jonah's auction and tasty soup

Jonah really loves his new exersaucer. And I love it too because between that, him being able to sit up (with his boppy behind him and a pillow on each side in case he falls) and play by himself a little, and his new chair (that goes up to 40 lbs), I'm getting a little more hands-free time. He has now decided that the only way he'll sleep during the day is if I hold him. Period. He used to take a 28 min nap in the afternoons, but he's over that now. Really, it's okay though. There are much worse things. If I didn't have so much to do, I could sit and rock him for hours. He smells yummy. :)

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I hope you guys are able to keep up with Jonah's EB Auction Fan Page on Facebook. Katie is hosting some fun guessing games and some awesome sneak peeks of many of the auction goodies. She's also putting the sneak peeks on the actual Auction Blog Site, so you can still see them, even if you don't have Facebook.

Believe me, you are not going to want to miss this. I know that sounds very salesmanny of me, but I don't mean it that way. I really do mean there is tons of great stuff that's going to be up for bid, and it's for a good cause. And it's going to be so much fun. And even if you feel like you shouldn't really spend money, there are gas, grocery, and other practical gift cards to places you'd have to spend money anyway. So really, you are paying (less) for stuff you'd have to buy anyway, and your money is going to help cure EB. THAT's what I'm talkin' about.

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Are you ready to love me (and Aunt Kim) forever?

My sister-in-law, Kim, sent me a recipe out of Food Network Magazine. It's called Almost Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup. Panera wouldn't give up their Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Have you tried it? It's soooooooooo tasty!) recipe, but their chefs came up with this concoction that they claim is a very close knockoff. I have to admit - I did a little happy dance when I got in the mail.

I have not tried it yet. I'll leave it to those of you who, say, have kids who take naps. Let me know what you think.

Here's the recipe:

6 Tbsp. 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 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 7-inch sourdough bread boules

4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)

1 large carrot, diced

2 1/2 cups (about 8 oz) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 min. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 min. 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.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the bread boules, using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a one inch border all the way around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.

3. 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 and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

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

Seriously, let me know if you try it. I really want to know if it tastes like Panera's. I crave it. It's a sickness, really.