Dungeons,Dragons & Beer Cheese

Last Saturday was D-n-D night, and it was epic.

We have a great group going; no pressure, no script and utterly random.  It has posed a bit of a problem for Jeremy, who is our Dungeon Master, which means he creates the stories that we play out-- we have another DM too, they share duties, though Jeremy will be leading the group for the next few games as we play out an unintended scenario.  He had crafted this simple story involving our rag tag group of adventurers attacking a fort, and we've managed to mess it up and turn it into a world war.  

I won't bore you with the details.  Just trust me.  EPIC.  And so, so funny. 

I already showed you how I decorated the mantel.  Though I did add a blimp after I took the pictures for the last post.  We bought this blimp years ago at Pier One because Harper had decided it was a pickle fish, not a blimp, and we can all use a good pickle fish.  

I'll give you a full spring time house tour later on.  

For game night there was much wine and many ales, and all sorts of goodies.  We start at 7 and finish at midnight, so there is plenty of time to nibble.  This time one of our friends brought delicious cupcakes, and others brought their wine which added to the frivolity~*

We put out a simple spread of appetizers.  We did pigs-in-a-blanket (with both vegetarian and non vegetarian pigs) with honey mustard dipping sauce, good Irish cheddar with pepper jelly and crackers, and an assortment of cookies.  

The big hit of the party, however, was a beer cheese I whipped up.  Terribly horrible for you, of course, but utterly delicious.  We tore up a baguette to dip in it ( I dipped granny smith apple slices, which were not only gluten free, but also justified my stuffing my face with cheese).  By the end of the night folks were dipping crackers, pigs-in-a-blanket and whatever else they could get a hold of.  I didn't get any pictures of it-- I meant to, but just forgot as things got going, but I did want to give you the recipe--

It is terribly easy to make, which makes it all the more dangerous.  

1. Slowly melt a block of cream cheese in a saucepan over low heat.  
2. Add a bottle of flat beer-- I used Guiness.  If you need to flatten your brewsky in a hurry, you can stick it in the microwave for a minute (don't let it boil of course).  
3. Add 8 oz of Sharp Cheddar and 8oz of Swiss
4. Stir until bubbly.  

Your waistline will despise you, but your belly will be happy.  I know mine was.  What is your favorite appetizer?