Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

I froze some asparagus and never got around to using it. New Years organizing required me to get my freezer in order. So I looked up a recipe for frozen asparagus soup and altered it to use items I had. IT WAS YUMMMMMMMMMY. Ingredients: 2 packages (12 ounces each) frozen cut asparagus 1/2 onion or leek Cook gently on medium/high until limp. Puree and set aside. Add some of the milk below if necessary. 1/4 cup butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 3/4 to 1 teaspoon pepper 1 package of nacho cheese powder OR 1 cup monterey jack cheese Stir together until it creates a paste. 4 cups milk In a large pot start bringing milk to a boil. Add your cheese paste. Whisk well. Add the pureed asparagus. Optional: 4 to 5 drops hot pepper sauce Serve with crumbled bacon and extra cheese. "Bon Appetit!"

3 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 1/4 c. milk 1/2 c. shredded cheese  **You can use 1 can of condensed cheese soup instead (I also added 3 tbsp of onion blossom horseradish dip from Sunset Gourmet) http://sunsetgourmet.ca/products/condiments-sauces-spreads/onion-blossom-horseradish-dip/ 1/2 lb fried ground hamburger 1/2 med. green or red pepper, chopped  1/2 onion sliced thinly  1 pkg. frozen French fried crinkle cut potatoes 1/2 cup shredded cheese For sauce, in a large saucepan melt the butter. Stir in flour and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add half of the shredded cheese, stirring until cheese melts.  In a baking dish sprinkle ground beef, toss peppers and onions as desired on top. Pour sauce over meat. Cover and chill. Throw frozen fries over the meat/cheese mixture and bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until potatoes are tender and mixture ...