Cream of Broccoli Soup For One

The Llama likes broccoli. No, wait, he LOVES broccoli. He requests it almost every day for lunch. We buy at least two bags of frozen broccoli a week to feed his habit. I don't mind, I love broccoli too. At the bottom of every bag, even if you get just 'florets' there are always a handful of bits that are more stem than floret, and I save those until I have enough to make a small batch of cream of broccoli soup for myself. Yum!

Cream of Broccoli Soup For One

2 C skim milk

1/4 C dry milk powder (optional, but makes for a richer more protein rich soup)

1/2 to 1 tsp vegetable bullion (I love Better than Bullion brand vegetable stock)

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp Mrs Dash onion & herb (optional, if you don't use it increase onion powder to 1/2 tsp)

1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder (I like a lot of garlic, but most people don't)

pinch Thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp flour

4 C frozen broccoli florets, defrosted (approximately)

3 slices American cheese (or the equivalent amount of a mild cheddar, but all I regularly have on hand is American slices. For the love of food, don't use the stuff that comes individually wrapped, if you use American cheese make sure it is the real stuff that isn't 'processed cheese food'.)

take broccoli and cut off the stems as close to the florets as possible, chopping the florets into small bite sized pieces. Set florets aside and microwave the stems, with a touch of water, covered, until soft.

in a blender (or medium pot if you plan on using a stick blender) combine milks, bullion, spices, flour and broccoli stems. Blend until everything is smooth and there are no remaining bits of stem.

In a medium pot bring the soup to a slow simmer, whisking often to prevent the milk from burning to the bottom of the pan as it thickens slightly, let simmer for about a minute or slightly more. (to make sure the flour is cooked and the soup doesn't taste gummy or chalky).

Remove the pan from the heat, add the cheese and whisk until it is all melted and incorporated, add the broccoli florets, pour into a large bowl and Enjoy!

Chocolate syrup

I have a ton of recipes I need to type up but just haven't gotten around to yet. But until then, there is a recipe for an amazing chocolate syrup:

Chocolate Syrup

1/2 C Cocoa Powder
1 C Sugar
1 C Water
1/8 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

Combine cocoa, sugar, salt and water in a saucepan over med heat. stir/whisk until the cocoa powder dissolves.

Bring to a slow simmer and simmer for about 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool a moment before whisking in vanilla.

Pour into a bottle and refrigerate for up to a month. (But it never lasts that long)

for a thicker syrup, simple simmer for longer, it will thicken considerably as it cools.