Cream of Broccoli Soup

Meal preparation in my household is primarily my responsibility and I receive instant feedback on every meal I make. My husband and my little man have a simple rating system: love, dislike or indifferent. When they dislike something, my husband will take his sweet time and the little man is a little more candid: he spits it out. When they are indifferent, both will eat what is on their plate or bowl, but neither will ask for a second helping. But when they love something, both will gobble up second, third, and occasionally fourth servings, ask for "more" (little man) or rave about how good it is (my husband).

Well, they loved this cream of broccoli soup! My husband and my little man each had 3 bowls. I have to admit this is a delicious soup and given the feedback, it has definitely earned a spot in my recipe rotation.

Add a dollop of sour cream, or shredded cheddar cheese, whatever strikes your fancy.

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
8 cups broccoli, cut up into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (I used 1 cup cream and 1 cup whole milk)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large pot.

2. Saute onion and celery until it is tender.

3. Add broccoli, chicken broth and bring to a boil.

4. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Puree the soup with a hand blender. Or puree the soup in batches in a blender. If you use the latter, make sure not to over fill the blender.

6. In a separate saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in flour until it is fully incorporated.

7. Add in 1/3 of the milk and stir until smooth. Pour in the rest of the milk and stir until it is combined and fully thickened.

8. Add the contents from the sauce pan to the pot.

9. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Source: Slightly adapted from Allrecipes