Seasonal JOY!

I was going through my recipes of traditional treats that I remember from my past, thinking how great it would be to bring them to my present and share them with my kids. One of them is Cheddar Cheese Spritz Crackers. Similar to Cheezits, but way better. So, my son JJ and I are making and baking fervently, when my other sons Aidan and Frank return from grub and a movie guys-day-out kinda thing. Frank has been MIA since his stint in Barcelona, Spain over a year ago. He then travelled throughout Europe until this past August, when he returned to college in Boulder. I was beginning to worry, but I know how twenty-something world travelers can be, and waited patiently to hear from him.

Well, as I said JJ and I were cookie pressing multiple batches of Cheese Spritz when Aidan and Frank return. Hot from the stone, I hand Frank a Spritz and he pops it into his mouth. He immediately asks for a drink of "anything". I'm thinking it's because it's so heat hot right? I offer him water and he graciously accepts, gulping it down. Not until a good ten minutes pass, do I recall that my number one son has a HUGE aversion to Cheese! He wouldn't even eat "the blue" as a child. I always thought the boy behaved that way because class mates made a spectacle of the whole lunchtime ordeal. Not so. He really, really, hates the taste of cheese. Could I be a worse mother ever? I apologize for having forgotten (afterall, it's been a couple years since he's been home) and I feel positively horrible. Being the good son that he is, he assures me he will survive. Shortly thereafter, he promises to come for another visit tomorrow ( I really hope he does). I told him I would make whatever his heart desires, but it seems he just wanted free of the Cheddar zone for now.


Cheddar Cheese Spritz Crackers
from Wilton Cookie Master Plus Recipes

1 lb natural cheddar, finely shredded (I used my KitchenAid for this)
1/2 c butter, softened
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot red pepper sauce (I used several dashes of Tapatio)
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika

Preheat 375. In a medium bowl, cream cheese, butter Worchestershire sauce and hot red pepper sauce until smooth. In separate bowl, mix flour and seasonings together. Gradually add to cheese mixture. Mix until dough forms smooth balls. Shape dough into small logs and place in cookie press. (I've been known to roll them into caterpiller shapes and cook as such.) Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet on cooling rack. Remove from sheet and continue to cool on rack. Makes about 8 dozen crackers.