Day 23 – Countdown to Christmas Vegetable Cheesy Potato Chowder 2012

I’ve been on this soup kick as of late.  I honestly think it’s because winter is here, the tree is decorated, lights are twinkling and to me.. soup is just comforting.  Seriously I love nothing better than sitting on the couch, snuggled up in my favorite jammies, piggy slippers (yes I have pig slippers), listening to Christmas music with the tree just looking as beautiful as ever while eating a bowl of yummy soup.  With Mr. Fantabulous being sick all week cooking around here for us has been light which is fine by me as even yours truly needs a break.  That being said I decided to make a quick soup that warms the soul and fills you up with creamy dreamy yummy goodness.

I rummaged through my fridge and found some broccoli and cauliflower florets that were just begging to be used.  Seriously, you should have seen ’em, they had signs and everything. Although I’m not quite sure how they wrote “USE US NOW LADY” on their sides since they don’t have hands.  Hmmmm… *wink*

I grabbed them, some cheese and figured I wanted to make the soup thick so even though it was going to have cream in it I wanted some starch.  Taters!  Yes, potatoes!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE potatoes in soup. Yeah I know they’re a carb and bad for me but um… so!  Everything is OK in moderation and provided you adjust your daily intake with your workout schedule.  So shush and go make this 🙂

So I got to chopping, dicing, sauteeing and melting – seriously melted cheese is just one of the greatest pleasures in life!

Once the soup was done, I did what any good wife would do when they beloved husband was sick.  Fed him Nyquil and put him into a deep slumber so I could have some R&R of my own.

Just me, my jammies, Christmas tree lit, piggy slippers on foot and big bowl of soup in hand.

Life is good!

Now.. wanna make life even better???  Serve this in one my Crusty Sourdough Bread Bowls!!!

Day 23 – Countdown to Christmas Vegetable Cheesy Potato Chowder 2012

• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer

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Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped small
• 1 Tbl garlic, minced
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” cubes (you can use 1 bag of fresh {not frozen} home fries or hash browns)
• 3 Tbl flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1–2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups broccoli spears
• 2 cups cauliflower spears
• 3–4 cups of sharp grated cheddar
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot.
2. Add shallots, carrots and sauté over medium heat until tender.
3. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes stirring around.
4. Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender. *Note: If using fresh bagged potatoes do not add them yet. Only add the stock. Bring that to a boil.
5. In a separate, lidded jar mix the milk and flour to make a slurry.
6. Pour all in at once and simmer until slightly thickened ~5-10 minutes.
7. Add in the broccoli and cauliflower spears, (bagged potatoes if using), cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
8. Mix well but gently.
9. Increase heat to medium and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the broccoli and cauliflower spears are cooked through and soft.
10. Add in the cheeses and stir to melt.
11. *Optional – can add crispy bacon if desired.

Notes

Want to make this even more awesome? Serve it one of my Crusty Sourdough Bread Bowls!

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