Close to Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup

 Ok, first off forgive me....there were no pancakes made today. I know, I know just yesterday I claimed this to be pancake week. Let me explain though....last night Aaron stayed the night with my parents and when he called me before bed so I could pray with him I asked him if him and Mamaws (my mom) wanted to come over in the morning for pancakes and he said YES~ so I woke up this morning at 6, showered and got myself ready and at 7 I set out to make pancakes...but decided I would call my son first to make sure they were coming over. Well..he didn't want to leave Mamaws house and alas I was not making a batch of pancakes just for me! So tomorrow morning I PROMISE~ to make some yummy pancakes. Aaron is home and my hubby is off tomorrow, so we will have a nice family breakfast of delciousness.

   I think you will be very happy with what I do have for you tonight though! DINNER! One of our favorite places to go out to eat is Panera, I love their sandwich and salad combo, but Isaac loves their broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl. So when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it!

    This came from the food network website....

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 7-inch sourdough bread boules (round loaves)
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

 Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth.

 Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.

Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

 Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot andbroccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into the bread bowls and garnish with cheese.

'

This soup was delicious, but it was definitely better because of the bread bowl! A wonderful meal that we all loved. I really enjoy "remaking" dishes that we enjoy from restaurants because normally I can make it cheaper than we can eat out~ which is always a plus!