Broccoli Cheese Soup

 Well hello there!  Depending on where you are in the world, it's getting pretty cold.  If you were a Stark, you might even say, "Winter is Coming" (and it will in fact be here officially Saturday).  Anyways right now it is the type of weather that makes me want to curl up under a blanket near the wood stove and knit all day.  What also is good on a cold, wintery day?  Soup!

I am basing the majority of the recipe for this week off of a recipe I found on Food.com, Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup, though I made a few changes.  It went really great with a grilled cheese sandwich, because if it is one thing I never run low on in my house, it's cheese.

Ingredients for this recipe:

• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 Onion chopped
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 2 cups Half-and-Half
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• 4 - 4 1/2 cups Broccoli chopped
• 1 - 1/2 cups Carrot, julienned
• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1 cup Water
• 2 1/2 cup mixed Cheeses (Jersey Girl, Abbie Gouda, and Toma Duro from Cooperstown Cheese Company)
• additional Mozzarella
• 6 cloves Garlic
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt

First prep the ingredients.  Finely chop the onion.  Cut the broccoli up to the florets, and into bite-sized pieces.  Julienne the carrot (cut into thin pieces about an inch or so long).  Mince the garlic.

In a small pan, melt the 1 tbsp of butter and saute the onion.  Cook until the onion is very soft and set aside.

Next, in a medium sized pot, melt the 1/4 cup of butter, and mix in the flour with a whisk.  Stir constantly for about 4 minutes, and the mixture thickens some, add the half-and-half.  Be careful because it will want to burn on the bottom, so keep stirring.  Then add the chicken stock to the mix, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots, onions, and garlic.  At this time also add the water to increase the volume of the liquid.  Continue to cook for another 25 or so minutes.

Add your mixed cheese to a blender.  Grind it up and set aside.  I added Jersey Girl, Abbie Gouda, and Toma Duro from Cooperstown Cheese Company, especially since these would melt nicely.

After the soup has cooked for 25 minutes, add the cheese.  Add the nutmeg.  Add red pepper flakes, and salt to taste.  Once the rest of the soup is to your liking, add the additional Mozzarella to the top and let it melt.  Now it is ready to serve!

Sesame Noodles

This week I am making something quick and easy!  We could all use something less time consuming every now and then.  Sesame noodles are one of my favorite foods, and it works really well as a side.  For this meal I made a chicken stir-fry as the main dish.  And to redeem my choices from the last post, this recipe is brought to you in part by chocolate soy milk - a healthier (and easier on the liver) choice.

I also realize I never updated where I was at with my work for NaNoWriMo.  I did finish!!!  This was part of the reason I skipped updating last week (I needed a breather from writing).  It was such a fascinating experience over the course of a month creating a different world and characters to become attached to.  I have done a few creative writing pieces here and there, but never anything to this extent.  The end feeling was awesome!  As I said in my first November post, it may be an awful work of literature to others, but I finished it and it is mine!

Enough babble, let's get started on the recipe!

Ingredients for this dish:

• 1 lb Whole Wheat Angel Hair Pasta
• 3 Green Onions
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1/4 cup Mushroom Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Sriracha Sauce
• 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 1 tsp Sesame Oil

First heat water for the noodles and follow the instructions to cook them.  When done, strain the water and set aside.

While the water is heating, mince the garlic and green onions.  In a small bowl (or measuring cup) mix together the soy sauce, sriracha sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.

When the noodles have been cooked and strained, put in a bowl.  Stir the liquids again to make sure it is mixed, then add to the noodles.  Mix in the garlic, and then the green onions.  Then it is ready to serve!

If you are looking for a variation on this, try using a mix of soy sauce, fermented black bean sauce, and sriracha sauce (with the green onions and garlic still of course).

One more side note before I leave you for next week!  I added a few things to the site layout!  If you notice, there is now a "Subscribe via Email" box to the right.  If you would like to see me in your inbox (when I update of course), sign up!!!