Broccoli Cheddar Soup

(mine looked kind of like this, but better... hehe)

I know what you're thinking... "Wait, what? Megan's posting something that's not baking/dessert related?" But it's true. Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, I went to Panera with my dad and Jenna, and I wanted to order chicken noodle soup. Well, Jenna got the last of the chicken noodle and they took it off the menu. So I had to pick something else. I decided on broccoli cheddar, and whoa, that stuff was delicious. Kind of a "where has this been all my life?" sort of delicious. So I was very happy to see that the Star Trib had posted a recipe entitled "Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup" a while back. I made it last night, and it was very good. I didn't take pictures, but I'm going to share it with you anyway. I also deviated quite a bit, so I'll mention what I did differently at the end.

Ingredients:
3 cups broccoli florets
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 slices Kraft Sharp Cheddar Singles
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup diced white onion
pinch ground black pepper

How it said to do it:
1. Steam the broccoli on a steam basket in a covered saucepan over boiling water for 6 minutes.
2. Remove the broccoli to a chopping board, cool, then use a large sharp knife to dice the broccoli into pieces that are about the size of peas.
3. Pour the chicken broth into a large saucepan with the half-and-half. Whisk in the flour.
4. Add the broccoli, cheese slices, carrot, onion, and pepper.
5. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the mixture begins to bubble.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and the soup is thick.

How I did it:
I added potatoes (3 smallish Idaho russets) and since I didn't feel like cooking them beforehand, I switched up the order of the rest of the cooking. I peeled and cut up the potatoes into small pieces and put them in a pot with the chicken broth. I boiled it for a few minutes, then added the broccoli, which I had already chopped up. I left it bigger - I figured that pea-sized pieces would just get mushy. I put a cover on the pot and let the broccoli steam for a few minutes, then I added the half-and-half and flour, which I had whisked together separately. Then I added the cheese slices and carrot, and onion powder (just a little bit, obviously not 1/3 cup) instead of onions. Then I reduced the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes more, cause I didn't want the broccoli to be all mushy.

Verdict: yep, it was delicious. Even with the fact that as you can see, I essentially said "pssh, directions, whatever." I think it would be good with diced up cooked chicken thrown in there too. Anyway, I served it with garlic-cheddar biscuits and a baguette (both from the freezer, haha) and it was a hit.