I love Christmas cookies and am certainly not celebrating Christmas without baking a few dozen. Still, when making homemade gifts for family and friends, you should make this savory treat instead.

For many years now, my sisters and I have met a week or so before Christmas in Waynesboro, Miss., to exchange Christmas gifts. We bring with us as many husbands, children and in-laws as we can coerce ...

It’s true: Kitchen tools can make or break the cook. That’s why Southern home cooks have an arsenal of hand tools—mixers, colanders, juicers—that they treat more like family. And they should, because ...

The South is credited with creating the cheese straw but no one knows who, where or why exactly. There is one vague story about leftover cheese being added to biscuit dough to make a snack but I don't ...

Southern cheese straws, those classic, ribbonlike Southern party noshes, are a natural for holiday get-togethers. They’re quick, delicious and a perfect complement to pretty much any libation, whether ...

These Cheesy, Bacony Crispies are inspired by cheese straws, but sneakily rival them in both flavor and popularity. Plus, they don't require a mixer or meticulous piping into shape. Here is why ...

Cheese straws and cheese wafers are always crowd pleasers. They’re easy to prepare (basically, it’s flaky pastry dough with grated cheese mixed in), and variations are endless. My trick is leaving the ...

Unlike Europe's cheese straws, which are usually puff pastry, Southern cheese straws are made with a short crust and cheese dough. Traditional cheese straws are piped or cut and rolled. Hand-grated ...

In 1988, Lady Helen Hardy demonstrated the cheese straws she made, by which all others are measured in New Orleans. (Ted Jackson photo from the NOLA.com | Times-Picayune archive) Editor's note: An ...