By A year with Megan. Not officially — we met in April, started dating in May, said I love you in September — but in the way that matters, it's been about a year since my life had another person in it full-time, and I'm still surprised by how much better everything is. Not because I was unhappy before. I wasn't unhappy. But I was incomplete in a way I didn't recognize until the missing piece showed up in a Yelich jersey with a fork in her nachos.
We had a quiet celebration — dinner at home, because that's who we are. I made Babcia's pierogi (potato and cheese, the original, the foundation) and a new pork tenderloin recipe I've been working on — brined, seared, roasted, sliced thin, served with roasted vegetables and a pan sauce. The tenderloin was good. Megan said, "This is restaurant-level." I said, "Don't tell anyone. I have a brand to protect." The brand is approachable. The brand is dudes-who-cook. But sometimes you stretch.
At the brewery, the Oktoberfest is tapped and the taproom is full of people drinking amber beer and watching the Packers on the TVs and this is peak Milwaukee. This is the city at its best — warm beer, cool air, football on the screen, strangers becoming friends over a pint. I love this job. I love this city. I love this season.
Megan has been talking about Thanksgiving — already, in September — because she is a planner and Thanksgiving involves two families and logistics and she wants to be ahead of it. She suggested hosting at our apartment this year. I looked at the kitchen — the kitchen that barely fits two people — and said, "Where?" She said, "We'll figure it out." This is Megan's superpower: "we'll figure it out." She says it with such confidence that I believe her every time, even when the math doesn't work.
Something is shifting in me. The pierogi shop dream — I haven't told anyone except the inside of my own head — is getting louder. Not now. Not yet. But someday. Helen's. Named for Babcia. Twelve stools. Fresh pierogi. I can see it when I close my eyes. I'm not ready. But the dream is.
The anniversary dinner got the spotlight—Babcia’s pierogi, the tenderloin, the pan sauce—but the thing I kept thinking about all week was the taproom: the Oktoberfest on draft, the Packers on every screen, strangers becoming regulars over a single pint. That’s the season I live for, and I wanted something to carry it out of the brewery and into the apartment. These soft beer pretzel nuggets are exactly that—dead simple, built around a good amber ale, and the kind of thing that makes your kitchen smell like the best bar in Milwaukee on a Friday in October.
Soft Beer Pretzel Nuggets
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min (includes rise) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm amber beer or lager (110—115°F)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- 6 cups water
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- Flaky coarse sea salt, for topping
- Warm cheese sauce or mustard, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. In a large bowl, combine warm beer, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let stand 5—7 minutes until foamy and fragrant. If the yeast doesn’t foam, start over with fresh yeast.
- Build the dough. Stir kosher salt and melted butter into the yeast mixture. Add 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6—8 minutes, adding remaining flour a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and only slightly tacky.
- First rise. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Shape the nuggets. Punch the dough down firmly. Divide it into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a rope about 1/2 inch thick, then cut crosswise into 1-inch nuggets. Set aside on a lightly floured surface.
- Baking soda bath. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment and grease lightly. Bring 6 cups water and baking soda to a rolling boil in a large saucepan. Working in batches, drop nuggets into the boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a paper towel before transferring to the prepared baking sheets.
- Egg wash and salt. Whisk egg yolk with 1 tablespoon cold water. Brush each nugget generously with the egg wash, then sprinkle with flaky coarse sea salt.
- Bake. Bake 12—15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the nuggets are deep golden brown with a glossy, crackled crust. Serve immediately with warm cheese sauce or whole-grain mustard alongside.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 37g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 870mg