Crock Pots and Beer Bread

Sunday is usually so busy for me. It's my garden/yard work day. The last few Sundays have been especially busy as I've planted and mulched all 8 of my vegetable raised beds and 35' of climbing vegetable space along the fence. To make it more interesting, Nate and I have planted many ornamental plants and flowers given to us by a friend's mother. On Sundays, I also try to pre-cook many things for the next week. I try to make as much from scratch as possible, so if I don't get some things done on Sunday, it throws off my whole week. Plus during the week, when I get home from work, I would rather be outside than cook. I like quick, easy meals during the week. So this morning, bright and early, I made granola to have for breakfast next week. While the granola was in the oven, I pulled out one of my best friends, the crock pot! I LOVE crock pots so much, I have two large ones and two small ones. It's so easy to put everything in one pot, turn it on and go on with my day. It's become my habit to make a large crock of soup on Sundays, and that often serves as our lunch with a salad and usually fruit or yogurt through the week. I also like to make bread from scratch, but I just didn't have time today for yeast bread. When time is short, I make beer bread. Each time I make it, I wonder why I don't make it more often. It is unbelievably easy to make and so scrumptious! Here is my recipe for Cheesy Beer Bread:

3 cups less 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp salt
4.5 tsp baking powder
(or you can ditch the salt and baking powder and use 3 cups self-rising flour)
1/4-1/2 cup sugar, depends on how sweet you want it
1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar works well)
12 oz room temperature beer
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Stir in the cheese. Stir in the beer. Scrape it into a greased loaf pan. Pour the melted butter over the top, and bake for 45-50 minutes. Let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before removing, and let it cool an additional 15-20 minutes before slicing. Believe me, it's much easier to slice when it has cooled some.

Enjoy! I did. Until next post, happy homesteading!

Candace