The Best Beer Cheese Dip (for soft pretzels )

This is an amazing dip, but DO NOT USE pre-shredded cheese. Shred cheese before you start to make the dip. It will make it go much easier. I also recommend bringing ingredients to room temperature. I used cold half and half and cold beer and cold cheese -- so it took a lot longer to make this all come together into a smooth dip.

 

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour 

3/4 cup half and half

2/3 cup Yuengling Black and Tan beer (save the extra for drinking)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 heaping tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp kosher salt

10 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese (recommend Cabot Seriously Sharp white cheddar)

 

Instructions
1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and whisk. 

2. Slowly add the half and half and whisk until slightly thickens. 

3.Add the beer and bring to a slow simmer. 

4. Add the other ingredients and stir until well-mixed.

5. Now add the shredded cheese a little at a time until it is all added. Stir vigorously until cheese is fully melted and the dip is smooth and creamy. This may take a few minutes.

6. Remove from heat and serve warm with homemade pretzels. It will thicken when it cools.

Leftovers can be reheated on the stove or microwave. Eat it up within a week.

Homemade Sauerkraut in a Quart Jar

I found this recipe on the Internet and couldn't believe how easy it was to make!

Give everything you use for this project a thorough cleaning, including your hands. It is imperative to keep jars and bowls free of dirt and germs!

You will need:

1 wide-mouth quart jar
1 large head of fresh green cabbage (about 2 pounds)
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 large plastic or glass bowl
Cutting board and knife or a food processor or Mandolin that can slice cabbage
Cheesecloth or old flour-sack towel
Rubber band to secure the cloth or towel
A pint-size jelly jar that will fit inside the quart jar
Clean marbles or stones or something to weigh down the cabbage
Caraway seed (optional)

Clean the cabbage - remove any outer leaves that are wilted or hard. Cut the cabbage in quarters, then remove the core. Slice each wedge in half and then slice each wedge into very thin strips. Place the sliced cabbage in a large mixing bowl (use the biggest size you have).

Sprinkle the salt over the cabbage. It won't seem like much, but you don't want to over-salt it.  Let the cabbage and salt sit for about 5-10 minutes and get your canning jar ready and the pint-size jelly jar filled with the marbles or stones (put a lid on it for added safety). Cut your cheesecloth to fit over the quart-sized jar - leave lots of extra room since you will also need to fit it over the jelly jar that will sit atop the cabbage.

Begin working the salt into the cabbage by massaging and squeezing the cabbage with your hands. It may seem like there is not enough salt, but as you work the cabbage, it will become limp and more like coleslaw than cabbage. This will take 5-10 minutes. If you want to add caraway seed, do it now. I recommend 1/2 Tbsp to begin with (I added a tablespoon and it was too much).

Next pack the cabbage into the quart jar. If you have a canning funnel use it. If not, just use your hand and pack it, pushing down the cabbage to fit it all in the jar. Pour any liquid in the mixing bowl into the quart jar.

Now weigh the cabbage down with the marble or stone-filled jelly jar. Cover with the cheesecloth or a clean flour-sack cloth so that the cabbage can "breathe" but won't get dirty particles or dust in it.

Over the next 24 hours, press down the jelly jar to get the liquid above the cabbage. The cabbage should release liquid and what you want is to keep the liquid above the cabbage so it doesn't mold or spoil. Keep the jar on the kitchen counter overnight. After 24 hours, if there is not enough liquid, dissolve 1 tsp. salt with 1 cup of filtered water and add enough so the cabbage is fully submerged.

Continue to weigh down the cabbage and ferment 3-10 days. Because this is a small batch, it won't take as long as a large batch to begin its fermentation process. Ideally, you want the temperature of the room to be 65-75 degrees. Check daily and press down the cabbage to keep it submerged.

Begin tasting the cabbage after 3 days. The longer it is on the counter, the more fermented it will become. Don't be surprised if it begins to bubble or if a scum or foam appears on top. That is good. If you see mold, skim it off immediately and make sure the cabbage is fully submerged; don't eat the moldy parts close to the surface, but the rest of the sauerkraut is fine. Put a lid on the jar and just make sure the liquid stays above the cabbage. Here's a photo of it on my counter. This jar has caraway seeds added.

Once you have it at the level of sour you like, you can keep it for 2 months or longer in the refrigerator. It won't get a lot more fermented, but it will last at least that long. As long as it smells and tastes good, you can eat it! I doubt it will last even a month if your family is anything like mine!

You can also can your sauerkraut for longer storage outside of refrigeration, but canning does kill the good bacterias produced by the fermentation process. Feel free to use red cabbage or napa cabbage or other cabbages to make sauerkraut.

Happy fermentation!

Pork Ribs and Sauerkraut

I still remember my mom making this dish early in the day and smelling the sauerkraut and pork simmering on the stove. This is one of my favorite German dishes and still one of my favorite ways to eat sauerkraut. If you want more probiotic goodness from the kraut, only add half the kraut when you boil the dish and then add the rest just before serving. I personally don't care about that aspect of the dish and have never done it that way. You can also make this meal in the crockpot. Be sure to brown the ribs and then layer the rest of the ingredients. You won't need as much liquid, if any extra when you use a slow-cooker.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 package (about 3 pounds) bone-in or boneless country spare ribs
1 large onion, sliced
32 oz. sauerkraut (homemade or a good store-bought one like the kind in the refrigerated section)
1 head green cabbage (about 2 pounds), washed, cored and thinly sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 apple, peeled and cored, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt & Pepper to taste
Water as needed

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil and brown ribs. Add onion about half-way through and brown until almost caramelized. About 1 minute before adding other ingredients, add the garlic and give a good stir until fragrant. Salt and pepper the ribs as you cook them. Don't be afraid to use plenty of salt. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits. Add liquid from sauerkraut and more water, if needed. Liquid should be boiling. Turn to medium-low heat and add apple and cabbage. Make sure there is enough liquid so cabbage can cook down. Bring ribs to the top of the pan so they don't burn. Cover Dutch oven with lid and steam cabbage until it is wilted and then salt and pepper again. Add sauerkraut on top of ribs, making sure the ribs are simmering in the liquid. Liquid should be about halfway up the Dutch oven.

Turn stove to low, simmer, covered until meat is very tender and cabbage is cooked down (it will look a lot like the sauerkraut). Adjust seasoning to taste. Remove meat (it should be falling off the bones) and take out the bones and fat and cartilage, leaving pork as chunky as possible.

At this point, you can continue to simmer or turn o

ff and reheat or eat immediately. If you like caraway seed, you can add that when you add the raw cabbage. I wouldn't add more than a teaspoon unless you really love the taste of caraway seed!

Serve with boiled potatoes that have been buttered and seasoned with salt and pepper or make a big pot of mashed potatoes and serve it with that. Serve in a bowl and make sure you get some of the cooking liquid as "gravy" on the potatoes (not too much or they get watered down).

NOTE: You can use all sauerkraut with this dish. I added the cabbage because I love the taste of the cabbage with the kraut. This dish is great as leftovers too!