Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love Panera's broccoli cheese soup! When I saw this recipe I quickly bookmarked it. I had some extra broccoli left over so I thought I would give it a try tonight. The soup was good but it lacked a real intense flavor. I also never got it to really thicken up. I am sure though as I eat the leftovers it will thicken up.
I got the recipe from here

Broccoli cheese soup
INGREDIENTS
4 cups fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of celery soup (I used 1 can of celery and one can of cream of chicken)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used 3 cups of cheese)

DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, cook broccoli in broth until tender, about 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together milk and condensed celery soup. Blend cornstarch with cold water, then stir into soup mixture. Pour into the pot with the broccoli. Cook over medium heat, stirring steadily until thick and bubbly. Stir in cheese, and simmer, stirring until hot. Do not boil.
Serve with french bread or sour dough bread

A new Giada recipe

I saw Giada making this the other day and it looked pretty yummy. I had some extra tortellini so I knew I should make it this week.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini
Olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.
Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Happy Birthday!

I'm still here! We were gone for awhile after Christmas and I haven't cooked anything new or blogworthy until tonight! Chad's birthday was Tuesday but we weren't able to celebrate until tonight! I thought I would try something new that I know he loves! The Cheesesteaks were good but lacking a little flavor! I also made some roasted broccoli for myself. It turned out really good but next time I want to try it with some fresh garlic! I got the Cheesesteak recipe from here.




Philly Cheese steak
3/4 - 1 lb sirloin steak, trimmed of fat
2 6-inch sub rolls, split lengthwise
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, sliced
salt & pepper
2-3 slices provolone cheese
mayonnaise (optional)
Cut the meat into 1-inch wide strips. Put on plate and freeze the meat until the exterior hardens but the interior remains soft, about 25 minutes. Do not freeze more than 30 minutes or meat will become grainy. Slice sirloin as thin as possible using a sharp knife or use food processor fitted with slicing disk.
Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread mayonnaise as desired on split rolls on a baking sheet. Bake 5 to 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and saute until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the shaved meat, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and continue to cook until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Turn the heat to low, shingle the slice of cheese over the meat, and allow to melt, about 1 minute. Fold the melted cheese into the meat. Divide the meat and cheese mixture evenly among the toasted rolls

For the roasted broccoli I just tossed them in some olive oil, salt and pepper!