Cheddar Shortbread

• 2 c (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar
  

• 1-1/2 c flour
  

• 3/4 t dry mustard
  

• 1/4t cayenne pepper
  

• 1/2 c melted butter
  

Preheat the oven to 375.  Toss together the cheese, flour, mustard and pepper.  Mix in butter.  Work it with your hands to form dough.  Add 1T water if it feels too dry to roll.  Roll half of it out at a time, 1/8" to 1/4" thick on a floured board.  Cut out with a cookie cutter, or if you don't want to be fancy just use the rim of a glass dipped in flour.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheets 10-12 minutes until they're lightly browned on the bottom.  Cool on a rack.

They make great hors d'oevres;  cut them out round, then wrap each one around a green olive before you bake them.

I don't have any idea where I got this recipe, I've had it forever and make it whenever I have an excuse!  A couple of years ago I had a Christmas Eve thing at my house and I made these and also I had made up a recipe for stuffed colossal black olives that contained ricotta and some other stuff I can't remember...wonder if I wrote it down, I know it had some sort of herbs in it.  Anyway, I caught a lot of ribbing because I had cheese-stuffed olives, and olive-stuffed cheese.  I guess that's something Martha would never do!!