Cold is Soup Weather- Cheddar Broccoli

anyone near me not happy with the nasty cold temperatures we have been having? i woke up this morning to negative 8 degrees.

-8.

thats not even taking any windchill into account. i was too scared to look at that. but yes, i walked out into that heading to work this morning. ball. shrinking. cold.

see, that's almost where this fantastic soup comes in, though. i made it last night, and it was quite cold, but not negative cold. regardless.....this is my new favorite cheddar broccoli soup from peas and crayons.

i have seriously made this three times now in the last few months. okay, maybe three times is not many times, but i make like 2-1/2 times the recipe so it usually lasts a little bit, and i can share with a couple people. it is relatively easy, and it reminds me a lot of panera's cheddar broccoli (which is how i came to make this again....someone talking about panera.)

here's what you need, or at least what i buy to fill my 5 quart stock pot:

4 broccoli crowns (about 1 1/2-1 3/4 lbs)
1 small onion
3-4 carrots
2-3 cloves of garlic (i dont mind it, so i put a little extra in)
2-3 bay leaves
1 quart vegetable stock (you can use chicken stock or broth as well)
6 tbsp unsalted butter
6 tbsp flour
2 cups half-n-half, plus 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1- 8oz brick of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
10oz (3/4lb roughly?) gouda cheese, grated
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp chili powder (i do not have cayenne pepper on hand as the original recipe calls for)
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
a few shakes of black pepper

it looks like a lot, but half of it is spices. anyway....we start with chopping up all the veggies! i save a couple cups of broccoli, chopped somewhat large, to steam and throw in at the end. everything else- the rest of the broccoli, the onion (chopped very fine), the carrots....toss it all into your pot with the stock and simmer on med-med hi heat for about 15-20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. reduce heat to low. remove the bay leaves from the soup before adding the roux (next step).

in another saucepan (something large enough to hold a few cups of liquid), heat up and melt your butter. whisk in the flour to make a roux (it will be a little pasty, but not super thick. once there are no lumps, ladle some of the stock into the roux and whisk away! (i have done this a couple ways, i tried putting a little stock into the roux, and then adding that back to the big pot. yesterday, i took most of the veggies out of the big pan, set them aside, added the roux to the bigger pan, heated and whisked until thickened and lump free, and then reduced the heat and added the veggies back in. both worked out okay! you just dont want any flour or roux lumps in your soup.)

once you incorporate your roux and things start to thicken up, add your half n half gradually. make sure it is room temp, and your soup is on low heat. if it is too hot, the dairy could curdle and that does not make fun for a soup. you can also add all of your spices at this point. the nutmeg and allspice, you can vary the amounts. i like them in there, but you can start with less if you are unsure. the spice amounts i listed are probably close to what i used, i just kind of shake a little out until i feel like i have enough. (i think i might have had about a half tablespoon of spices? so maybe even start with a little less and add more if you need it.)

last but not least.....the best for last.....the cheese!! shred the f*ck outta that and dump it all in. or most of it. you can save a little to top your soup and make it all fancy, but i just like cheesy soup. stir it in real good, it took maybe about 10-15 minutes to melt and incorporate on the low heat setting. low heat takes a while, but with cream soups and dairy, you gotta be careful. oh, i lied about the "last"ness of that. that other broccoli if you saved it? steam it up til its bright green and toss it in there. i love the way it looks in the end, since the first broccoli has been in the soup cooking for a bit longer. its like a pretty little pop.

yummy, super delicious cheddar broccoli soup. it is one of my favorite soups. next is probably beef stew. maybe i will make that sometime soon. i have an awesome go-to recipe for that, too.

so, thats my attempt at writing a recipe. i so badly want to write one out like this lovely little tutorial. seriously, click on it. this is how i roll. i kind of started to a little bit at the end there, i couldnt help it. i could make any recipe that kind of bad ass.

maybe i will next time. i will give you time to mentally prepare for that. your mind will be blown.

in the mean time, i have been working, as usual. i actually went out for an interview on monday, but it turned out to be a door to door sales thing. i dont really want to sell door to door. or have people slam said doors in my face. i guess the main job is doing okay for now. i talked to my district manager about the situation. i will just have to keep an eye on things and am hoping a little time will fix it, somewhat. i can only do so much as one person.

i will tell you what, though, if i actually get sick, i know the first person i am going to infect. if you're gonna act like that to me, you just have it coming. jerk.

so on another note, i guess i am still looking around for a backup just in case something happens. i cant really go without a job. i have worked very hard to keep things good; all my bills, my car, my credit history; and i will not let it be destroyed. of course, maybe i can arm knit a million scarves, make some hair bows, and sell those. oh, and maybe some cupcakes in there too.

so, after i made the soup last night, kris came over to share some with us, and we watched glee. i didnt really know what was going on (since ive only watched a few episodes here and there), but its all good. i dont mind the music. anyway, just for the record, you shouldnt leave your phone laying around. this is what happens:

that, and about 10 other pictures. and yes, that is totally me in the background putting the birds to bed.

so the week so far has been pretty quiet. i am not complaining after last week. i just hope things can be okay soon. i dont need any more stress, especially if it is bringing things back, you know, like panic mode and stuff. i like having all the hours, but maybe a couple days off would not be a bad thing.

some time off, and some hot cocoa, blankets, and relaxation.

I definitely need it. Escpecially after taking care of 3 times my weight in cardboard at work. Stay warm, everyone. Thanks for reading!