Soupified is back with a new recipe, a special request from James. He also selected the beer used in this recipe, which was a hefeweizen (German wheat beer). To give this soup a little more body, I added a package of frozen broccoli florets. Bring beer and milk to room temperature before cooking, this will make it easier to bring the soup back to a simmer after adding ingredients. The beer may foam when added to the soup, but will eventually incorporate with the soup.

Pre-shredded cheese can be dry and difficult to melt. Buy a brick of cheese and shred it yourself just before adding to the pan. The cheese will be softer, which is also better for topping hot soup!

Beer Cheese Soup
adapted from Cooking Light

4 1/2 cups less-sodium chicken broth, divided 
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp unsalted butter 
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package (10 oz) broccoli florets, thawed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 (12 oz) can or bottle of beer
freshly ground black pepper (optional) 

Simmer 2 cups of chicken broth with potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cook 15 minutes of until potatoes are tender. Transfer potato mixture to a blender, removing center piece of the blender lid to allow heat to escape. Secure lid on blender and place a clean towel over the opening to avoid spills. Blend until smooth and set aside. 

Over medium heat, melt butter in a large stockpot. Add onion and carrot, saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic to pan, cook about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups chicken broth and broccoli, bring to a boil. 

Whisk together flour and milk, then slowing whisk into stockpot. Cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add potato mixture, shredded cheese, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine. Add beer to pan and bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until cheese has melted. Garnish with black pepper, if desired. 

Above: Broccoli and carrots add body to the soup, along with some healthy vitamins.

Once again, the folks at MyRecipes.com have outdone themselves and put together a get select of articles and ideas to help us stick to those resolutions! Here are some of their best tips:

Secrets to Easy Meal Planning: Save money, eat better, and cook at home with no stress.

Speaking of saving money, how about tips and tricks to Eat Great on a Budget?Also check out Eat Healthy for Less and Eats on the Cheap.

Superfast Side Dishes: Quick and easy sides full of healthy vegetables and flavor!

For the entire month of January, MyRecipes.com will also be counting down their favorite 100-Calorie-Or Less Snacks.

Looking to cook more and organize your kitchen? Check out the Pantry Checklist, 10 Must-Have Pantry Items, and Must-Have Kitchen Essentials (use this list to weed out kitchen utensils you do not need and free up some cabinet space!).

Saving time, money, space, and calories? No matter what kind of resolution you made, these tips are all Sweet.

The Arctic region is what CNN calls “one of the planet’s most fragile and pristine ecosystems,” providing home to polar bears, foxes, wolves, and migrating birds such as geese and ducks (not to mention mythical elves, flying reindeer and a jolly man in a red suit).

Now the region is almost literally under fire, as a number of countries vie for ownership to the Arctic circle and the untapped fossil fuels that lay underneath layers of ice. In 2007, a Russian submarine even went so far as to plant an underwater flag 14,000 feet below the North Pole in an attempt to stake claim of the “land” (OIL).

One problem the region is facing is melting ice and rising water levels, resulting in smaller ice caps. Rather than show concern for this environmental problem, neighboring nations are excited at the prospect of easier to reach resources, as well as shorter and cheaper travel routes between Asia and North America.

Antarctica is protected by a treaty that prohibits nations from making territorial claims, but no such agreement exists for the Arctic. With no clear lines, countries like Russian, Canada, the United States, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland are all peaked with interest over who has the rights to oil drilling and shipping lanes.

Unfortunately, no one is jumping in to take responsibility for the environmental problems plaguing the region, including why the ice is melting. Groups in the United States, however, have protested drilling off the Alaskan coast due to the impact on polar bear habitats.

Feuding over resources instead of saving an ecosystem in peril? That is pretty Bitter.

When I made the Simple Garlic Broth, I noted that the leftover garlic would be great in hummus. So, in the interest of practicing what I post, I made garlic broth again for another recipe and decided to make hummus with the leftover garlic. The cloves of garlic were softened, studded with bits of thyme, and flavored with other herbs from the broth. Though the taste had significantly mellowed, there was still a kick of garlic flavor.

When straining the garlic broth, remove bay and sage leaves along with any thyme stems. Reserve garlic pieces and thyme leaves. Using a sieve, push lightly on the garlic cloves to release most of the broth liquid. Set aside until cooled, about room temperature, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day before using. Several fresh, chopped garlic cloves could be substituted along with the leaves of a fresh sprig of thyme.

Garlic & Herb Hummus

reserved garlic cloves with thyme from Simple Garlic Broth
2 cans (15 oz each) chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
minced fresh basil, optional

Combine garlic and chick peas in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Add additional lemon juice or salt to taste. Allow to refrigerate overnight before serving. If desired, top with fresh basil and drizzle with additional olive oil just before serving.

The February 2009 edition of Eating Well magazine featured a very brief article on seedless clementine oranges and honeybees. Apparently, farmers in the California citrus belt are taking measures to keep honeybees out of the clementine crop because seedless clementines sell for a higher price (honeybees will pollinate the fruit, which creates seeds). Other crops, however, need honeybees to pollinate, such as peaches and almonds. As a result of this conflict, the Seedless Mandarin and Honeybee Coexistence Working Group was formed and is set to report on a resolution next month.

On one hand, I love clementines and prefer seedless oranges. I often throw two or three clementines in my lunch each day, and can eat half a dozen while watching my favorite television show. Easy to peel and deliciously sweet, these little fruits might as well be candy. This time of year, citrus fruits are at their peak and these little oranges are particularly tasty.

Above: A bowl of darling clementines.

On the other hand, honeybees are vital to environment and agricultural economy. Honeybees are responsible for pollinating about a third of all food crops, but their numbers have been dwindling at alarming rates. Entire honeybee hives are dying for seemingly no reason, though some contribute this to increased pesticides, genetically modified crops, and climate changes (see Colony Collapse Disorder). Honeybees also pollinate flowers and other plants, as well as provide a food source for other animals such as birds. Obviously, honeybees also create honey.

While seedless clementines and other citrus fruits are indeed very Sweet, so are a large number of other crops made possible by honeybees: almonds, peaches, soybeans, apples, pears, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, pumpkins, avocados, alfalfa, and honey, of course.

Want to save the honeybees? Go to Help the Honeybees at the Haagen-Dazs website (yes, the ice cream folks).