Yummy broccoli and cheese soup

Hardly a week goes by this time of year that I’m not making soup.

There are a few that my husband and children request often, from my homemade vegetable soup to French onion in the slow cooker. I also make meatball soup, butternut squash soup and just last week, chicken and rice.

A few years ago, we all tried a wonderful broccoli soup that friend Wendy Skinner made for a soup and sandwich lunch after church. My daughter and her boyfriend were especially fond of it, and Wendy shared it with me. It took me about a year to make the soup, but I finally did and have made it several times since. I also asked Wendy to share the recipe for our church cookbook last year. Her note on the recipe reads: "When I take this to the soup lunch after church, I always come home with an empty pot.” No surprises there!

Broccoli cheese soup is delicious and so simple to make, even after a busy day at work. I bought the ingredients over the weekend and made it in about 30 minutes for Monday night’s supper.

I made a few changes to Wendy’s original recipe. Wendy uses chicken bouillon cubes and water. Instead, I used reduced sodium and reduced fat chicken broth because it’s what I had in my pantry. I used butter instead of margarine and cut it from 6 tablespoons to 4.

I only have skim milk in my refrigerator, so that’s what I used for the recipe; not sure what Wendy uses. It would certainly be richer if you used reduced-fat or full-fat milk instead of skim. Some broccoli and cheese soups call for half-and-half. I had some half-and-half in the refrigerator Monday night, so I added a slash of that to make it extra creamy.

This soup would also be delicious with some diced carrots or cauliflower cooked along with the broccoli and onions.

We ate our soup with a loaf of French bread and some fresh fruit. It was a delicious meal for a dreary fall night!


Broccoli and Cheese Soup

• 3 14-ounce cans chicken broth (I use Swanson’s Natural Goodness fat-free, lower sodium)
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 2 boxes (10 ounces each) frozen chopped broccoli
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 pound box 2 percent Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 quart milk

Pour chicken broth in a soup pot over medium heat and add onion and broccoli. Cook until tender, around 20 minutes.

While that’s cooking, warm up one cup of the milk in the microwave until lukewarm. Whisk in flour, then add in remaining milk, mixing until incorporated. When broccoli mixture has finished cooking, stir in cheese, and heat on low until cheese melts. Stir in milk mixture and heat through. I had a half-and-half in my refrigerator, so I added a splash of that to the soup for extra creaminess.

Recipe adapted from Wendy Skinner

Simple casserole

I have a super-simple casserole recipe for you today.

We love broccoli casseroles at my house, but I confess, I don’t make them often. I’ve had several recipes over the years, some with only three or four ingredients, others with a long list. When I was first married, I often made a broccoli casserole with water chestnuts. It was so good, and I always felt a sense of accomplishment when I made it!

I haven’t run across that recipe in years. It’s probably tucked away in a recipe folder I no longer use.

Today’s recipe reminds me of that long-ago recipe. I made it last week, after I got home from work. The prep time is minimal on this, especially if you use a microwave bag of rice rather than cooking rice on the stove. Just mix the ingredients and let it cook while you put together the rest of the meal.

Don’t let the ease of preparation fool you. This is a delicious recipe. And although it’s delicious for a weeknight meal, it would be just as good for company and a perfect dish to take to a covered dish dinner.

If you read my column regularly, you know I get my recipe ideas from many sources. This one came from thebigmamablog.com. I’m a regular reader of this blog, which seldom has recipes. But, when retrieving her delicious chocolate frosting recipe recently, I ran across this broccoli casserole recipe and stashed it in my memory to try soon.

I made few changes to this recipe. I did use a pouch of Uncle Ben’s brown rice, and next time I will cut the amount of butter to 2 tablespoons instead of four. It’s good and buttery with the half stick of butter, but I think it will be just fine with less. I also used Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup with lower sodium, lower fat.

My daughter suggested I put a crumb topping on the casserole the next time. I’m sure it would be good that way, but, honestly, it was just delicious without it!


Broccoli Rice Casserole

• 1 medium onion chopped and sauteed in 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 packages of frozen, chopped broccoli cooked according to package instructions and drained (I bought the small boxes)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup, lower-sodium, lower-fat
• 1 pouch Uncle Ben’s brown rice, cooked in microwave according to package instructions.
• 1 8 oz. jar of Cheez Whiz

Combine all ingredients and bake at 350 in a greased 9X13 baking dish for 1 hour.

Adapted from thebigmamablog.com

Festive salad

I seldom make this broccoli and apple salad more than once a year, but it’s always for the same occasion — a family event held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The turkey barbecue dinner at the home of my cousin Martha Cayton and husband, John, sort of transitions the family from one season to the next.

My salad — with its festive green broccoli and celery and red crunchy apples — makes me think of the holiday season ahead. I always ask myself if it’s too early to put the salad in a pretty red bowl or if I need to go with a clear or crystal bowl. I usually choose a pretty red bowl because I’m always ready to get the Christmas season started.

This salad is a variation of one I’m sure many of you make. I’ve made it before with raisins, but my family prefers it with apples, and I never include onions. It’s not difficult to make— just a lot of washing and cutting of the vegetables and the apples. I wait to add the sunflower seeds right before the salad is served.

If you’re asked to take a dish to a holiday gathering or if you’re hosting one at your house, this salad will certainly add some holiday cheer to your table!


Broccoli Apple Salad

• 1 red apple chopped into bite-size pieces*
• 1 bunch broccoli, washed and cut in bite-size pieces
• 3 celery ribs, chopped into bite-size chunks
• 1/2 cup or more sunflower kernels

Dressing:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (I use reduced fat)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons vinegar

Toss chopped apple, broccoli and celery.

In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients. Toss together broccoli, apple and celery with dressing. Pour into serving bowl. Arrange several pieces of apple so red is showing on top to make for a pretty display. Refrigerate.

Sprinkle sunflower kernels on top just before serving.

*Use a firm apple such as gala. I look through the apples to find the reddest ones.