Day 258.

Even though I tried my hardest not to let it happen, football season has begun. The best thing about football season is the food, buffalo wings in particular. I love buffalo wings. LOVE them. The love affair started when I was pregnant with my second, and realized that all I needed to do was call a number and Dominoes would bring them right to my door. I've made hot and spicy wings this year ---which is kind of a grown-up version of traditional buffalo wings, and I've made buffalo wing dip at least a dozen times.

But sometimes you (me) need something a wee bit different. This soup hits the spot and satisfies any wing cravings. I really enjoyed it.

The Ingredients.

adapted from Recipe Zaar

--2 cups cooked and cubed chicken

--1/2 yellow onion, chopped

--3 stalks celery, chopped

--1/4 cup unsalted butter

--1/4 cup flour (I used rice flour)

--2 cups fat free milk (no higher content than 2%, or it will curdle)

--3/4 cup chicken broth

--4 oz Velveeta

--1/2 cup hot wing sauce

--1/2 tsp celery salt

--1/2 tsp garlic salt

The Directions.

A 4 to 6 quart crockpot will work well for this soup.

Make a roux with the flour and butter. I usually use the stove top, but tried the microwave yesterday---it worked great. In a bowl, melt the butter on high for 45 seconds, then whisk in the flour. Set aside.

Chop up the onion and celery, and dump it into your crockpot. Add the cooked and cubed chicken. Pour in the chicken broth and milk. Add Velveeta. Add the salt (note: this is saltier than I am used to. If you are on a lower sodium diet, omit the salt all together. The cheese and the broth are pretty salty on their own. You can always season to taste after cooking.)

Stir in the flour and butter mixture. Add hot sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. The soup is done when the celery and onion reach desired tenderness and the flavors have melded.

The Verdict.

I really, really liked this. I first made the soup following the directions on Recipe Zaar, and was icked out at how salty it was. After adding a bunch more milk (reflected in my recipe) it was much more pleasing. I also needed to add more of the wing sauce after the milk. Adam and I were both happy with the finished result.

The kids aren't too big on the spice and tang of anything buffalo-flavored, but were overjoyed to have Velveeta in the house.