Beer 'N Brat Soup

Ok, the official title of the recipe is Octoberfest Beer and Brat Soup, meant for celebrating this time of year known as October. I, however, used it to once again keep summer alive by making a soup that - like my Cheeseburger Soup - sounds like something that should never be made. But, oh, it definitely should.

You can find the original recipe HERE, thanks to following Better Recipes on Twitter. See, it doesn't only have to be about politician-genitals.

Of course, I messed with the recipe, this time because I didn't have all of the ingredients and didn't want to go to the store. So since I didn't actually create the Better Recipes recipe, I changed the name up a bit too. I used:

2 Tbs butter
1/2 onion, chopped
Chopped carrot, enough to visually match the onion pile
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 large and 1 small-ish red potato, peel left on, chopped
1 2/3 cup chicken broth
12oz bottle of beer
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 black pepper
(in retrospect, I should have also added celery salt)
1 cup shredded cheese
3 brats, cooked and chopped (because I'm also feeding a toddler)

Per the instructions, I melted the butter, but I used a giant pot instead of a saucepan. I then added the onion, garlic, carrot, and potatoes to the pot to cook until the onions became translucent. At least, I think they did. I'm pretty sure they did.

I then added the chicken broth and beer, brought it to a boil, then reduced the temperature so it could simmer for 10 minutes. I did not puree the soup as the instructions say so maybe that makes this more of a stew? I would like to try pureeing it in future attempts, the consistency seems appealing.

It's always a little risky mixing up a recipe, and I'll be honest, it doesn't always work out. When your husband is vomiting in the bathroom approximately six hours post-dinner, your home-maker ego isn't doing so hot. Luckily, this passed the Husband 'N Toddler Test. Whew!

A few things I do have to add, though: never buy Wal-Mart brand brats. I don't know what they taste like since I only used them for this recipe, but they cook up absolutely horribly. Also, I removed the thyme as I hate it and think it taste like eating a pine tree. Otherwise, enjoy gripping on to summer like grim death (which, ironically, is pretty much what fall is...)!