Something New

Ok, so I am going to write about something totally different than my fashion obsession.  I have always been a terrible cook, well not really terrible, but it's just something that I have never really done.  Lately though, I have been trying new things in the kitchen.  Maybe it is my obsession with the Food Network or the several seasons of Top Chef I have watched but I have begun to get a little bit more adventurous in the kitchen.  My Momma has always made a great broccoli cheese soup, growing up it was always a family favorite.  Looking at the Harris Teeter ad this week (more on that later), I saw that Broccoli was on the VIC special so I decided to make my own soup, but with a twist.  I have always liked things with a little bit of a kick, so here is what I came up with.

I love onion in everything and have found that it is a great addition to the soup recipes I have made.  I roughly chopped a whole onion and sauteed it in olive oil with salt and pepper.  This is about how much I used.

After the onion was done, about translucent, I added it to a stew pot that I had not turned on.  I then peeled and roughly chopped four carrots.  I added them to the same pan I used for the onion, again with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  One thing that I have learned in all of the cooking shows that I have watched is that, to get the best flavor, you must season each component of the dish.

Once these were softened I added them into the stew pot with the onions.  I then took the broccoli and chopped it, even leaving some of the leaves which I rough chopped.  I also tossed these in some olive oil and salt and pepper.  I didn't leave them in the pan long before adding them to the stew pot along with two cups of chicken broth, low sodium.

I guess to my friends out there who have babies, you could probably take part of this and throw it in the blender for some fresh baby food...Maybe, not with the onion, I have nephews for a reason!!  Their mother is in charge of meal times!  I digress, to this I added a small can of diced tomatoes with chilies, I used the ones with chilies because I like a little spice but I am sure you could use plain diced tomatoes as well.  I then added a cup of crushed tomatoes as well.  I turned burner on high so this could begin to boil.

I love the color in this soup!  Now, this is a creamy soup and I am not any kind of chef so I cheat when finishing it up.  To this I then added a family size can of Cream of Chicken soup and three cans of the Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup.  I then added two more cups of the low sodium chicken broth and a cup of water.  I added a few dashes of hot sauce (to taste).

This is what the soup will look like when it is complete.  I kept this on the burner for about two hours on low.  You will need to stir it occasionally so the veggies don't stick to the bottom of the pan (yes, I know this from experience).  The one thing I would have done differently is that I would have added a little more broccoli.  I even had a taste tester stop by in the afternoon....

Elizabeth loved the soup.  I think the phrase that she used was that it was "the bomb.com", maybe that is what I will call it.  Thanks to E for being my guinea pig, I am glad she liked it.  Now, this does make a full pot of soup.  I have enough in my fridge for a few days.  Being single, it's nice to be able to make something I can eat off of for a few days.  I also took some to Hunter, so we'll see what the little guy thinks of it, he will be the most honest.  This is a great recipe and it does not break the bank.  I don't pretend to know anything about nutrition and I am sure that this isn't fat free, but it was real good.  I am a true Southern girl, who loves comfort food and doesn't just want to eat salad and hummus everyday!! The soup was great the next day, when it looked like the color from the tomatoes came through a little more.  I also added a few croutons and a dollop of sour cream.

Well, this is a little different of a post for me.  Let me know if you like it, want more?  I can be dangerous in the kitchen with a pile of ingredients and a camera!!