Beer and Brat Cheddar Chowder

Posted by: Peg

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely shredded (1/2 cup)
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 1 14-ounce can vegetable broth or 1-3/4 cups vegetable stock
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk, half-and-half or light cream
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 10 ounces Wisconsin Aged Cheddar cheese or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 cooked smoked bratwurst, knockwurst or Polish sausage (about 12 ounces total), halved lengthwise and
• 1 12-ounce can beer or 12-ounce bottle ale

Directions

1

In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and shallots; reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring frequently, about 10 to 15 minutes or until the onion is very soft and golden.

2

In a large screw-top jar, combine broth and flour. Cover and shake until combined and smooth. Stir into the onion mixture. Add the milk, caraway seeds and black pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Gradually stir in the cheese; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, until cheese melts, but do not boil. Stir in the bratwurst and beer. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through. If you like, serve with rye bread. Makes 4 to 6 main-dish servings (7 cups).

http://www.recipe.com/brats-and-beer-cheddar-chowder/

French Silk Pie

Posted by: Barb

You can make this as a whole pie, or mini pies in cupcake pans. Instead of making homemade whipped cream, you could substitute cool whip.

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
• 
  TOPPING:
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• Chocolate curls, optional

Directions

• Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, combine the marshmallow creme, chocolate chips, butter, unsweetened chocolate and coffee; cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool. Fold in whipped cream; pour into crust.
• For topping, in a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over filling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.
  
  How-To: For quick chocolate curls: Use a vegetable peeler to "peel" curls from a solid block of chocolate. To keep the strips intact, allow them to fall gently onto a plate or a single layer of waxed paper. If you get only shavings, your chocolate may be too hard, so warm it slightly.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chocolate-Silk-Pie

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Posted by: Barb

Putting mashed strawberries in between the cake layers, and on top, allows the deliciously sweet strawberry juice to seep into the cake. The result is a moist and flavorful cake, with a not too sweet cream cheese icing. It looks complicated enough to impress the crowd, but easy enough that not even I could screw it up :) Be sure to use a cake pan with high sides and to let it cool completely before cutting it.

Ingredients

• Cake
• 1-1/2 cup Flour
• 3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar
• 3 whole Large Eggs
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream, Room Temperature
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• _____
• Icing
• 1/2 pound Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
• 2 sticks Unsalted Butter
• 1-1/2 pound Powdered Sugar, Sifted
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 pound Strawberries

Preparation Instructions

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep! Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.
Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.

Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly like my bottom. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

Make icing: combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.

Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.

Remove from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides.

Leave plain OR garnish with strawberry halves.

IMPORTANT: Cake is best when served slightly cool. The butter content in the icing will cause it to soften at room temperature. For best results, store in the fridge!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/strawberry-shortcakecake/