Fresh Cream of Asparagus Soup and Homemade Ham Salad Supper.

Light and flavored with cheese this asparagus soup is a favorite of my husband's and so easy to make.

Spring means asparagus soup at our house.  It is easy and delicious.  Today I am specifically planning it for supper because we are expecting a high temperature today of 81 degrees and I don't want to heat up the house cooking and don't want to have the air come on either.  I am rather enjoying not having to pay for either heat or air!

Lovely and delicious asparagus is a member of the lily family.

Ingredients for Fresh Cream of Asparagus Soup:

1-1 1/2 pounds of fresh asparagus
1 quart water or chicken stock (if using water enrich with 6 bouillon cubes)
8 oz. soft cheddar cheese (I like Hoffman's Sharp)
1 C. cream, half and half, or whole milk
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Break the stalks off the ends of the spears by snapping where it wants to naturally break.  Add the tough stalks to the stock or water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to simmer and cover.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes. This is a recipe given to me by my husband's aunt Virginia McCausland over the telephone one day.  She was a wonderful cook who loved sharing recipes.

These are the tough fibrous ends of the stalk that I boil and discard.

Discard the tough ends and strain the liquid adding the bouillon cubes as needed.  Set aside until about 30-40 prior to serving time.

These are cut into bite sized piece ready for the soup kettle.

Cut the fresh rinsed asparagus stalks into bite sized pieces.  Add them to the stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer 5-10 minutes.  Shred the cheese and stir it into the soup stirring to melt.
Add the cream, salt and pepper to taste and stir until well combined.   Serve with crisp saltines.  Yield about 6 one cup servings

Helpful Hint:  Try preheating the oven to 350 degrees and placing a sleeve of your favorite saltines in a cast iron skillet.  Toast the crackers in the hot oven for 10 minutes and serve hot and crisp with the soup.

Ham salad keeps very well in the refrigerator and is also good spread on crackers and loaded into celery sticks.

Brian loves fresh home made ham salad.  I had planned to trim off the ham from the large bone at Easter and make it but just got around to it today.  I had double wrapped the bone and froze it as to keep it nice and fresh.

   thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/11/fresh-ham-salad-made-at-home.html   

This is still just the way I make it and this link will take you to my recipe!