Broccoli Cheese Soup

How do you take a picture of a creamy green soup and not make it look inedible?  I don't know.  But this was delicious.  And we fortunately accidentally left out some tuscan bread the other night after dinner so it was nice and crusty and ready to be thrown in this soup!

I saw this recipe in last Sunday's Parade magazine (that comes in the Sunday paper) and I wanted to try it.  It was pretty delicious.  I can't decide what was my favorite - this one or the one I've been making for years.  The biggest difference between the two is this one does not have potatoes and this one is blended up so it doesn't have chunks.  Delicious.  Maybe I'll just have to alternate between the two recipes.

3 C chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
4 C broccoli, chopped (I did a little more, probably close to 5 C)
dash of garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 C butter
1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 C milk
2 C shredded cheddar - That sounds like a ridiculous amount of cheese - a little cheese goes a long way.  I'm not sure I even put in a full cup and that was plenty.

In a large soup pot mix chicken broth, onion, broccoli, garlic powder, thyme, and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Remove bay leaves and pour mixture into a food processor.  Blend till smooth.

In the original pot, melt butter.  Whisk in flour, creating a roux (Side Note:  I am convinced you can only make a good roux if you use real butter.  Margarine splits the solids and oils when it melts and always results in a chunky roux rather than a nice, smooth, thick roux.  So buck up, embrace the calories, and go buy some real butter.)  Add milk slowly, whisking constantly.  Stir until milk thickens.  Add cheese, melt completely.  Pour in broccoli mixture.  Add salt and pepper.

Serve with delicious crusty bread!