The worst of winter is probably over, but March will bring wind and some cold, wet days. On one of those days, you will be glad to have Lucy Garner’s Broccoli Cheese Soup. This is a good soup, easy to make, and keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.
I was happy to receive the recipe because I had made a similar soup some time ago but had used too much salt. I usually go easy on the salt, but that time I didn’t and then lost the recipe so I couldn’t correct my mistake in a second cooking.
Lucy has been a member of First Baptist Church, Rock Hill, in York Baptist Association, for around 60 of her 91 years. The pastor there is Steven Hogg. Now, because of health reasons, she is unable to attend worship service often and had to stop Sunday school several years ago, but she has many warm and loving memories.
She lives alone, but two of her children – Phil Garner and his wife, Cheryl, and Anita and her husband, Kirk Leslie – live nearby. Another son, Foster Garner, and his wife, Sib, live in Myrtle Beach. Lucy has five grandchildren.
She still enjoys cooking and makes “real meals,” especially on weekends – although most days she like sandwiches or frozen dinners. She makes this good Broccoli Cheese Soup often.
Lucy enjoyed gardening before she became somewhat limited in what she can do. She says that she cut her grass until she was 87 and had flowers, which she loved. She also had a small vegetable garden, started by her late husband, Leon Garner. She planted six vegetables each time, and when one was harvested she planted another.
Lucy Garner
Her outdoor work has been replaced by reading. She reads the newspaper each day (and the Courier), gets her books from her local library, and is on her second reading of the Bible.
In making this soup, chop the broccoli, and you can substitute whole milk for the half and half.
The soup recipe was given to Lucy about five years ago, and is one I want you to keep. Have the ingredients on hand, so on that cold, windy day you can make this soup in the morning and have it waiting for you after church for a hot and delicious … Sunday Dinner.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
5 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
6 tablespoons butter
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
6 chicken bouillon cubes
2 bunches (about 1 pound) broccoli florets
6 tablespoons plain flour
2 cups half and half
Bring water and bouillon cubes to boil. Add the onion and the broccoli florets and cook until tender, about 1 hour on low heat.
In a separate pan, make a roux by melting the butter and stirring in the flour. Cook and stir one minute. Add to the broccoli and stir until smooth.
Stir in the cubed cheese until melted. Add the half and half or the milk and stir.
Heat until hot. Makes about 3 quarts.