Five For...Surprise Broccoli Cheese Soup

Before I do anything, I want to thank my dear friend Stacy for giving me the courage to face my fear. Yes, I have a few. Not too many, (well, one full-blown phobia...*whispers* spiders...) but other than that, not many and usually not in the kitchen. However, there is one area that I have been avoiding for a while and Stacy's encouragement helped me believe I could face it.

Yes folks, we're talking about soup. Specifically, creamy, cheesy soups. Generally, I like to try new things in the kitchen, but for some reason, creamy soups scared me. I had visions of a horrible split mess and better than face that, I avoided trying to make them altogether. Yes, I know it's irrational. Yes, I should have tried sooner. But I didn't. Until today.

I'd like to report, it was a total success!

I started out with inspiration from a Cream of Broccoli & Cheese soup that she posted on her blog. The *surprise* in the title is meat. In this case- turkey. Let me tell you why I added this. Lately, we are having 'issues' at meal-times with my 3 yr old daughter. It's not the veggies she has a problem with, it's the meat. I have tried various forms, various textures and so far, she has turned her nose up at almost all of them. I'm hoping it's a phase, because she was never a picky eater before (and heaven knows I refuse to make seperate meals for each member of the family). But in any case, I knew in order to get her to eat any meat I'd have to get (even more) creative. That is the reason there is turkey in this soup, and that is the reason it has been shredded in the food processor. (It's HIDDEN....don't tell her.)

Here is the recipe:

• Boil turkey in water for 15-20 minutes until done.
• Shred turkey in food processor (you could dice them or leave them in large chunks).
• Melt butter in oil over medium/low heat (the oil prevents the butter from burning).
• Add chopped onion and broccoli and saute for 10 minutes until the onion is translucent.
• Add garlic and turkey and saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Add water, parsley, stock cube and salt & pepper. Bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer until broccoli is tender.
• Add cream and heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Dissolve cornstarch in cold water and slowly add to soup, stirring constantly. Keep adding until the soup is thickened.
• Stir in cheese until dissolved.
• Enjoy!