Cheesy Veggie Soup

Scott and I are still in the process of finding the perfect beer cheese soup recipe. This wasn't it, but it was still a good, cheesy soup recipe for those rainy days! The one thing I wish I did better was make sure to blend this a little more. I got a little impatient and decided not to make sure it was thinned out!

Cheesy Veggie Soup-adapted from Mommie Cooks
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup beer
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Stir in onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Mix in flour, beer and chicken broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, add in half & half and cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

Carefully transfer chunks of vegetables and soup into a blender in batches (or use an immersion blender if you're lucky enough to have one). Puree until smooth and return to stock pot. Repeat until soup is smooth.

Braised Beef Roast

This recipe was supposed to be a beef brisket. However, I couldn't, for the life of me, find a beef brisket at any of my grocery stores (I went to three!), so I settled for a beef rump roast instead. The flavors of this were absolutely amazing! And it was so simple to throw together. It barely took any time to prep, it just took awhile to cook. I think if I made this again, I'd try it in the slow cooker. The au jus was plenty and made the meal!

Braised Beef Roast-adapted from Best Fall Recipes by Southern Living

Total Time 2 hours

Serves 4-6

• 3 1/2 pound beef rump roast
• Salt and pepper
• 1-14.5 ounce can beef broth
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional)

Season roast with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine all other ingredients. Place roast in a large roasting pan and pour mixture over roast. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate 12-24 hours

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake roast, covered, for 2 hours, or until meat is tender. Uncover and let stand 20 minutes. Cut roast across the grain into think slices. Serve with pan drippings.