Beer Cheese Soup

This soup is wonderful: the sweet milk, the bitter beer, and the salty cheese meld together to make your mouth very happy. The creamy texture is complemented perfectly by the crunch of croutons. So the next time the day is blustery or the night is dark and cold, warm up the people you love with this hardy, simple soup.












Servings: 4-6 (depends on your appetite)
Time: Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 20 minutes
Hardware: Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a bowl, a large soup pot, an immersion blender (or a food chopper, or food processor), a whisk, a wooden spoon, a ladle, serving bowls
Optional: a small frying pan, a plate covered in a paper towel

Ingredients:

• ½ stick of butter
• ½ a leek
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 large carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ⅓ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
• 2 cups of brown ale (I used New Castle)
• 2 cups of milk
• 4 cups of shredded cheddar (the best you can afford)
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Black pepper and sea salt croutons
• 4 pieces of bacon (optional)

1. If you are using the bacon, fry it until it is crisp. Put it on the paper towel covered plate to drain.
2. Slice the leek as thin as possible. Separate it into rings. Place the leeks into a large bowl of cool water and swish around to remove any dirt. Drain.
3. Clean and dice the celery, carrots, and garlic.
4. Place the butter in the pot and melt on medium. Add the veggies to the butter and cook on medium until the veggies are soft, about 7 minutes. Purée the veggies.
5. In the soup pot, whisk the puréed veggies and the flour until it is the consistency of paste. DO NOT allow the mixture to brown.
6. Stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Slowly stir in the broth and the beer. When the foam has disappeared, turn the soup up and allow it to boil for 2- 3 minutes.
7. Turn the soup back down to medium and stir in the the milk. DO NOT LET THE SOUP BOIL FROM THIS POINT ON!
8. Add a cup of the cheese. Stir until it is completely melted. Continue to add the cheese by the cup, stirring, and melting until all the cheese has been added.
9. Allow the soup to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls, place 2 grinds of black pepper onto each serving. Place a few pieces of crumbled bacon and a few croutons in the center of each bowl. Serve right away.

Tex-Mex Pot Pie

I wanted to make a pot-pie, but my husband doesn’t like many of the traditional veggies found in a pot-pie recipe. Carrots? No. Peas? No. Mushrooms? No. So this is my compromise. Everybody wins!

Servings: 8
Time: Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 35 minutes
Hardware: Measuring cups and spoons, a cutting board and knives, a can opener, a large pan that can be used on top of the stove and in the oven (I use a cast iron frying pan), a wooden spoon, a mixing bowl and spoon, a small bowl and fork

Ingredients:
Filling:

• ½ cup diced onion
• ¼ cup diced bell pepper
• ¼ cup diced celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 pounds ground beef
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of your favorite chunky salsa (I like Desert Pepper Trading Company)
• 1-10 oz jar of Ro-Tel Diced tomatoes and green chilies-drained
• 1-15 oz can of whole kernel corn-drained
• S&P to taste

 Crust:

• 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ¾ cups yellow corn meal
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Open and drain the tomatoes and corn. Set aside.
3. Wash and dice the onion, green pepper, and celery. Peel and crush the garlic.
4. Heat the pan on medium high. Add the veggies, spices, and ground beef. Cook and crumble the ground beef the meat is brown and cooked through (7-10 minutes). Drain the fat from the beef.
5. Return the meat mixture to the medium high pan. Stir in the salsa, tomatoes, and corn. Allow the mixture to come to a boil then reduce the heat. Let the beef mixture simmer while you prepare the crust. Stir occasionally. S&P to taste.
6. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the mixing bowl.
7. Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
8. Stir the egg, milk, and oil into the flour. Stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened.
9. Spread the cornbread crust over the beef mixture. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown.

  Serve warm.

Everybody Wins!