Broccoli Cheese Soup

Happy 1st day of October!  Autumn is officially here, and I welcome it with open arms!  Time to bust out the afghans, cozy sweatshirts and sweaters, and snuggle with those you love.  And it is also the time to warm your insides with a nice warm bowl of soup.  This broccoli Cheese soup will do just that.  The Tobasco Sauce in the soup is just used for flavor, not for heat.  If you want it spicy, I like serving the bottle on the side so others can add as they like.  This soup screams for crusty bread so don't forget it!

Broccoli Cheese Soup
1/2 stick of butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup flour
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 cup half and half or whole milk
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Tobasco Sauce, a few dashes to taste (I used about 12)

Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat add the onion and carrots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and allow to cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes more.

Slowly stir the half-and-half and chicken stock into the mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time allowing the mixture to thicken before adding more. Once all the liquid is added,
stir in the broccoli and cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Stirring occasionally, allow the soup to simmer until the the cheese has melted completely, about 10 minutes. Add up to an additional 1 cup of water or chicken stock to reach your desired soup thickness.

If you like a thicker soup, remove 1/2 from pot, and puree with an immersion blender.  Once smooth return to pot and stir to combine.

Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese for a garnish. Serve with nice crusty bread to sop up every last bit of the soup!