It’s time for Karen’s Killer Fixin’s! Over the years, I’ve filled two 4-inch, 3-ring binders with my own creations as well as recipes my family and friends were willing to share with me. I simply love to cook and want to share that love with my readers.

So every Friday, I share one recipe I think you and your family might enjoy. It might be a main course recipe. A cookie or baked item. Candy. Salads. Whatever strikes my eye and fancy…which today is CHEDDAR CHEESE & BROCCOLI SOUP.

We make a lot of soup in our house. It’s warm and satisfying, something to look forward to when it’s especially cold and nasty outside. I have a few family favorites I throw together in a crock pot and I’ll share some of those in the weeks and months to come. However, I’m not always so on the ball (can you imagine?!) and have to wing it on occasion at the last minute. This is a family favorite I can pull together fairly quickly.

I hope you enjoy today’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 12 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If you don’t want to miss any future recipes, be sure to return to my blog next Friday. Even better, subscribe to my blog and the recipes will come directly to your email Inbox. If this is your first visit, check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column of my blog page, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, etc.

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CHEDDAR CHEESE & BROCCOLI SOUP
[Serves 4]

4 T. butter or margarine
3 medium carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
3 T. flour
1-½ cups chicken stock
2 small bags frozen broccoli, bite sized pieces
8 oz. mild cheddar cheese, grated
2-3 cups milk [depends on preferred thickness]
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

Heat butter in large saucepan. Add carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add flour; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until flour is incorporated into the butter, about 1 minute [makes roué]. Stirring constantly, gradually add stock and then the broccoli. Bring stock to boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in grated cheese, cook over low heat until melted. Stir gently so it doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pan. Do not allow to come to a boil again. Stir in milk, warm the soup over low heat. Season with cayenne pepper and 1 tsp. salt or to taste. Sprinkle each portion with more diced cheese and serve immediately. Serve with hot bread or rolls or breadsticks.

Hints: I’ve been known to add cooked chicken chunks to this recipe, too, because we’re a meat-and-potato kind of family. This basic soup can be adjusted into a number of different soups, broccoli, cauliflower, potato, potato and corn. You can use cooked brats with the potato, and potato and corn, versions. Creativity knows no bounds with this one. One last hint, save/freeze all of your leftover gravies and mashed potatoes and such and throw it into this for an “icebox” soup that utilizes your leftovers.