At the end of September here in the Sacramento Valley, the weather was hot with temperatures in the 90s, but now that it is October the temperature dropped and I can finally put on a pot of broccoli cheese soup. What’s your favorite homemade soup?

Soup is the perfect food for all of us and seniors especially love a good pot of soup. It’s easy to eat and easy to digest. You can stick it in the fridge and enjoy it for days at a time, and it only takes a few minutes to heat it up on top of the stove or in the microwave. Soup is so nutritious especially when you make it with fresh veggies. Serve it with some hot bread and you have a meal fit for a king (or queen).

Broccoli cheese soup is my mother’s favorite. Every Sunday that Daddy’s up to driving, he’ll make the trek to their favorite sandwich and soup restaurant. He’ll bring her back a big serving of the tasty soup with some hot bread. She loves it. I’d rather just cook my own. After a few experiments, I’ve finally got the number on my mother’s favorite soup. Okay, I did go to Pioneer Woman’s website but I have made a few changes to suit my taste.

Delicious Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients

• Half a stick of butter
• One onion diced
• 2 gloves of garlic minced
• 6 to 8 baby carrots sliced thin
• 3 to 4 heads of broccoli – Cut off the buds into small pieces
• 2 cups of chicken broth or water
• 2 cups of whole milk
• 2 cups of half and half
• Salt and Pepper to taste. Don’t be stingy with the pepper
• Thickener (a half a stick of butter and a half a cup of flour)
• Cheese – 3 cups of cheddar or Colby jack or whatever you like.

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a big pot. Saute diced onions and carrots for two to three minutes. Add the broccoli pieces and minced garlic. Cook for just a minute so you don’t burn your garlic and stir.
2. Pour in your water or chicken broth. Put the lid on and let the broccoli get tender checking on it often.
3. Add the whole milk and half n half. Turn down the heat to medium low while you make the thickener. If you have some heavy cream around, add a little. It makes it scrumptious!
4. Put the butter and the flour in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for just a minute in the microwave. Mix the flour and the melted butter really well. Turn up the heat a little on the soup and before it starts to boil add your butter/flour mixture a little at a time and keep on stirring. Turn down the heat to low. You don’t want to add the cheese if the soup is too hot or you’ll get really stringy soup.

I like to serve mine with a little more cheese on top and float a few croutons. Don’t forget the hot bread even if it’s “Whomp Biscuits.” You know, the kind you have to hit the tube on the counter to open.

You can find so many soup recipes on the web. And don’t you just love all the new cookbooks! I’m partial to Pioneer Woman’s books but right now I’m reading “The Best Cook in the World” by Rich Bragg. It’s more than a cookbook. It’s his family history of living in the hills and the foods they love. If you have any Southern connections you will love it.