Soup, Wonderful Soup! (Again!)

I just love soup. I might have mentioned that before. I love all kinds, but especially creamy ones. I might have mentioned that before, too. Here is one of my all-time fave recipes, Broccoli Cheese Soup. It is soooo wonderful. Of course, I always use Tillamook Sharp Cheddar. ;)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 pound fresh broccoli, chopped coarsely
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk
8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Melt butter over medium heat in a stockpot. Cook onion in butter until softened. Add garlic and pepper; cook for 1 minute then stir in broccoli, and stir in chicken broth. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile whisk flour into milk until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring frequently until thickened. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese until melted and heated through.

Of course, a meal of this soup, or any soup, wouldn't be complete without some kind of bread product, mainly for dipping. My family loves Light Wheat Rolls. I use the recipe as directed, but shape them into cresents instead of using the muffin cups. I would have to say that this is my favorite roll recipe. I've made this one over and over.

The last time I was making these, I put some butter on the stove to melt (for brushing the tops) and I walked away. Well, I should never do that while melting butter! I forgot all about it, only to return to the stove and see my butter all burnt and brown. I set it aside and started over with new butter. Later though, I remembered seeing recipes for "Burnt Butter Frosting" and the like. I found a recipe for the frosting (cut the recipe in half) and thought it would be delicious on some Blondies, so I made these without the chocolate chips. Together, these two recipes make a delicious, moist, chewy, carmely bar of goodness! They didn't last 24 hours in my house (oops!), and the kids didn't even want any because they had nuts. Too bad for them!