- Vegetables tend to get a little mushy, especially potatoes, but I don't find it a problem for myself. I've made tons of vegetable soup and stew containing potatoes and have frozen it. - Cream/dairy often tends to separate or curdle. Constantly stirring during reheating can help prevent this. Gravy (in stew) tends to separate when thawed and won't be as thick, but the flavor is fine. - Barley, beans, and pasta also can get a little mushy. I tend to under-cook these ingredients for freezer storage. - I add spices just before I freeze the soup, and perhaps additional seasonings during reheating. - Garlic tends to get bitter when frozen for longer than 3 months. Onions and paprika can change flavor during freezing. Peppers can also alter in flavor and texture. Celery and celery seed can get stronger. - Salt can loose it's savor, so I add salt when reheating. - I tend to make a concentrated form of the soup and add water during reheating. This helps to save on freezer space. - I reheat cream soups over boiling water in a double boiler to help prevent separating. - Be safe when cooling the soup. You need to quick-cool a pot of soup in an ice and water bath to quickly bring the temperature down. After it's cool, it's safe to store in the refrigerator or freezer. Stir it occasionally during chilling so the inside cools as well as the contents of the pot closest to the outside of the pot. - DO NOT cool large pots of soup/stew/chili in the refrigerator. Large quantities of hot food can bring the temperature below a safe 40°F. in the refrigerator. The inner soup in a large pot may take too long to come to food safe temperature and bacteria can grow. - Do not place a lot of containers of hot soup into the freezer at one time - quick chill the soup first in the ice/water bath. Place the containers in different areas of the freezer so you don't reduce the freezer temperature below 0°F while it freezes - especially if freezing in large containers, like quarts or larger. - I like to cool the soup, then portion it into single serving sizes (1/2-cup or 1-cup) plastic containers. Be sure to leave head-space for expansion during freezing. When solid, pop the soup out of the containers and stack the blocks of soup and vacuum seal the soup in FoodSaver bags. Take out the number I need and reseal the bags. - Frozen soup has a 3-6-month freezer life. Longer if you vacuum seal it. - Reheat all soup to a rolling boil, or at least 165°F. -Grainlady

This one is SOOOOOO good! Have been making it for several years, now, it is from the Byerly's gourmet food stores/restaurants here in the Minneapolis area. They make awesome stuff! Beer Cheese Soup Topped with popcorn or other garnishes. INGREDIENTS  1/2 cup minced onion  1/2 cup margarine or butter  2/3 cup flour  1 teaspoon dry mustard  1 teaspoon paprika  1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper  1 teaspoon salt  1 (10 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth  4 cups milk  1 (12 ounce) can beer  3 cups finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, (12 ounces) DIRECTIONS In large kettle, cook onion in margarine until soft. Blend in flour and seasonings; gradually stir in broth, milk and beer. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir until thickened. Add cheese, stirring and heating until smooth. To Serve: Ladle into soup cups or bowls. Garnish with popcorn, croutons, minced parsley, chives, minced green onion or crumbled crisp bacon. Amount: 6-8 servings Linda

Pour it over chicken when baking. I almost never make baked chicken without pouring some kind of alcohol over it. Usually beer. It keeps the chicken moist and gives it a nice flavor. I also use beer or wine in skillet poached chicken. Brown it on both sides, pour in the beer, cover and simmer. Coincidentally I'm making a pre-amble TG meal tonight. Bought a package of Pepperidge Farm stuffing, mixed it with a can of cream of celery soup (I know, I know) some chopped walnuts and some dried cranberries. Put the chicken on top. Gonna pour a bottle of beer over all that and stick it in the oven for an hour. Serving with salad and Yummy Apple Dumplings for dessert. Delish.

Here's a very good/tasty beer cheese soup recipe yes, it does have broccoli [that's to make NOT feel as guilty about indulging] Ingredients 3 tablespoons butter 5 celery ribs, finely chopped 3 medium carrots, finely chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped 4 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper 4 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup water 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed 1 bottle (12 ounces) beer or nonalcoholic beer Optional toppings: Additional shredded cheddar cheese, cooked and crumbled bacon strips, chopped green onions, sour cream and salad croutons Directions In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrots and onion; saute until crisp-tender. Add broccoli and red pepper; stir in broth and pepper. Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened and vegetables are tender, 25-30 minutes. Stir in cheeses and beer until cheeses are melted (do not boil). Top with additional shredded cheese, bacon, green onions, sour cream and croutons as desired. Freeze option: Before adding toppings, cool soup; transfer to freezer containers. Freeze up to 3 months. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight; heat through in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally (do not boil). Add toppings as desired.