The story of Beer Cheese Soup....

When I was young my Uncle Phil, Mom, my friend Lisa and I once went on a winter adventure. We headed up to Northern Minnesota for a weekend of snowmobiling. I remember clearly how we somehow ended up singing a song called " I'm not Lisa" the entire way up North but even more clearly I remember the Beer Cheese soup we had at a little Inn after a cold day of snowmobiling. I have tried for years to find a recipe that matched that delicious batch but haven't found anything close, so I have done some experimenting and here is what I have found....

Three Cheese Beer Soup

6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese- shredded by hand ( it melts better!)
6 ounces white cheddar cheese- shredded by hand ( it melts better!)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp dry mustard
5 cups chicken broth
1 -12 oz bottle of beer
1 cup whipping cream
10 slices bacon- cooked crisp, drained and chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
1/2 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Bring cheese to room temperature- about 30 minutes. In Dutch oven heat butter until melted over medium heat. Add in onion, and garlic, cook for 10 minutes until tender and slightly browned.

2. Stir in flour and dry mustard then slowly add broth, whipping cream and beer cooking until bubbly- stirring constantly.

3. Gradually add cheese until melted. Add in bacon, hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

Makes about 10 servings

Maple chili!

I have been told to enter this Chili in the Minnesota state fair, I haven't done that but it has won many a chili contest. I know you will love it, the perfect blend of sweet and spicy- this is not your mama's chilly!







3 lbs Maple Sausage links
1 Very large onion chopped
1 Large Red Pepper Chopped
1 Large Orange Pepper Chopped
Two large cans of stewed tomatoes
2 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce
3 1/2 Tbs. of Chili powder
1/2 tsp. of Cumin
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
1/4 cup of Per maple syrup (or more!)
2 14.5 oz cans of Spicy chili beans, do not drain.
1 14.5 oz Dark Red Kidney Beans drained and rinsed.
1 lb of shredded aged cheddar cheese

You can prepare this recipe on right on the stove top if you are in a hurry, or you can brown all the meats and throw everything into a crock pot on low for eight hours. I prefer to do it in the crock pot and let all the flavors blend together through the day but either way it will be delicious!

For the stove top method;
Brown the sausage
Add in onion, red and orange pepper until just soft.
Mix in the spices
Stir in the tomatoes
Add the chili beans and kidney beans
Simmer for at least an hour

Serve in bowl and cover with shredded aged cheddar cheese and enjoy!

French Onion Soup - a little piece of heaven!

A chilly fall Saturday, perfect day to fill the house with wonderful smells and the warmth of our favorite soup. My daughter Jo takes to the kitchen and begins to chop- soon her eyes are watering but it's all for a good cause- French onion soup! A family favorite!



4-5 large onions chopped, about 4 pounds - sweet onion is best
A dash ( not more ) of fresh thyme
3-5 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
flour, about 1/4 cup
1-2 cups Sherry wine
8 ounces beef broth
4 beef bullion cubes
4-5 tsp of butter

1 package Provolone Cheese sliced
1 loaf french bread

The process:

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.
Add onion and all spices together, stir in with butter.
Put in oven at 350 degrees for an hour
Scrape the onion from the sides and bottom of dutch oven and put back in oven for another 45 minutes, Mix the onions again- making sure that you get the carmelization off the bottom and sides of the dutch oven. (Don’t worry too much about burning the onions. All that burned on goodness is going to be perfect flavoring!)
Add in the beef broth and wine. Put on the stove top at a simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Add in 4 bouillian cubes and stir.
Salt and pepper to taste and add in flour slowly while stirring.
Simmer for another 15 minutes.

Cut French bread in slices, toast under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

Spoon soup into crock, put a slice of french bread in the soup and top with slice of provolone cheese...wait for it to melt and enjoy!