or will break. One trick is to place the large dough ball in the refrigerator while rolling a small amount.

Bake 375 degrees 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully, they will burn quickly.

The recipe has got to be 60+ years old. It's a Christmas tradition handed down to Edith (mom) from her father's (Zeb) wife Pauline. Edith and Betty baked many batches at Uncle Gib's house during our early holiday seasons. Mom taught neighbor Sherri and others the fine art. Betty passed the tradition along to her daughter Melody. Later on Julie and I made the recipe for a number of years. I haven't made any in a long time as I am currently in a "non-cooking" phase. Edith and Bill are continuing the tradition. They made a particularly good batch this year, even though the dough was difficult to handle and Bill declared it was his last batch of cheese straws. Hopefully, he won't remember that next year.
-Steve, December 31, 2008