Mmmmmm Souuuuup!

It's cold. Brrrrr. I want soup. MMMMMM. I need to shop. I've got lots of food, but not really any soup stuff. I'm gonna be stuck with a can of Chunky, but you lucky readers could make THIS! Cauliflower Soup! It's easy and yummy and perfect for a cold day! It's also great reheated and freezes well. So here goes... try it and then come back and tell me if you like it!

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients
Salt and pepper
A little Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 small heads cauliflower (cut into smallish chunks)
3 ribs celery and leafy tops finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (IMO fresh thyme makes all the difference in this soup!)
2 tablespoons flour
1 quart chicken broth (I prefer the Swanson Low Sodium)
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
I've added hot sauce, bacon, cheese, or ham other times I've made this also, but it's just as good without it.

Ok.. on to the cooking.
Get yourself a big pot. Put in about 2 T. of butter and the EVOO over medium heat. Add your cut up cauliflower. Add onion, thyme, and celery, cook for a few minutes. After 2-3 min, push everything to the side of the pot. In the empty space add the last T. of butter and melt it. When it's melted stir the flour into that butter making a rue (sp?). Then add the chicken broth and half-and-half and simmer until the cauliflower is semi-soft.

This is where I always make a gigantic mess. If you have one of those fancy immersion blenders- you can finally use it now! If, like me, you only blend daquiris and margaritas, go ahead and pull that blender out! I can't blend a whole pot at once so this is where I get out a series of big mixing bowls and blend, dump, blend, dump, till it's all done and I can put it back in the empty pot! I like to blend mine till it's smooth, but it's pretty good chunky too.

I. am. hungry.
I should've had dinner before I blogged this...

Anyway... I can't do a post without a little shameless self promotion... so here goes. I learned how to make frame purses and I whipped up a ton of them over the weekend! I thought it would be a short project, not an all day event. Looked like a fabric tornado came through here by the time I was done. I love how they turned out and I'm thinking of going on a little purse frame shopping spree here soon. Must. Make. More.




I'm not in a bloggy mood, really just wanted to get the recipe up for someone on the Etsy forums and hadn't blogged in a short eternity. Sooo I'm off... and I may be back tomorrow~~~