Broccoli Cheese Soup

I was supposed to make dinner for dinner-club.  But, I ended up not doing so (long story).  So, I had a ton of broccoli and only a few days to use it.  Since it is cold in Chicago I went searching for broccoli soup recipes.  Broccoli cheese soup is not usually a favorite of mine, but I figured I'd give it a try...

1 qt chicken broth (or vegetable)
2 cups milk (I used skim)

2 10 oz bags of frozen broccoli florets (I used fresh broccoli)

1/2 diced white onion

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t kosher salt

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1 cup each of three different cheeses (I used jarlsberg, gruyere, and velveta)

Mince the onion into really small pieces.  The onions are going to soften in the milk and the broth, and need to be quite small so you don't crunch on onion pieces when the soup is complete.

Add the onion to your crockpot, and top with the milk, broth, and spices. Stir in the two frozen bags of broccoli.

Cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. The broth is done when the onion is cooked nicely.

20 minutes or so before serving, shred all the cheese you are going to use, and stir it in. The cheese will be stringy and will stick to the broccoli florets.

Serve with your favorite rolls.

If you want a smoother texture, use a hand held stick blender to blend some of the large broccoli florets.  I don't have one, so didn't use one.

Nancy's Take:  I really liked the flavor - super yummy.  I liked the broccoli a lot.  The only thing I was unsure about was the consistency - very thin.  But, it tasted very rich and good.  The girls enjoyed dipping their bread and chicken in it for flavor.  But, they did not eat big spoonfuls.  The only soup they really dig into is Chicken Noodle - made by my mom.  They (especially Erin) love it!! 

Dave's Take:  I always look forward to a good Broccoli and cheddar soup.  What I didn't know was how much a fan I am of a SMOOTH broccoli and cheddar soup.  The taste of this soup was pretty good and I did ask for and finish seconds, but the cheese seemed to clump up to the pieces of broccoli and the broth was rather thin.  One thing Nancy and I said should be done differently in preparation next time was to blend the final soup in a blender or use one of those hand blenders.  So bottom line, taste good.  Texture, needs improvement.