Okay, yes, they're green.  They were dyed for a Saint Patrick's Day party.  Just leave out the green food coloring (or not).

Soft Pretzel with Cheese Dipping Sauce (Prep. time about 1 ½ hour. Makes 18 pretzels)

1 1/2 C. warm water

1 packet of dry yeast

pinch of granulated sugar

4 C. flour

pinch of table salt

coarse sea salt

cooking spray

another 2 C. warm water

2 Tb. baking soda

2 Tb. butter

1 tsp. honey

Cheese Sauce

8 oz. original Velveeta cheese, cubed

3 Tb. sour cream

1 Tb. milk

Dissolve the pinch of sugar in 1 ½ cups of warm water in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in the active dry yeast and set aside for about 5 minutes in a warm place to allow the yeast to bloom.  Combine the salt with one cup of flour. Once the yeast mixture is foamy, stir in the flour, a cup at a time with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the bowl and forms a ball. That should take about three cups of flour, leaving the last cup to dust the surface for kneading the dough and for coating your hands.  Knead the dough for about 5 minutes on the floured surface, adding more flour as needed.  Clean the mixing bowl and spray the inside with cooking spray.  Put the dough in the bowl and roll to coat with the cooking spray oil.  Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and set in a warm place to rise.  Let the dough rise anywhere from 45 minutes to about an hour. Preheat oven to 375. Melt the butter in the microwave and stir in the honey until it’s dissolved. Dissolve the baking soda in the 2 cups of warm water and set close to greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. After the dough has risen, punch it down to get rid of large air bubbles.  Pull off pieces of dough a little larger than a golf ball and roll between the palms of your hands to make a “snake” about the diameter of a pencil.  You may have to keep dusting your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Form the dough snakes into the classic pretzel shape on a baking sheet.  Dunk each raw pretzel into the water and baking soda and return to the baking sheet.  Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse sea salt and dab the top of each with the honey butter, using a pastry brush.  Bake the pretzels about 10 or 15 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp on top.  Cool on a baking rack.

To make the cheese dipping sauce:  melt the cubed cheese in a microwave-safe bowl (about a minute).  Stir until smooth.  Add the sour cream and stir in enough milk to achieve the desired sauce consistency.

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