Comfort Food

We got around 7 inches of snow today and it was the perfect day to stay inside and keep warm. In the frigid cold, nothing tastes better than something warm and comforting. I have a great recipe that I found on the web for broccoli cheddar soup. It is the ultimate comfort food on a cold day. This recipe will serve around 4 people, and it is easy enough to double if you need to.

Ingredients:
2 tbs. – vegetable oil
2 – broccoli crowns cut into florets
1 cup – grated carrot
2 – 10 ¾ oz. cans of Cheddar Cheese condensed soup
2 cups – milk
1 cup – chicken broth
2 cups – Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
salt and pepper to taste

On med-high heat, add the 2 tbs. vegetable oil to a large soup pot.
Next, add the broccoli and carrots and sauté for about 2 - 5 minutes (sometimes I add about a ½ cup of the chicken broth to speed along the cooking of the broccoli).
Next, add the condensed cheddar soup, milk and chicken broth. Stir until condensed soup is homogenized with the milk and broth. Bring to a simmer and then, add cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is thoroughly combined in soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer another 5 min.
Finally, blend the soup using your blender of choice (I use a hand held blender), making sure all broccoli florets are broken down. At this point the soup is ready, but it is even better if you can let it simmer longer.

Serve with a salad and some warm crusty bread! Make this soup- you will love it!