Sunday at Emily's

Sunday night was delightful! We ate dinner at my Mom's house and enjoyed some delicious Potato Cheese Soup with Parmesan crusted broccoli on the side. The soup is a family favorite at our house, but somehow it always tastes better when my mom makes it. The broccoli was a pleasant surprise, I usually add broccoli to the soup but I liked it much better prepared this way.

Here are the Recipes:

Potato Cheese Soup

6-8 Small Potatoes - peeled and cut to 1 inch cubes
1 small onion - peeled and chopped
1 Quart Water
3-4 chicken boullion cubes
Cracked Black Pepper - to taste
1 cup evaporated Milk
1/3 cup flour
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I prefer medium or sharp)
1/2 cup Sour Cream

In a large pot, add water, potatoes, onion, pepper, and boullion. Bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are soft. In a separate container, mix condensed milk and flour (Hint: NO LUMPS! It will make your soup lumpy later). Add this to the soup, turning the heat down to med-low and allow the soup to thicken a bit. Take the soup off of the heat and add the cheese and sour cream. Stir it in until all of the cheese melts and the sour cream is combined. Serve with hot rolls and enjoy!

Optional: Sometimes I add corn or broccoli to the soup. You could use any vegetable that suits your fancy!

Parmesan Crusted Broccoli

1 bunch of broccoli - cut to bite sized pieces
handful of bread crumbs
handful of Parmesan cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Blanch the broccoli for 1 minute, drain well and spread on a cookie sheet. Toss with a splash of Olive oil, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle additional Parmesan on top if you want. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bake the broccoli at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, the crust should be golden brown.