Beer-Cheese Soup

Happy Mardi Gras to those of you who might be celebrating it today!  I must confess....I'm not in a party kind of mood today.  Actually I'm thinking of throwing myself a pity party parade instead of the traditional catching beads and trinkets parade for Mardi Gras.   Sometimes in life we may feel down or sad and I believe it's important to acknowledge those thoughts, feel bad and then do what you need to do in order to move on and think forwardly again. 

Today I am indulging in my comfort foods to pull myself out of this funk.  This morning for breakfast, my Diva daughter and I are having chocolate chip cookies and yogurt.  Lunch and snacks will probably be at local coffee shops, bakeries or deli's around town.  For dinner tonight I'm making slow cooker red beans and rice.  I already had it planned and it's perfect since I plan to be out of the house most of today.  I want something easy and no-thrills.  The slow cooker is great for that!

Soup is another great comfort, pick-me-up kind of food too.  So I'm sharing a new favorite of my husband's with you today - Beer Cheese Soup.  What's not to love about that?   I even managed to sneak in some extra veggies into the soup without my husband blinking an eye. 

Here's hoping that tomorrow will be a more uplifting and comforting day ~


Beer-Cheese Soup

(Serves 8 - 10)

1/4 cup of light butter
1 and 1/2 cups of diced onions
1 and 1/2 cups of diced celery
1 and 1/2 cups of diced carrots
1/2 cup of cauliflower puree (or diced very fine)
1/2 cup of broccoli puree (or diced very fine)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of flour (I used wheat flour)
3 cups of chicken broth
3 cups of beer (or about 2 12 oz beers - your favorite kind.  I used Yuengling and a Czech Pilsner)
3 cans (12 oz) of evaporated, fat-free milk
6 cups of shredded cheese - whatever variety you like best (I used a combination of cheddar, mozzerella, monterey, Mexican blend, provolone and more!)
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic and parmesan blend
salt and pepper to taste

Grease a large saucepan generously with cooking spray.  Toss in the 1/4 cup of light butter and let it melt.  Put in the diced onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and garlic.  You can even use frozen purees like I did (pictured below):





Sautee for about ten minutes or until soft.  Add in the flour.  Stir well so the vegetables thicken.  Pour in the chicken broth, beer and milk.  I used my husband's favorite beer, Yuengling and another one we had in our mini alcohol fridge:





Blend and bring to a boil.  Add in the Worcestershire sauce.  Then lower heat and cook for about fifteen minutes. 

Remove soup from heat and add in all the cheeses you wish (6 cups of shredded cheese plus the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese).  Stir until incorporated or melted. 




It's okay if the cheese forms little blobs (or cheese boogers!)  Taste.  Add in salt and pepper if needed but with all that cheese, you're probably fine! 

Take a great big spoon and start serving!  This is very good stuff.  Honestly, my husband and I could not really taste the beer in our soup but I could smell it a bit.  The cheese definitely dominates here though. 




We served ours in homemade bread bowls and with a side salad.  Enjoy!

What kind of pity party foods do you eat when you're feeling down?  What makes you feel better again?

I know one thing that would cheer me up - if you submit your ugly food recipes and photos to my contest!  Click here for details!