Love My Cheddar

 You know, it's so true - - I love my cheddar.  I could (and I do) eat a lot of cheddar soup, cheddar chunks, cheddar patty-melt sandwiches, you name it, if it involves cheese, I want my cheddar. I can take it mild and I can take it sharp too; just let me indulge a bit with grapes, olives, hot tea, and pretzels - - thank you, that was a really good fantasy; I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to do that. 

Today was a good cheddar day. It wasn't raining, it wasn't sunny, it was sort of drizzle-spitting if you will, and it was almost chilly but not quite; you know what I mean? People in Oklahoma just call it a Thursday, because you don't ever really know what you're going to get when you step outside the door, but today was definitely a cheddar day.  Some days I say that and it means I gather up the ingredients to actually make the cheese; I do that too, but it literally takes two solid months to perfect, so if I'm thinking of making my now world-class famous cheddar and broccoli soup, I had better be prepared to drive to Aldi and pick up the ingredients rather than going to the closet and finding the curds in their semi-settled state. I mean, don't get me wrong, you can make a good soup with cheddar that's only half hardened since when you put it into the saucepan at a medium to high heat it's going to melt anyway, but the taste needs to be right too! 

Today I went to Aldi for the ingredients and it hit me; Oklahoma has Aldi and so does Scotland! YES! I am going to be just fine when I move, just fine. I will, however, need to be sure and find a place that's close enough to an Aldi that I can walk or ride my bike. I have a backpack to wear for the occasion; I'm making plans! I am literally at my computer at night (and yes, during the day) making plans to walk to Aldi in Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline, Rosyth, Leith, just wherever it is that I'll be living; probably in the Kingdom of Fife, but you just never know. I will choose a place that's closer to Aldi rather than one closer to a bus stop. I have priorities.  Scotland has a store called Lidl too, and it's a great deal like Aldi, but c'mon, once you're an Aldi fan you're an Aldi fan for life; am I right? I know I am.

So, I bought the ingredients that I needed. I had the spices, I had the butter, I even had the heavy whipping cream, but I bought another carton just because I was about to use over a cup of the great stuff. You have to use the best so it turns out as good as you expect it to. If you chinch on it, you get what you put into it. No amount of seasoning will ever make up for using less than heavy whipping cream, don't try milk, don't even think about using half and half, just go all the way - - heavy whipping cream! Thank you.  Also, if you want to make the chicken broth you can, but they come in really handy dandy-sized boxes - - if you can get the damn lids off! They really know what they're doing when they box that stuff. You have to WANT into that box! 

After I arrived home and put all the other things away, other than the things I needed to make the soup, I remembered that I should probably have made sure I had a floret or two of broccoli lying around the fridge. I did! Whew! That's good. I mean, cheddar soup is good on its own, but yeah, it needs its bestie, floret broccoli, to make it all really spark! Ingredients gathered, chopped, mixed, heated, and stirred, and voila! Soup! I added a nice side of Italian sausages and a handful of grapes on the side of the plate. Tonight I only had one kid to feed, but the dogs knew I was thinking of them when I added an extra sausage to the pan. (Just so you know, I add a little bacon grease to the pan to saute the sausage, and I throw in a bit of basil, pepper, and onion powder too)

Done! I think it takes about 5-8 minutes tops to make the soup, and the sausage can heat up slowly during that time too; it's a good, fast, healthy, and oh so tasty dinner -- not expensive either. People should really consider soups more often. They're always on the menu at the restaurants, and they're not just for wintery cold evenings, but there's just something about a chilly night and hot cheddar soup that sounds so good - - I wish I could do bread with it. I'm not doing bread these days, just a few pretzels and even then I have to limit the carbs; hate that, but it's true. 

Enjoy the soup!  (Don't forget the cornstarch - - it makes the difference)

RECIPE:

Cheddar Broccoli Soup 

 

Prep: Cut up the broccoli into fine or semi-fine size. I use florets, some people like to add stocks. I add whatever stock is attached to the floret.  Cut up the onion into fine pieces or use onion powder, which is what I use.  Cut up the minced garlic or use garlic powder, which is what I use. 

 

Ingredients:  

• 2 cups of broccoli florets chopped 

• 4 cups of chicken broth (I use the box type, but you can make it if you choose to) 

• 1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream 

• 2.5 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (a package may be slightly more, which is fine) 

• ¼ cup of onion – or a tablespoon of powder (no salt) 

• ¼ cup of garlic – or a tablespoon of powder (no salt) 

• 1 tablespoon of butter  

• ½ teaspoon of black pepper 

• ½ teaspoon of table or pink salt 

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 

Instructions: 

1. Heat the stove to medium. 

2. Add broth, heavy cream, butter, seasonings, onion, and garlic. 

3. Let it heat up for about 5-6 minutes on its own before adding broccoli. 

4. Add broccoli and stir, turn up the heat to high (keep an eye on it) 

5. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes. 

6. Turn the heat off, but allow the liquid to simmer under its own heat for 2 minutes. 

7.  Slowly mix in the cheese, stirring continuously until it is all mixed. 

8. Add the cornstarch to thicken the mixture. 

9. Take off the stove, let cool, but stir a few times. 

10. Serve in 1 cup portions. (Should make 5 servings)