My kids were giddy about dinner.

They were! It's a cheese covered miracle. We had cheese fondue for dinner. I love the Melting Pot, but one can only shell out for cooking your own dinner in a restaurant so often. After repeated observations on dinners out I started making this at home.

Do you kids love cheese? Here's how to make them giddy. Gather up this stuff:

Bread (the good crusty kind), apples, carrots, brocolli, a bottle of beer, a block or two of sharp cheddar(shredded), pepper, Worcestershire sauce (not pictured - oops!) and nutmeg. You'll also need a tablespoon of flour.

• Chop up your apples and bread into chunks for dipping. I use an apple per person. 
• Chop up your broccoli into florets and then blanch your veggies. Don't skip this - it really makes them taste so much better. To blanch your veggies, bring a large pot of water to boil. Dump in one sort of veggie for 30 seconds or so. Then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and put them into ice water. When they are completely cold ( a few minutes) dry them on a clean dish towel. 

• Put all the veg, fruit and bread on a large platter and set aside. 
• Mix your shredded cheese with tablespoon of flour. 
• Pour the beer (minus one quality-check gulp) into a medium-sized pot along with a chopped garlic clove. Bring to boil. 
• When the beer is boiling, add your cheese and stir - a lot. I usually end up adding about 12 oz of cheese but it's pretty flexible. 
• When your cheese sauce is smooth, add a dash of Worcestershire, a couple of turns of pepper and a wee bit of nutmeg. Stir it up and either transfer it to a fondue pot or keep it over low heat on your stove top. 

Get it all on the table. Bask in the joy of your children. 

It is a very bad idea to give my children forks that are akin to small swords. Perhaps other mothers are braver. Good for them. I give them a scoop of cheese on their plate and let them dip with a normal fork.