Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have finally found the perfect homemade broccoli cheese soup recipe.  Yammie over at Yammie's Noshery recently posted a copycat version of Panera's broccoli cheddar soup, and it is amazing.  This is not your typical watery, limp, mass-produced fellowship hall fare.  If you're a broccoli lover (like me), you should try it.  If your husband is sick of cafeteria-style broccoli soup (like mine is), even he might love it (like mine did).  If you hate broccoli, you should 1. try again, because it's awesome, and 2. visit Yammie's blog anyway.  Her posts will make you drool and laugh at the same time (a dangerous combination, I admit).  Not to mention she's a Lutheran, too.

A few notes on making this co-op style:  Make sure you chop and measure your broccoli first, to make sure you have enough.  The co-op broccoli should make about 3/4 recipe.  I made half a recipe, which was about three servings.  Also, you can substitute one part milk plus one part canned evaporated milk for the half-and-half (1 cup milk and 1 cup evaporated milk for a full recipe).  Any leftover evaporated milk can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or two (transfer to a glass or plastic container).