Beer Cheese Soup
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped or through a garlic press)
salt and pepper to taste
32 oz vegetable stock
12 oz beer
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup cornstarch (dissolved in 1 cup cold water)
Combine carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, veggie stock and beer in crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Stir in the cheese and heavy cream. Once that is well combined (I recommend using an immersion blender to get a really smooth consistency) stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken and let cook for about 20 more minutes before serving.
Serve with extra shredded sharp cheddar cheese to top as desired.
Soft Pretzel Rolls
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/3 cup baking soda
2 cups water
Add flour, sugar, salt, butter and milk in bread maker. Put yeast in yeast compartment. Start bread maker on dough only setting (should be 45 minutes).
When it’s done transfer dough to lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean dish cloth and let rise til doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 420.
Combine baking soda and water in bowl or shallow dish and heat in the microwave til very warm (about 45 seconds).
Pinch on small chunks of dough and either roll into a ball shape in your hand or make a rope and fold into a pretzel. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Dunk the ball or pretzel in the baking soda water and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until all dough has been formed, dunked and placed on sheet.
If you made balls use a sharp knife to cut 1-2 lines across the top.
Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes.
When done brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.