Broccoli Cheese Soup

When Gabby had her jaw surgery, we ate a lot of soup.  This is a combination of a few recipes I found thanks to Food Network.  I tweaked it a few times, but it is really yummy.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped fine
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ stick of butter
• 1 t. of fresh thyme, chopped fine
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. white pepper
• A pinch of fresh nutmeg
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1/3 C. flour
• 6 C. chicken stock
• 2 (16 oz.) chopped broccoli
• 1 pint of half and half
• 2 C. sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
• 1 lb. of Velveeta, cubed

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, sauté onions and celery in butter, until limp
2. Add garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute
3. Add flour and cook for 3 minutes
4. Slowly add the chicken stock while whisking constantly
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the stock thickens, about 5 minutes
6. Add broccoli and cook for 10 minutes
7. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is the consistency you like
8. Add the half and half, then the cheese
9. Heat until all the cheese is melted and serve

Tips and Tricks:

• Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.
• You can use heavy cream in the place of the half and half if you want a thicker soup.
• The fresh thyme really makes a big difference in this soup.