Fondue It!

Five plus years ago when Joe and I were making our wedding registry, I registered for a fondue pot. Joe made fun of me for this and claimed I would never use it. Well, the joke is on him, because this weekend the fondue pot made it's debut in our kitchen - never say never!

Inspired by our friends Jamie and Dave, who received a fondue pot for Christmas, the four of us decided to get together and create our own little Melting Pot. Joe and I handled the cheese course, Jamie and Dave did dessert and we collaborated on the main course - Joe and I provided the protein and Jamie and Dave made the awesome stock to cook it in.

We had so much fun, and the food was amazing! For the cheese, I went online and found the

Melting Pot's recipe for Cheddar Cheese Fondue. It came out perfectly gooey and cheesy!

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

4 oz Beer, Skim Milk or Broth (I used Miller Lite)
1 teaspoon Chopped Garlic
Cheddar cheese (I used a block of extra sharp)
Pepper
Mustard Powder
Worcestershire sauce

1. Start with 4 ounces of base (beer, skim milk, or broth).

2. Add one demi-spoon of chopped garlic (about one teaspoon).

3. Add three shakes of mustard powder.

4. Stir.

5. Add a small quantity (approximately three pinches) of Cheddar Cheese.

6. Mix together thoroughly, using a whipping motion once the cheese is melted.

7. Add small quantities of cheese to bring it to proper consistency.

8. Add five turns of pepper grinder.

9. Three to four shakes of Worcestershire sauce.

10. Fold in pepper and Worcestershire.

11. Remove your mixing fork.

For the entree course, Dave whipped up a broth for us. I need to consult him for the exact recipe, but I know it contained chicken stock, red wine, mushrooms, scallions... Whatever was in it, it was good! We used a variety of dipping sauces for our meats - garlic sauce, hoisin sauce and a sweet coconut sauce.

Finally, the best course of all - dessert!

Jamie and Dave used a recipe modified from Rachael Ray. They used her measurements for cream and chocolate and added a heaping tablespoons of chunky peanut butter.

This was seriously too delicious for words. We had a huge plate of dippers including strawberries, bananas, pretzels, pound cake and graham crackers - and we ate them all!

Trust me, it won't be another five years before I break out the fondue pot again, that's for sure!