Panera Style Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

After talking with my Mom yesterday and hearing how chilly it's been getting back in PA in the evenings (I'm sure Pistol is gonna get the fireplace going soon! Right Dad?) I was thinking about one of my favorite soups, Broccoli and Cheddar. Mmmmm. You all know I'm totally obsessed with broccoli (and am happy to have passed that obsession along to some friends!) so any chance I get to eat broccoli, I'm a happy girl. It's still very warm and summery here though but today the weather has taken a turn and the air pressure is heavy. We're expecting big rain tomorrow. Am I even speaking English? I can't tell anymore if we say "big rain" in English or am I just totally mixing up all my languages? It's the air pressure that is making that happen, you know! OK, I realize I'm totally turning Croatian with my blaming the weather on everything. Anyway back to the soup! I'm not usually one for soup when it's warm out but when it comes to broccoli and cheddar - it's cozy, heart warmingly familiar, and so many of my favorite flavors combined in one!

You can be eating this amazing bowl of comfort in about an hour. In about an hour and 5 minutes, you'll be addicted to this soup. This recipe makes 4 servings so I suggest doubling it because I know we would've loved to have some more of this and I definitely will make more next time! 

Here's what I used:

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 medium diced onion

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken stock

1 head of fresh broccoli (or a bag of frozen, defrosted)

1 cup carrot, sliced/julienned

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

Here's what you do:

Sautee onion in butter. Set aside. Then, put remaining butter and flour in pot and whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the milk. Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions.

Cook over low heat for another 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. I pureed mine in a blender at this point but you don't necessarily have to. Then, return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.

 

You know how Rachael Ray always describes nutmeg as that thing that makes people just go "Mmmmm, what is that?" Well, I served this to my in-laws and they loved it and were trying to guess what "that thing" is and in the end, my mother-in-law figured it out! This one will please even the pickiest of eaters, so try it out! And bonus - it tastes just like the one from Panera (and it's made without the heavy cream!)

Summer Meal (without the grill) That Tastes Better than McDonald's

I'm obsesssssssssssssed! OK, so I'm kinda totally obsessed with cooking. I've been thinking a lot about what else I can do it because it makes me happy and relaxed, and I love to eat. I just have the urge to try something out but I'm so scared of it, I don't know why. And I'm the one who always says, if it scares you, then you should probably do it, because that's what makes you feel alive! And I really have to do it now because I've got time off now. Soooooo...I'm anxious to try new culinary adventures. I want to put a collection of recipes together, I want to try making some more of my Mom's food, and I'm really trying to work up my courage to trying out working in a kitchen at a restaurant.

So there, now that I've said it, maybe it will give me some more courage to go for it and do it!

I made these cheeseburgers (my first time making my own burgers!) and they came out so freaking juicy and delicious. I looked up what makes McDonald's burgers taste so good and besides using weird MSG chemical flavorings and stuff, it seems they season the meat with a lot of onion powder. My research prevailed because my cheeseburgers tasted even better than McDonald's and I know exactly what went in them because I made them myself! The other best part was that I made them indoors, because we live in an apartment and don't have a grill (or indoor grill pan), so I just made them on a pan. Perfect and easy!

For 2 Burgers I used:

About half a pound of ground beef (I would've used turkey if I had it!)

Salt & Pepper

A pinch of paprika and oregano and lots of onion powder

I brushed a bit of oil on the pan and put it on medium, I formed the beef into 2 burger patties, flattened them out (they puffed up a bit though during cooking!). I placed them on the pan and set the timer for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, I put the slice of cheddar cheese on top (thank you Lidl Croatia, for now having cheddar cheese in your store!), and set the timer for 2 more minutes and put the lid on top of the pan. The burgers were perfectly cooked and juicy, and the cheese melted so nicely!

I got some buns from the bakery and since I know my hubby loves extra cheesiness, I spread the bottom bun with some spreadable cheese (triangle - like Laughing Cow type), put onions, a slice of tomato, and pickles on top and a little ketchup on the top bun. It was so delicious, I'm ready for more burgers. There's nothing more "American Summer" than burgers and as much as I like cevapi, I do love my burgers. (Also, just realized this might be my least-vegetarian recipe ever. For a veg burger I love, try this one!)

I served it with some crispy, crunchy, sweet and tangy coleslaw. Super super easy, I didn't even grate this cabbage myself! I just got already grated purple and green cabbage (in bags) from the supermarket. I thought I had carrots at home but we were out so I just used a little more than a pound of shredded cabbage. I dressed it with 2 Tablespoons of Sunflower Oil, 2 Tbs of sugar, and 5 Tbs of red wine vinegar. Mixed up the dressing, poured it over the cabbage and let it sit for at least an hour (in the fridge) for the coleslaw to really meld together and dress all of the cabbage. It's even better the next day so you can make the coleslaw the night before you make your burgers! I served the leftover coleslaw with cheesesteaks we had last night. Yum!