I think I just made Cheese-Its..from scratch!

I have a confession to make.  It's not an easy one, but here it goes........I am afraid of pie crusts. Don't get me wrong, I am fine when it comes to eating them, but I get freaked out when it comes to making them. I learned to make them by hand, and that's where the trouble began. The part about cutting it all together so that the dough resembles small peas was the part that got me. It always fell apart or else became permanently attached to the rolling pin. I have always bought pie dough. It was easy and I could just grab it and go.

But no more, thanks to Cookbook #105 "The Modern Family Cookbook, copyright 1953 AND my really cool KitchenAid stand mixer! I followed the recipe for Cheese pastry. It was simply a pie crust with shredded cheddar cheese added in. I have to admit, I was abit nervous. But it worked, it looked like real pie dough, it rolled out like real pie dough, and I could handle it like real pie dough!

I cut it in strips, put it in the oven, and kept my fingers crossed. When my husband ate them, he looked at me and said 'Hey these taste just like Cheese-Its!" He was right, they do except they don't have the MSG, all the chemicals, sodium, and other yucky stuff! So, as I was crazed with excitement, I made another batch and using a little canape cutter made a lot of little squares.

I started the Cookbook Challenge of 2010 because of all the fear and negativity in my life. Instead of focusing on what I didn't have, I would focus on what I did have and some very cool things are beginning to happen. I am finding a new independence of sorts, learning how to make things from scratch with better ingredients and less chemicals. Plus, I am actually helping our budget, because it always cost more to buy things that are pre-made or pre-packaged.

Who knew that a little flour, water, and shortening could teach me such a valuable lesson......