Free Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Jennifer Schaertl

taste
    Black pepper, to taste
    Â¼ cup all-purpose flour
    4 cups chicken stock
    4 cups whole milk
    2 pounds broccoli florets, fresh
    1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
    1 pound fontina cheese, shredded
    Â½ pound Brie cheese, rind cut off
    Tabasco sauce, to taste
    Â½ pound Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
    1 In a 12-quart stockpot, heat the butter over medium heat. When the butter has completely melted, add the onion, carrot, and celery, and stir to coat with the butter. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover, and allow the vegetables to sweat for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, and make sure the liquid that has collected in the lid goes back into the pot.
    2 While stirring constantly, add the flour to create a roux. Slowly add the chicken stock while whisking vigorously, or you will have a lumpy soup. Once all of the stock is in, you can whisk in the milk and bring the soup up to a simmer.
    Swap It
    MY FRIEND JAY always wants shredded chicken in this soup. I think it’s better without it, so my recipe does not include it. If you are like Jay, simply add the shredded meat of one rotisserie or roasted chicken at the very end.
    3 Once simmering, add the broccoli and the cheddar, and stir until the cheddar has completely melted. Next, add the fontina and Brie, and stir until they have melted.
    4 Taste the soup at this point and season it to taste with Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Serve warm with a sprinkle of Parmigiano over each bowl.
    Chefology
    CHEESE
    With hundreds of varieties, textures, colors, and flavors, the cooking possibilities with cheese are endless. Cheese compliments wine, vegetables, most proteins, and even the most discriminating child lights up at the notion of cheese. The Crappy Little Kitchen mascot, cheese can sit in your fridge for days, and when the mold forms, you just shave that crap off and eat the rest!

Smokin’ Leftover Turkey Soup
    Yields 1 gallon (12 servings)
    Thanksgiving leftovers never tasted so good (and that’s saying a lot!). If you have leftover stuffing in addition to the turkey, toast it into croutons instead of the sourdough. The family is going to think you’re a genius.
    Â½ cup unsalted butter
    Â½ cup roughly chopped green onion
    Â½ cup small diced carrots
    Â½ cup small dice celery
    Sea salt, to taste
    Black pepper, to taste
    Â¼ cup all-purpose flour
    4 cups chicken stock
    4 cups whole milk
    1 garlic clove, minced
    3 tablespoons melted butter
    1 cup cubed sourdough bread
    1 pound smoked Gouda, shredded
    1 pound smoked cheddar, shredded
    Â½ pound Brie, rind cut off
    4 cups shredded roasted turkey, white and dark meat
    Â¼ cup chopped chives
    1 Preheat oven to 400°. In a 12-quart stockpot, heat the ½ cup of butter over medium heat. When the butter has completely melted, add the onion, carrot, and celery and stir to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sweat the vegetables gently for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
    2 While stirring constantly, add the flour to create a roux. Cook the roux for 5 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock while whisking vigorously, or you will have a lumpy soup. Once all of the stock is in, you can whisk in the milk and bring the soup up to a simmer.
    3 Stir together the minced garlic and 3 tablespoons melted butter in a large mixing bowl. Toss the cubes of bread with garlic butter and put them on a baking sheet to toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
    4 Once the soup is simmering, add the Gouda, cheddar, and Brie, and stir until the cheese has completely melted, then incorporate the shredded turkey.
    5 Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm with a few croutons in the center of each bowl and garnish with chopped chives.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Soup
    Yields 2½ quarts (8 servings)
    This is my whimsical version of a grilled cheese sandwich with sliced tomato. It also contains my favorite elements of Welsh rarebit: a great English appetizer comprised of melted