Wednesday, July 17, 2019

creamy cheddar broccoli soup











My kids love soup.  This soup was a breeze to make and I love that it was full of veggies. 

creamy cheddar broccoli soup (adapted from skinnytaste one & done cookbook)
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup milk
3 big red potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces
4 cups chopped broccoli florets, about 2 heads
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 3/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring until softened 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the flour, salt and pepper to taste and stir until smooth.  Add the chicken broth, milk and potatoes.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the potatoes are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
Stir in the broccoli florets and Parmesan.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the broccoli is tender, about 8 minutes.  Remove from the heat, add the cheddar and stir well until melted.
Using an immersion blender, blend the soup for a few seconds, leaving some chunks.  Ladle 1 generous cup into each of 6 bowls and serve hot.

Saturday, July 13, 2019

the most delicious white bread





















This bread is sooo delicious.  I think it's the best homemade bread ever! My 11-year old wanted to learn how to make bread so we made these loaves as a trial so she can arrange to make the bread for the sacrament at church sometime soon.  It's so light and fluffy! Hall of Fame.

the most delicious white bread  (allrecipes.com)
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (two packages)
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons shortening, softened
1 tablespoon salt
6 1/2 cups bread flour (we used all-purpose flour)

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Stir in shortening, salt and 2 cups of the flour.  Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition.  When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves.  Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans.  Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until double in volume, about 40 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.