Homemade Broccoli Cheese Soup!

Welcome to my newly redesigned blog, folks! I know I don't have a million readers (or even 50;), but for those who have been following me, I'm sure the drastically different blog design was a bit of a surprise! I hope you like all the new additions and changes, and feel free to give me some suggestions. :) It was nice to finally have some time to sit down and work on it because I've been wanting to do it forever!

Anyway, onto the real point of this post... Planning out meals and cooking on the weekends has become relatively rare for me these days because I'm always traveling to Madison to see L. So, imagine my delight to actually be able to think ahead about what I would cook this weekend since I am actually in Milwaukee with no plans for once. In preparation for the weekend, I searched like a mad woman for recipes on Pinterest, and I was lucky enough to stumble upon a heavenly homemade broccoli cheese soup recipe from Jenn over at Peas and Crayons. While I was a little nervous about making a homemade soup (the last time I made something that involved a roux, I didn't fare too well), I felt really confident because she laid it out perfectly. Since Jenn is creating a cookbook, I can't share the written recipe on my blog, but I strongly encourage you to go here for all the specifics! You won't be sorry. Not to mention, her pictures look far better than mine. I'm not a food photographer in the slightest, unless you consider iPhone photos to be professional photography. ;) As you know, I often make variations to the recipes I find, but I followed this one almost exactly (with the exception of using shredded carrots because I'm not a fan of carrots). It turned out SO well. I still can't believe how awesome it is! :) For reference, if you make this, I personally felt it was a teeny bit garlic-y and/or salty, so I will modify that slightly next time. Jenn even mentioned that depending on the type of stock you use, extra salt may not be necessary, but because I love salt, I thought I'd be okay, ha! Anyway, besides that, I legitimately couldn't be happier with the recipe and have been chowing down on it all day. Check out a few of my photos below. Hope you enjoy it if you make it!

 Look at all those yummy ingredients!

I don't think you can tell, but the broccoli is all tiny and adorable here, so I had to take a pic! ;)

 Veggies

 I don't think I've ever had Gouda, or ever grated my own cheese. That will now change. How yummy!!

 Let's get this process rolling! (Veggies and some stock)

 Meanwhile... In another pan...

Whisk, baby, whisk!! ;) This roux was FAR more successful than my other one!

 Starting to put it all together...

 Starting to look more like soup!

 Add in all the delicious seasonings...

 And the cheese!!!! (Does this look like heaven or what?!?)

 Hey look! It actually melted just fine.

 Just look at that creamy goodness....

Tada!! What good is a great meal without a nice glass of wine? ;)