smoked gouda

Four Cheese Beer Mac ‘n Cheese

January 3, 2017 by rachelle 21 Comments

Four Cheese Beer Mac ‘n Cheese takes beer cheese to a new level. It’s rich and delicious and full of amazing flavor that is sure to please any crowd.

How’s the diet going?

Actually, I don’t really want to talk about boring diets and resolutions that will last 4.8173 minutes. Let’s fall off that wagon before we ever get on. After all, isn’t beer cheese and macaroni a little more interesting?

I’m down with fresh starts and living right, but isn’t it all about balance? Try to remember to have a little fun and treat yourself to something gooey and cheesy in between kale salads and trips to the gym. You deserve it.

Four Cheese Beer Mac ‘n Cheese

Ingredients

6 ounces brie rind removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 ounces smoked gouda shredded
4 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces parmesan shredded, plus another 2 - 4 ounces shredded for topping
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup beer
1/2 pound corkscrew pasta

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente
In a large Dutch oven melt the butter over medium-high heat
Add flour and whisk until smooth and starts to turn light brown in color, 1 - 2 minutes
Slowly whisk in milk
Slowly whisk in beer
Cook over medium high heat another couple of minutes until mixture is smooth and thickens
Stir in all the cheese except the reserved parmesan and continue stirring and cooking until all the cheese melts
Add pasta to the cheese mixture and stir until all the pasta is coated completely
Transfer pasta and cheese sauce to a casserole dish coated with cooking spray
Top with reserved parmesan and bake for 25 - 35 minutes until top is golden

NOTES:

I used brie cheese in this recipe because I had a bit of luck and happened upon a sale of 2.2 pounds of brie for $14.99 and needed to use the leftovers from this baked brie appetizer. Even I can only eat so much baked brie in one sitting.
I think brie helps with a smooth texture, but feel free to leave it out and substitute cream cheese because brie can be pricey .
If you don’t like smoked gouda just use the regular stuff.
I used a Belgian style wit beer from Mother Earth Brewing

Easy Beer Brats Recipe

September 29, 2016 by rachelle 8 Comments

Easy Beer Brats Recipe

Y’all, I have searched the world over and have come to the conclusion that there is absolutely no way to make sausage look sexy.

I’m just keepin’ it real here. But you totally have to trust me when I tell you that you cannot go wrong with searing off some brats then tossing them in a pot with some beer for a couple of hours.

I’m not totally sure it’s completely legit to call this a recipe, so if you want to agree to simply call it a suggestion, I’m down with that. And in the spirit of keepin’ it real, this was just supposed to be beer brats with some spicy mustard and sauerkraut for the first Panthers game of the season a couple of weeks ago. I also made some beer pretzel bites and smoked gouda beer cheese to nosh on or throw at the TV.

The reality is that Lisa came over to watch the game and she decided that the smoked gouda beer cheese belonged on the brats and on the pretzels, so here we are. We have some ugly, yet delicious beer brats topped not only with spicy mustard and sauerkraut as originally planned, but then made extra over the top ridiculous with beer cheese splattered all over them.

Yes, I said splattered. Just keepin’ it real.

Easy Beer Brats Recipe

Ingredients

1 package of fresh uncooked brats style sausages
2 bottles or cans of good craft beer
1 jar or package of prepared sauerkraut
Hot dog buns or hoagie rolls for serving
Dijon mustard for serving
Beer cheese for serving

Instructions

Heat a large skillet on high until hot
Add brats and sear on all sides - rotate them every 2 minutes or so
Transfer brats to a Dutch oven, add beer, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a low simmer
Cook covered for 2 1/2 - 3 hours
Heat sauerkraut in a sauce pan
Serve with sauerkraut, Dijon and beer cheese

NOTES

I found fresh uncooked brats with the other sausages in the fresh meat department of the grocery store
Do this right and serve it with some homemade Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese
I made these brats several times and used two of Seirra Nevada’s beers. I did one batch in Otra Vez, which is a gose and I find a bit on the salty side, so it was a great match. The other I cooked in Nooner, which is a pilsner and both were great.
I recommend that you start with one can/bottle and then add the other if needed. You want to be sure that the brats stay covered.

Homemade Beer Pretzel Bites Recipe

September 20, 2016 by rachelle 7 Comments

Homemade Beer Pretzel Bites Recipe

I think it’s safe to say that regardless of how warm the weather is wherever you are, we are totally rolling into fall. There are apples and apple recipes everywhere, I’m seeing pumpkins at the Publix and the Teeter, Halloween costumes at Costco and Halloween candy all over the dang Walgreens.

I get it. Everyone is excited to bust out the boots and sweaters, but let’s not get our cart in front of our horse. It’s still September and you know what that means? Besides apples, of course. Oktoberfest officially kicked off over the weekend and that, my friends, is cause for celebration!

I got the party started by kicking off the weekend with some Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese last week, and today I’ve made you some Homemade Beer Pretzel Bites to drown in it. Of course, you could always put the pretzels on a string and wear them around your neck at the next beer festival. That would be ok too, and who am I to judge? They’re the perfect bite size snack and they’re made out of beer!! That’s a win in my book!

You know what else these little nuggets would be good for? Well, all the football games this weekend! Take them to the tailgate or have a few friends over to root on your favorite college or NFL teams and serve them up with some of that beer cheese we talked about or some spicy mustard and your friends will be smitten.

Whether y’all are cheering on your favorite team (or teams!) or feel like throwing on your lederhosen this weekend, you should absolutely be swinging around a beer and noshing on some tasty homemade beer pretzel bites.

P. S. They’re small enough to throw at the TV without hurting anything when the refs make those ridiculous calls or the wrong guy catches the ball.

Because you know they will.

Homemade Beer Pretzel Bites Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups brown ale
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package dry active yeast
3 tablespoons butter
5 cups flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 - 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt or pretzel salt

Instructions

Combine beer, sugar, salt and heat to just warm - not hot or it will kill your yeast - remove from heat
Stir in yeast and let sit 5-7 minutes - until foamy
Add butter and beer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook
Turn mixer on low and gradually add flour one cup at a time until combined
Add vegetable oil to a bowl and turn to coat
Transfer the dough to the bowl and turn to coat all sides
Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour
Separate dough into 8 equal pieces
Working with one piece at a time, roll out into about 18 inch pieces with your hands and cut into 1 inch pieces
Transfer all pieces to a large parchment lined baking sheet
In a large pot, combine 9 cups of water and 2/3 cup baking soda and bring to a boil
Working in batches, drop the pieces of dough into the boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds, remove from water, and return to baking sheet
Preheat oven to 450
Combine egg and 1 tablespoon water in a bowl and beat lightly
Using a pastry brush, coat the top of each piece of dough with the egg wash
Sprinkle salt on top of each piece
Bake 12 - 14 minutes or until golden brown

NOTES:

I made this dough, divided it in half, and froze the other half. I thawed the frozen half in the refrigerator and they turned out just fine.
Each half batch made about 3 dozen depending how big you make the pieces.

Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Recipe

September 15, 2016 by rachelle 11 Comments

Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese is a delicious creamy appetizer that’s perfect appetizer dip for entertaining or watching the big game. Serve it with some homemade beer pretzels, vegetable sticks, bread or pour it over some pasta for a winning mac ‘n cheese!

I made you some cheesy beer, y’all! Or maybe I made you some beer-y cheese?

Either way, I thought we’d take a little break from apples and talk about some Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese. After all, it’s not just apple season. It’s football season too and the real Oktoberfest in Munich kicks off this weekend. All these occasions demand a celebration with some beer cheese.

This stuff is so good, y’all! You can serve it as a warm dip for vegetables or bread the next time you have your peeps over to watch the game. It also makes a totally awesome sauce. Now that I think about it, this would make an amazing mac ‘n beer cheese! With bacon! OMG! I need to get on that STAT!

Sorry – I got a bit distracted by how dreamy this smoked gouda beer cheese is. I’m keeping things short today and peacing out. But before I go – I joke you not. You need this in your life!

Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup beer
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon dried mustard
dash of Worchestershire sauce
dash of hot sauce - I used Texas Pete
16 ounces smoked gouda shredded

Instructions

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium low heat
Add flour and whisk constantly for about 2 minutes
Slowly add beer and milk and bring to a simmer
Whisk 3 - 5 minutes until thick
Stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and hot sauce
Whisk in cheese one handful at a time until all is melted and incorporated
Serve immediately and keep warm

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

NOTES

I made this smoked gouda beer cheese twice. I used Lonerider Brewing Company Sweet Josie Brown and Brooklyn Brewing Summer Ale and both were amazing!
I don’t recommend using an IPA or other hoppy beer for this recipe
If you’re not a fan of smoked gouda cheese, feel free to substitute one that you like, but you’ll want to balance the type of beer you use

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

March 3, 2016 by rachelle 27 Comments

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

I’m fairly certain that if you’ve been reading this here website for a while you know that I’m always up for a good party. The exception I have is this one time in high school when my sister Molly threw a huge beer bash at our house when our parents were out of town.

Seriously, dude. Have you seen Sixteen Candles? We lived it.

I think I was a senior and Molly was two years behind me. My parents went on some kind of fancy island vacation and left us behind to ~~run amok~~ behave like responsible adults. We had the great idea that we would have a small get together, get some beer, and each invite 3 or 4 friends to hang out. Sounds good, right?

Not so much. The plan was for me to go pic up my friend Judi and bring here back to the house to spend the night. This part happened as planned and when I left a couple of Molly’s friends were already there.

When Judi and I drove up our long driveway into the woods we found at least ten cars, half the football team, and one of the jocks rolling a keg into my house. You can probably understand why my head exploded at this point! Molly was already ~~trashed~~ feeling the effects of her underage drinking and we got into a huge fight. I said oh hell to the no I am not going down with this ship and left her to her tomfoolery while Judi and I relocated our own juvenile delinquency down the street to meet the rest of our friends.

When Judi and I came back to the house it was seriously a scene out of Sixteen Candles. There was no Ted in the coffee table and Sam didn’t trade her underwear (that we know of) to help a geek, but we did find a pair of tidy whities frozen to the front porch and a bottle of bourbon chilling in the snow the next morning. I’m pretty sure Long Duk Dong was passed out in the front yard babbling about grandpa’s automobile.

P.S. You may be asking what in the world does this have to do with smoked gouda mac and cheese at this point. The answer is – not a dang thing. We served it at our Super Bowl party and it reminded me of Molly’s party. BTW – she’s still grounded.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:154]

smoked gouda

Four Cheese Beer Mac ‘n Cheese

Ingredients

Instructions

Easy Beer Brats Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

Homemade Beer Pretzel Bites Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

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