Cream of Carrot Soup

Perfect on a chilly day, like we're having here! If the thought of "liquid carrots" puts you off, let me just say that my brothers expected to hate this, but they actually asked for seconds...and thirds. It's GOOD. Really creamy. Mom got the recipe from my younger sister's "American Girl's Pastimes" Samantha cookbook. You just never know!

(You might want to double, or triple, the recipe. It says it serves 6 as is.)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Carrots
2 cups chicken broth
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup half-and-half

Directions: (I've "updated" these, since I don't think most of my readers need to be told things like "have an adult help you peel the carrots. :)

Peel and rinse the carrots, then cut them into 1/2" slices. Put slices carrots into 2-quart sauce pan. Add chicken broth, and cook over medium heat. When broth begins to boil, turn heat down to medium low. Cover saucepan and cook for 20 minutes, or until carrots are very soft and break apart when pierced with a fork.

Place a colander in a large bowl, and pour contents of sauce pan into colander, catching the broth in the bowl below. Save the broth. Put the drained carrots back in the pan, and mash them until they are very smooth. (A food processor does this job very nicely, too!) Set pan aside.

In a larger saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly. Add the mashed carrots, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir to mix them together. Slowly stir in broth. Turn the heat up to medium high and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the half-and-half. Heat the soup slowly, stirring constantly. Do not let the soup boil. When heated thoroughly, ladle into bowls. Serve with crackers, if desired.

A few Amber pointers: Using a food processor instead of a fork to mash the carrots results in much creamier soup. Also, I don't like the crackers in my soup. We had this for lunch today, and I was so excited when Mom said she was making it. It is fabulous!