Jen's Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup

I just whipped up a so-delicous broccoli cheddar cheese soup, so I thought I would share it!

Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup

 
I started by melting 3-4 T of butter, add a tablespoon, or so, of flour, cook on low for a minute, add approximately 2 cups of whole milk, on medium high, stirring occasionally until thickened.  Add a dash of nutmeg, dry mustard, and salt & pepper.  Then dump in as much shredded cheddar cheese as you like (I also had a mix of italian cheese that I added).  Stir until all mixed.  I then added about 2 cups of chicken broth to that mixture.

This actually should be stop one! Take a head of broccoli and chop it up (I use some of the stalk too), next time I will chop mine a bit smaller.  Boil, then put a lid on it and take it off the heat (I don't like to overcook the broccoli).  Let that sit for about 5 minutes.  Then take a cup or so of the cooked broccoli, add to the blender with (okay I am going crazy with my font-not on purpose), with about a cup of chicken broth and blend.  Add that to the cheese mixture, and add the rest of the cooked broccoli.  Taste test to see if it needs more salt & pepper.  It's quick and easy and delicious! Did I mention it is not fattening at all!!?  No, I did not, because that would be lying!  I guess I should have worked out more than an hour this morning!

Enjoy!

Jen

Happy Valentine's Day!

I can't remember what font Katherine told me to use, but anyways, Happy Valentine's Day!

I picked out some things (from Etsy) I personally would love to receive (hint hint).  Here are just of my favorite things.

cute heart bowls

 

 

Subtle bling

lovely scarf

 

I love charm bracelets!

What's for lunch!

I love cooking - and eating!

Fresh and crispy broccoli salad

 

 

 I chopped broccoli into tiny pieces, along with chives, radishes, red onion, celery, and carrots.  I topped mine with bit of ranch dressing, but you can be healthier and just add a bit of olive oil and one of your favorite vinegars!

Potato soup and more

 If you read my blog (well thank you very much-I love you!), you know I love to make soup, and most of them are made the same way, just different ingredients, depending on what I have in the kitchen that day.  This was started with a bit of olive oil and butter, some red onion and chopped red potatoes (chop them small enough that they won't take forever to cook).

I also added diced carrots and celery.  I still had a ton of broccoli left, so after I had cooked the other ingredients for awhile, I tossed in the broccoli.  I cooked that a bit longer, and then added yummy baby portabella mushrooms, and just cooked about 5 more minutes.  Season as you go along, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, thyme.

I added some chicken broth, but you could also use veggie broth.  For some protein I added garbanzo beans, and I also added elbow noodles.

For the finishing touch, why not a bit of heavy cream!?  It sweetens it up and makes it creamy (you just need about 1/4 cup).  Oh, I also added chives when everything was cooked, for some color and freshness.

That's it!  Try it, it is delicious!

Jen

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy-almost-Valentine's Day!

I had to share my latest Etsy purchase!  I bought the cutest pink heart garland, and loved it so much, I had to buy another one in blue!

Here's a few other cute finds from DoesMeadow

 I put one on the back of one of my sofa's in the living room:

 And one in my kitchen (I need to fix it so the pins not showing, but you get the idea!):

It's so much fun decorating my house now that I have it cleaned and organized.  Although, I do call my house "the house of shelves".  Shelves are everywhere in my house, with all of my Etsy shop, so it does look like a store, but at least there's not a bunch of stuff on the floor anymore (okay, maybe a few random things!).

 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Cheers to a fantastic 2014!

Stay safe!

Jen

Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup

What else do you do when you're working out on the stepper?  Think about food, of course (at least if you're me)!  I started thinking about the broccoli I had in the fridge, and then a light bulb went off in my head (that doesn't happen too often)...broccoli cheddar cheese, of course!

I'm better at cooking than photography!

 So I came up with this quick and easy recipe!

Cut up broccoli in bite size pieces, and go ahead and cut up some of the stalk too (it's just as tasty), and chop up some onion (I probably used about a 1/3 of a cup); saute that in olive oil and butter on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes, stirring occassionally.

In the meantime, in a separate pot, melt a couple of tablespoons of butter, add a tablespoon of flour, cook on low, stirring the entire time, for about a minute.  Then add maybe a cup and 1/2 of heavy cream, cook on medium high for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, add just a tiny pinch of nutmeg to that, and salt & pepper.  After it has thickened up add 1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, and stir until it's all mixed.

And back to the pot of broccoli---add about 1 1/2 cups or so of chicken broth, turn heat to medium high, put the lid on, and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add salt, pepper, and some pepper flakes for a bit of spice.  Then add that yummy cheese mixture, and you will have a fantastic soup just perfect for a cold winter day!

Enjoy!!
Jen

Featured Etsy Shop

Girls Handpainted Santa Shoes

Etsy is full of wonderfully talented people!  I always appreciate anyone that is an artist, such as this featured shop created by Katie and Pam!

Adorable Whale Romper

Such unique gifts!  These can be purchased in a variety of sizes.  

For The Little Pirate

Who can resist these darling pirate shoes for the little boy...or girl pirate!

Pretty Flower Dress

I love this pink dress for the girly girl!  The perfect party dress!

Be sure to check out their shop!  Fill your cart up with unique gifts! 


https://www.etsy.com/shop/boygirlboygirldesign?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Happy shopping!

Jen

Being a Mom

Mark, Lindsey, & Katherine (Katherine looks a bit terrified here)

Being a Mom!

That's all I have ever wanted.

The other stuff is fine.

But being a Mom is enough for me.

Why does time seem to be drifting by so fast?

 

RIP Tom

A heart so big
It broke a thousand times

In heaven now
Your broken heart
Back together again

You are missed here on earth
But in a better place now

In our hearts forever

We love you Tom! ♥

 

Soup Time!

I love making soup!  Today I made a wonderful potato soup!  I did take a few pictures, but they just don't do the soup justice (I am definitely not a food photographer!

I started by cooking cubed (smallish bite size) red potatoes with onions in my favorite Calpholon pot!  That took about 15 minutes so, on a medium high heat, stirring every so often.  Oh, I used a combination of butter and olive oil.  I then added some fresh mushrooms, salt & pepper, and cooked that for another 5 minutes.

Then add chicken broth (I've been using Rachael Ray's low sodium chicken broth), dried italian seasoning (rub through your fingers to break it up and release the wonderful aroma), some thyme (just a bit), black beans (canned), and a handful of elbow pasta. I also added about 1/2 cup of heavy cream for a creamy soup, of course, you can omit this if you want.  Cook that until the pasta and potatoes are cooked, and you have a hot, comforting meal!  

We had this for lunch, so I also made an argula salad (the potato soup doesn't have a lot of color, so this is a good way to brighten up the meal.  I added sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, and I love just using a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I also had some leftover french bread, so I cubed that, placed it on a piece of foil, sprinkled olive oil and melted butter on it, sprinkled with italian seasoning and garlic salt, in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes, then broil for about 2 minutes (watch it carefully).  This was perfect not only on the salad, but so yummy in the soup too!

Enjoy!!

Jen