Cold Weather Recipes

Here are some of my most recent recipes, perfect for the cold weather.

If you are having a football party, then there is nothing better than a recipe that incorporates Velveeta.

Buffalo Beer Dip

1lb Velveeta, cubed

5oz blue cheese crumbles

1/2c sour cream

12oz light beer

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

Hot sauce (pick your poison)

Easy. Put all ingredients in a Crock Pot. Turn the Crock Pot to low. I like Louisiana style hot sauce, and I use a LOT of it. Serve the dip warm with raw vegetables or tortilla chips. My dad does his Velveeta dip with Rotel and a can of Hormel chili with no beans. While delicious because it does incorporate Velveeta, I like the above better. Go Bears!

Niederbayerisches Bierfleisch (Lower Bavarian Beef in Beer), served with cauliflower puree

For the stew...

1-1/2 lbs stew beef

8oz pork belly, sliced into thin strips

2tbsp butter

2 onions, diced

3 green peppers, diced

1 medium bunch of celery, chopped

(I like the trinity for stew vegetables, but if you prefer mirepoix substitute carrots for green peppers)

12oz dark beer, such as a bock

Dried marjoram

1 dried bayleaf

4-5 fresh sage leaves

1 bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Red wine vinegar

Salt/pepper

For the puree...

1-1/2 lb frozen cauliflower, cooked

2tbsp butter

1/2 block of cream cheese (1/3 less-fat)

2tbsp minced garlic

Cream

Salt/pepper

Brown the pork belly in a fry pan. Melt the butter in a casserole on M/H and seal the beef in the butter. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery and brown briefly. Add the pork belly. Add the beer. Season liberally with salt/pepper and marjoram. Add the bayleaf and sage. Turn the heat to M/L and cover. Allow it to simmer for about 45min. Add about 1/3 of the chopped parsley. Season with a few splashes of the red wine vinegar until it achieves the desired piquancy. Cover and simmer for another 10min. Remove from heat and take out the bay and sage leaves. Garnish with the remaining parsley.

While the stew is simmering, add the cooked cauliflower to a food processor. Set to puree while adding in the butter, garlic, and cream cheese. Add cream to the desired consistency (I used a couple of tablespoons). Salt/pepper to taste.

I was going to serve the puree on the side, like a mashed potato. However, I ended up putting about 1/2c to the side of a bowl and pouring about 1c of stew around the puree and garnishing with the parsley. Fantastic!

Nothing like a good stew when the weather is like this. I got this recipe from a German cookbook. You can use any type of cured pork product instead of the pork belly. If you use ham, use Black Forest ham or some other raw ham.