Homemade Potato Green Vegetable Soup

I am not good at soup. But something has me wanting to make soup. I pulled a homemade honey-wheat-oat bread from the freezer, got my biggest pot and found a recipe for broccoli potato soup from the Internet.

The original recipe calls for two cups chopped onion and two tablespoons margarine... I think I'll use two cloves garlic... a little bit of four-color peppercorns and some garlic powder... Next it says add 4 cubes chicken bouillion and five cups boiling water. Let's see, I have Wegmans vegetable stock. That will do.

Add 2.5 pounds peeled and cut potatoes, cover and boil, then 

reduce heat and cook about 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. I have three or maybe four pounds that are starting to look questionable...

Okay, so I think I salvaged enough taters... Next step: Remove tough outer skin and cook broccoli. It suggests three cups fresh broccoli, but for all the peeling and puréeing, can't I use frozen and save the fresh for something where the crispness would be appreciated? let's see what we've got. I think I'll mix. About a cup frozen, a cup fresh and green beens...

Next you combine the veggies to the soup, purée half in the food processor and return to pot with three cups shredded cheese. Serve when the cheese melts. We'll see what I do to it...

Okay, so note for next time, use blender not food processor as no matter how full I made the food processor it sprayed hot liquid all over the kitchen...

Add a few ounces of monterey jack... or is this mysterious white block cheddar? I want to reduce the cheese since we don't have much... I'll add 2/3 cup half and half to make it creamy. It smells like broccoli soup. It needs more milk and some more thickness.... cornstarch? a little flour? Nope... just leave it alone and keep adding that four pepper blend and garlic pepper for flavor. Stay tuned...

Okay, dinner time is here and Oops! I over-peppered the soup. It's still good, just peppery. 

To compensate I serve with Motts Natural Applesauce No Sugar Added (country berry for the child and granny smith apple for the grown-ups), Vouvray (for the grown-ups) and parmesan goldfish crackers. And the oat-honey-wheat bread.