recipe: my cold-killing 6-ingredient broccoli cheddar soup

I was traveling for work last week, and I have been feeling a scratch in my throat since long before then. But when I was at the grocery store on Saturday evening I was feeling positively yucky. Not sick, exactly, but yucky... and in this flu season, I'm not taking any risks.

Time for my cold-killing soup. I've made this soup so many times since Pat and I were both sick one day back in the fall. I add extra garlic when we're feeling extra gross – between that, the onion and the chicken stock, this soup kicks anything gross out of our systems before it takes hold and when we're already sick, clears our sinuses and makes us both feel infinitely better.

My preference is to serve this with warm bread fresh from the bread machine, but it's delicious on its own, too, and great for leftovers for days!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bag of frozen broccoli florets, finely chopped

• 1 whole yellow onion, finely chopped

• 4 cups of chicken stock (I make my own with Penzey's soup base)

• 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk

• 2-3 cloves of minced garlic

• 1 8 oz. bag of shredded sharp cheddar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a stock pot, combine your chicken stock, diced onion, broccoli and minced garlic over medium heat. Usually, I add the chicken stock and turn the stove on, and then chop the broccoli and onion in my food processor and press the garlic (or use jarred garlic) while the stock heats some. This isn't necessary, though.

If you like salt and pepper, feel free to season to taste. I sprinkle some in, but usually negligible amounts. 

2. Allow to simmer for 15 or so minutes, with the lid on. 

3. Lower the heat and then stir in the evaporated milk and about 3/4 of the bag of cheddar. (I save a little for the end, to sprinkle on top of the soup!) 

4. Using a whisk, mix the cheese in until the soup starts to turn a little yellow. 

5. Cook at a lower heat for 15 minutes.

6. Serve with cheddar cheese sprinkled on top.

COST BREAKDOWN

Y'all know this is my favorite section.

• 1 bag of frozen broccoli florets, finely chopped - $2.50

• 1 whole yellow onion, finely chopped - $0.25

• 4 cups of chicken stock (I make my own with Penzey's soup base) - $2.19 for 32 oz.

• 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk - $0.99

• 2-3 cloves of minced garlic - 1 head for $0.59

• 1 8 oz. bag of shredded sharp cheddar - $2.99 (less if you get it on sale at Harris Teeter)

All of the ingredients are $9.51, and this makes about 6 servings. That breaks it down to $1.59 per serving. Sold!

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What are your go to recipes or meals when you're feeling the funk settle in?

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the 11 things in my kitchen I cannot live without

I have been cooking a lot lately.

I mean, a lot.

Patrick got me a bread machine for my birthday, and once we got home on Sunday, it was honestly like a food blogger's kitchen – so. much. cooking. I loved it. On Sunday we made homemade King's Hawaiian rolls for our sandwiches, and on Monday, we made homemade pizza. On Tuesday, skillet fried chicken with roasted bell peppers and rice, and three-cheese focaccia bread. (Which was amazing.) And Thursday was a Tuscan chicken sheet pan dinner courtesy of my girl Ree and the new Pioneer Woman cookbook, with homemade ciabatta bread. Yum.

Because I am spending 2-3 hours in my kitchen every evening, making dinner and cleaning up, I wanted to share the 11 (I tried to do 10 then remembered one I could not leave out!) things that I cannot live without in the kitchen. These 11 things have made my life – as a not super put-together cook – so much easier.

1. Bread maker. I have lusted after my stepdad's bread machine since he got his first one (he killed it a few years ago and I replaced it for a gift) when I was a kid. We made bread a lot in those first few weeks, but it got old fast, because I was a kid, and everything got old. Focaccia would have meant nothing to me back then. But it was the pizza dough that sold me and Patrick on the bread machine, and he got it for me for my birthday so we could make homemade pizza together. And we did. It is totally worth it, y'all.

2. Glass bowls of all sizes. Almost every time I cook I dirty 3-4 glass bowls, from mixing bowl size to tiny bowls I use for spices or olive oil. I love having tons of these mixing bowls around though, and they make cooking and prep work so much easier. Buy more than you need! Trust me – you do not want to wash dishes while cooking.

3. Plenty of silicon spatulas. Think of how many you probably need, and double it. Maybe triple it. I use at least one of these, usually two, every time I am in the kitchen. I love them more than real spatulas and, well, any other kitchen utensil out there other than wooden spoons. These are great for sauces, eggs, desserts, everything.

4. Glass and ceramic bakeware. My two glass Pyrex baking pans are my best friends, and I am so thankful for the new Corningware set I got this year, too. I use them for more than just baking – they are great for storing and for prep work, too – this is how I easily, with minimal mess, bread chicken or pork chops to bake in the oven, or season meat before it goes on the skillet or in the oven. And I honestly think they clean up way easier than metal pans!

5. My Keurig. I just scored an amazing deal on a Keurig from Target and I am so glad. I love my Keurig to make coffee of course but it is so handy if you need a cup or two of hot water, fast – for tea, for anything.

6. Glass measuring cups. Again: Buy more than one. I have two in different sizes and use them both. It is so easy to do prep work for recipes when you have more than one, and these are safe to pop in the microwave too to melt butter or chocolate.

7. Cutting and prep boards. This is becoming my mantra: Buy more than you think you need. I have three cutting boards and it is not enough, especially when I am cooking a big meal or prepping a lot of produce or meat.

8. Paring knives. I do not have very nice knives at the moment, but my cheap little paring knives do almost all of the work that a bigger, fancier knife would do. (I do have bigger knives for things that require it, Mom. Don't fret.) I have two on hand and could honestly add a few more just to make my life a little easier, because they are handy for everything.

9. Garlic press. I did not know I needed this until I tried it for the first time. Almost every recipe Pat and I make requires garlic – but we love garlic so much that I would add garlic to every single recipe I make if I could. I was mincing it by hand, but the other day, I got a garlic

10. Sturdy cookie sheets. I just asked for more of these for Christmas, because I cook everything on cookie sheets, honestly. (Baking sheets, whatever they're called.) You want to make sure you have a set that can withstand high heats in the oven (a cheap one of mine got totally warped at 450º last night and scared me to pieces!)

11. Cooling racks. I just invested in a few cooling racks on Black Friday because of our newfound need to break 10 loaves of bread a week. (Thanks, bread machine!) This has made cooking so much easier and is protecting my counters and tabletop, too.

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