Betty Crocker Cookoff

Bruce Kicks Some Betty Crocker Boo-Tay!

Well, we forgot how much fun it is to make cheese straws...and how good they taste!  This would be a great cooking project to do with children. Also, I suspect that we'll be including these in future get-togethers/picnics with friends and family.  Seriously, they are that good!

Bruce started first with his challenger recipe.  He used a serated pastry cutter to get the unique shape...they looked just like french fries!  As soon as Connie took a nibble, she knew that Betty was in trouble.  Bruce's cheese straws were addictive with their slightly spicy taste.

Bruce's Cheese Straws

Connie took extra care in following Betty's recipe.  There were several shapes that were recommended for the same recipe and she chose the twisted variety.  They looked quite pretty when they were done, however the flavor was much blander than Bruce's version (so children may prefer this recipe).



                                                              Betty's Cheese Straws

Connie's only hope was that perhaps this week's judge would prefer less impactful cheese straws and a more traditional appearance.

So..on to this week's judge!  Our friends, Halle and Rich, hosted a Saturday afternoon get-together for about 40 of Halle's friends.  The menu was wine and chocolate and we figured that cheese straws would be a nice complement.  Halle graciously agreed to be this week's "guinea pig".  She is an excellent cook in her own right (she's masterful with autumn soups), but she's also one of those Human Resources people who never wants to hurt anyone's feelings, so we figured this might be a challenge for her to have to choose a winner.

                                                                 Halle and Rich

Connie got to the party early and presented both sets of cheese straws.  Halle started with Bruce's challenger version first.  This is what she said:  "Oh!  Oh my!  Oh!  This is sooooooo good!"  This continued for several long minutes until we thought perhaps that we needed to give her some privacy~!  She went on to ask what the "secret ingredients" were (cayenne and dried mustard) and how Bruce made them look like french fries -- so very clever! She topped it off by asking for the recipe so that she could serve them to her Easter guests!

Connie pretty much knew that it was over for Betty at this point, but bravely put on her game face.  Halle gingerly nibbled on one small end of one of Betty's cheese straws and said:  "Are these the ones that you made?"  Connie replied that it didn't matter who the cook was...the competition was against Betty not Bruce or Connie.  She still looked doubtful and finally said that she didn't want to hurt Connie's feelings (no surprise there)!  

'Nuff said!  

As Connie soothed Betty's ruffled feathers, Halle continued wolfing down Bruce's cheese straws...yes, they are that good.

Congratulations,  Bruce!

Current Scorecard:

Betty:                    2

Challenger:          1