Lawrence Cravings and Suga' Pies

THE CRAVINGS
Since moving away from Lawrence I have missed some of the beloved town's staple restaurants. The two most missed being Pizza Shuttle and Free State Brewery. Pizza shuttle has held a special place in my heart for late night greasy food cravings when we've probably had a little too much to drink. What could be better than their hot perfectly baked pizza delivered to your door at 2 am? Free State Brewery also has a special place in my heart mostly for their amazing house made beer but also for their Cheddar Ale Soup! On rainy evenings, such as this one, I day dream about a comforting bowl of that soup.

All of this reminiscing about my beloved college town and the restaurants that are so far away could be somewhat depressing. HOWEVER I have had a chance to satisfy BOTH of these cravings in the last week. Both were indulgent, but every once in a while you need it. It all started last weekend when Chris and I met in Oklahoma City. This is the halfway point between Austin and Lawrence so the two of us decided to take a weekend trip. We both got in late Friday night and immediately went looking for a late night eatery (neither of us had eaten dinner.) As we drove around trying to find something better than McDonald's, a shiny sign caught Chris's eye... ... PIZZA SHUTTLE!!!

We were both a little confused. Isn't pizza shuttle a Lawrence and Manhattan original? How could this be? But honestly, I really didn't care so much about how or why there was a Pizza Shuttle in OKC, I cared only about devouring that delicious pizza that I crave so often. We stopped, ordered our pizzas and questioned the workers a bit about if they were related to the one in Kansas. Come to find out the Pizza Shuttle in Norman, OK is actually the original.This made me a bit sad because I always thought Lawrence had something truly unique and original. The person who opened the ones in Kansas started at the in Norman and then modeled his off of their business. The two are not affiliated with each other. But the good news... Pizza Shuttle in Kansas is far superior to that of it's original. What I had surely satisfied my craving, but the Lawrence folks sure do it better!


Now on to Free State. Chris made me aware a few days ago of an article posted in the Lawrence journal world giving the recipe to their infamous Cheddar Ale Soup. I instantly knew exactly what I was going to be making for our upcoming potluck at work. After reading the recipe I was not surprised as to why the soup is so amazing. It contains all things that are bad for you but taste sooo good. Butter, Cream Cheese, Cheddar, Heavy Cream, Beer... need I say more? Yes, I should give you the recipe.

Free State Brewing Company Cheddar Ale Soup
3 tablespoons salted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
1/4 cup small diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup small diced green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Free State Ad Astra ale (I used New Castle, because sadly you can only get Free State beer in Lawrence)
3 ounces cream cheese
3 cups cream
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Fresh parsley and thyme to taste
6 ounces grated Alma white or yellow cheddar cheese

In 1 tablespoon butter, cook onion, peppers and garlic until onion is transparent. Add remaining butter and flour, stir well and cook mixture on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add beer in small increments, mixing smooth after each addition. Cut cream cheese into smaller chunks and add to mixture. Mash and stir cream cheese until it is completely melted into mixture. Gradually add cream to mixture, mixing smooth after each addition. You may want to use a whisk at this point. Add seasonings, stir and heat to 160 degrees, being careful not to heat beyond this temperature. Add cheese in three increments stirring smooth with a whisk after each addition. If cheese is not melting after 30 seconds, check temperature and add heat if necessary. If soup is thin, add more cheese. If soup is thick, add milk. Serves 6-8.

Needless to say, everyone at work loved it and there was not a drop left over. Are you really surprised? I'm not. And my craving is satisfied for the time being.



THE PIE
Last, but certainly not least I want to talk about my lovely sister for a moment. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting her in LA and we had a really great time. During the trip we spent a lot of time talking about our love for food and cooking and baking and we fantasized about opening restaurants or catering companies or baking businesses. Well for her, this dream has come true and I couldn't be happier for her. In the course of 2 weeks she has come up with a business idea, put it into action and gained a ton of support!

Her business: SUGA' PIES She has taken what she learned from our grandmother and her love for baking and turned it into a homemade pie business complete with to your door delivery and unique versions of pie called Lolli-pies.
Congratulations Kelsey on following your dream and sharing the love through pie!

To know more about SUGA' PIES visit www.sugapies.com and check out the article about her on an awesome LA food blog www.fdinla.blogspot.com