I made a soup today as kind of an appetizer. It wasn't all that hard, but it turned out very delicious.

The idea came from a brewery/restaurant in Sioux Falls. They call theirs Ale 'n Cheddar soup. The one I made was a simplification of a Beer and Cheese Soup.

It was a simple recipe. Try it out:

• 3 cans of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard (or to taste)
• 1 12oz can/bottle of beer (we used Samuel Adams Brown Ale, but use what you like).

1. Bring the chicken broth to a boil, then simmer over medium heat.
2. Toss the cheese with the flour.
3. In small portions, stir the cheese into the broth (it will become thick, almost fondue-like).
4. Add the dijon mustard.
5. Add the beer.
6. Allow to simmer and thicken a bit.
7. Serve. You can garnish with rye croutons or some extra cheese. In fact, I bet you could add more cheese/flour and make a great dip for pretzels.

One word describes this soup: yummy!