Blue Cheese Soup & Giveaway Winner
PIN IT!Happy New Year! Can you all believe it’s 2012? So how was your New Years? Do anything crazy? We had a rather low-key NYE, actually! My sister-in-law and brother-in-law were in town so we made a HUGE dinner, drank a few bottles of champagne and watched the ball drop! I know, wild. But after my last few NYE’s, I have to say it was incredible to lay low. And for the first time since I got him, I got to celebrate with my little puppy!
Plus, it’s fun to have someone to help me cook and decorate! Check out our tablescape!
Since I was gone for 10 days, I didn’t have time to buy any fun NYE accessories so we just improvised with what I had. I think it’s cute! Our menu was delicious, pot roast, mashed potatoes, blue cheese soup (recipe below!), pasta salad, fresh bread, cheesecake and two super yummy appetizers, including this goat cheese dill bruschetta!
We have enough leftovers to feed 3 families, so if you are in the DC area, please, COME EAT MY FOOD. Full fat potatoes and marbled pot roast are not exactly the kinds of food I need to be eating to lose these dreaded 20 lbs. But, before we get back into the healthy eating, I have to share this AHHHH-MAZING soup my sister-in-law made. It’s full of heavy cream and blue cheese, but it’s so worth every bite. Plus, today is still a holiday right? I mean, most offices are closed 🙂 Before we get to the soup, though, I must share the WINNER of the Julia Child’s giveaway!
Drum roll please…
The winner is Cat, whose 2012 goal was to “figure out a job I’d love to have!” A great goal Cat, and I have full faith that you will accomplish it! Congrats! If you didn’t win, I’ll have another big one in a few months, so keep your eyes peeled!
Now, SOUP!
Surprisingly, I’d never heard of blue cheese soup so when my sister-in-law suggested we make it, I was intrigued. This is a very popular English soup and is often made with Stilton blue cheese. We couldn’t find that particular type so we just used Gorgonzola. Regardless of what cheese we used, this soup was out of this world. So creamy, so decadent and had just the right amount of tanginess from the Gorgonzola. With how strong of a cheese this is, I was a little worried it was going to be overpowering. Instead, it was perfectly flavored.
The great thing about this soup is that you can use any kind of cheese you want and can serve it with anything you want! We chose to serve it with fresh croutons made from crusty french bread. The pairing of the crispy bread and soft, creamy soup was absoulutely perfect.
If you don’t have french bread, you can use store bought croutons, fresh vegetables or just eat it by itself! Trust me though, you don’t need a lot of this soup to feel satisfied. I had 1/2 cup and was surprisingly full afterwards. Plus, it’s so decadent and flavorful you don’t need a lot.
Since today is still a holiday, go a head and make this soup. Your diet can start tomorrow, trust me, it’s worth it.
BLUE CHEESE SOUP
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yields: 6 – 8 one cup servings
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons of flour
- 3 cups of chicken stock
- 2 cups of heavy cream
- 8 ounces of blue cheese
- salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until brown and soft, about 4 -5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for about one minute. Take off heat. Add chicken stock and return to heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and blue cheese and heat until cheese is melted. Garnish with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour soup into a blender and blend until velvety smooth, about 2 minutes. Serve with croutons and enjoy!
Nutrition facts per 1/2 cup: 260 calories, 15 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber.
Thank you!! And thank you for the encouragement about my New Year's goal :)
I think the craziest thing I did in 2011 was start a food blog! Wild nights editing photos and writing posts. Look out!