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This Week In Food...Soup Season's Last Hurrah

As we tumble quickly toward Summer, I realize that we begin to move away from soups and toward grilling. But it's downright chilly here today and I have a little man who is in love with soups right now, so I thought I'd give soup one last shot before we pretty much call it quits till October. So if you're in the mood for one last taste of warm and comfy soup too, here's a recipe for you...

This one has made the rounds on Pinterest so you may have seen it or even tried it. If not, you must! It is so yummy, so easy, and such a crowd pleaser that you just can't go wrong with it. The original recipe, which I've adapted a bit, is called Cheesy Vegetable Chowder and came from luluthebaker.blogspot.com. But really, I think it's more of a nice, thick, cheesy, potato-broccoli soup...with a few other veggies thrown in. Regardless of what you call it, it's just plain yum. I highly recommend serving it with a nice loaf of bakery bread. I like a good sourdough. Though a country bread would be lovely as well...or even a rosemary or olive oil loaf.



Cheesy Broccoli-Potato Chowder
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. finely chopped carrot
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
4-6 c. chicken broth (I usually use more like 6, maybe even 7; it all depends on how much bulk you end up with potato and veggie-wise; keep two things in mind: you need to cover the potatoes in liquid to cook them, and the soup will thicken considerably by day two, so plan accordingly. Also, you can always add more broth as long as you have extra on hand.)
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp flour
1/2 c. water
2/3 c. milk
2 c. chopped broccoli
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add onion, carrots and celery and saute over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 more minutes. Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to boil and cook until potatoes are tender. Mix flour and water in bowl and add to pot. Simmer until soup is slightly thickened. Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through. Stir in cheese and allow to melt. Serve.

I think we're also gonna revisit that Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu this week; we'll throw some chicken breasts and veggies on the grill one night, then maybe work in some turkey tacos another; and as for the other night I'm cooking this week...well, I hope to get inspired at the grocery store tomorrow. So that's what's cookin' here this week. Next week we'll see what kind of trouble I can get into with a few new recipes...could be great...could mean last minute take-out. We shall see.

Until then, happy cooking! (And stay warm.)

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