Make You Cry It's So Good Brocolli & Cheddar Soup

                                               Cory, always the D.J. during dinner prep

Maybe I'm not so riduculous to be having a rough time in the kitchen...smell and sound are some particularly strong memory triggers.  Jacob clamored for tonight's recipe, which was extremely emotional to make.  Perhaps, it was because the memories were so fresh (no pun intended).  We discovered this recipe not long before the accident, and no one in the family could seem to get enough of it.  It was only sheer restraint that kept me from making it every week, and risking that we all move up 2 or 3 pants sizes as a result.

So, memory triggers...I can tell you this much:  once the chopped onions hit the pot of melting butter, I could practically hear Cory at my shoulder, oohing and aahing, saying, "Man, Mom, they should really think about prescribing onions cooking in butter as a mood stabilizer.  It  could change the face of modern psychiatry."

Add to that smell, the strains of her favorite music from the I-pod station on the counter, and I am missing her so bad, I can hardly see to chop.  I will forge ahead because Jake actually seems excited about this meal, and he hasn't had much of an appetite for the last few days.

So here it is, my newly renamed take on Pioneer Woman's Brocolli Cheese Soup:

Ingredients                           

• 1 stick butter
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 4 heads broccoli, cut into florets
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups grated cheese (mild Cheddar, sharp Cheddar, Jack, etc.)
• Chicken broth, if needed

Directions

Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat, and then add the onions. Cook the onions for 3 to 4 minutes, and then sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute or so, then pour in the milk and half-and-half. Add the nutmeg, and then the broccoli, a small dash of salt and plenty of black pepper.

Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the broccoli is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in the cheese and allow to melt.

Taste the seasonings and adjust if needed. Then either serve as is, or mash with a potato masher to break up the broccoli a bit, or transfer to a blender in two batches and puree completely. (If you puree in a blender, return the soup to the heat and allow to heat back up. Splash in some chicken broth if needed for thinning.)

 

My Commentary:

• Use more pepper than you think you need.  Use more pepper than you have in your lifetime in any other dish.  It will taste phenomenal.  Trust me.
• Sharp cheddar is the best cheese to use, hands down.
• I use an immersion blender to smooth out our soup.  Cory and I would have the best time using this kitchen appliance.  It's red and shiny, and it whirs the most delightful whir.  Holding it makes you feel powerful, like perhaps you really could run the world if someone would just give you a go at it.  No wonder men like power tools!  What a rush!
• We also buy crusty rolls at the bakery, slice off the tops, and hollow them out to make breadbowls for the soup to sit in.  Jacob and Cory used to love the job of getting the bread bowls prepped.  When else are you really supposed to play with your food?

Got a pic of Jake taking his first bite.  Normally, he has 3 bowls of this soup...the only time I've ever really seen the tiny soul gorge himself.  Tonight, he didn't even finish his first bowl.  I asked him if it was okay, did it taste all right?  Jacob is a solemn fellow under oridinary circumstances- the very definition of a still water that runs deep.  I watched as he dipped his head to hide his little face, and whispered to the table, "It just doesn't taste as good without Cory here."

Little man, I know exactly what you mean.

Till next week's dinner blog, get your kids in the kitchen, and take the time to eat dinner at the table.  It might be your last chance.

Love,
Nicole