Imagine how shocked I was to realize this recipe was low carb! It's only 11 carbs per serving. And lookie! You get to use some of the chicken broth I posted on March 2.

This is one of those recipes where the setup is essential. I bring home a bag of onions and shred them all in the food processor, stuff them in a freezer bag, lay it flat on the "floor" of the feezer, and let it harden. Then I can stack and store, breaking off a hunk when I need some.

I do the same with the carrots, but store the bag in the fridge. That way, I have some for soups or salads as needed.

Oh, and that all purpose flour in the recipe? It's used as a thickener, so I just pull the canister of Wondra flour. It's extra fine flour, made for soups, sauces and gravies. No lumps!

You can also vary out the cheeses. I've been known to raid the cheese drawer for shredded cheddar, slices of colby, and the remainder of a block of pepper jack instead of plain old American. It's all good!

Are those numbers calories/carbs you hand wrote? And why haven't I heard about Wondra? All those lumpy gravies I've had to stir forever! Thanks! -BG

Yep, that's the calories and carbs I handwrote. This particular cookbook was published in the early 1980's, when carbs and calories weren't that important. I have to flip back and forth between the nutritional info and the recipes when using this cookbook, so I got lazy and started writing it down with the recipe.

Wondra can be difficult to find. I can only find it here in Wal-mart grocery departments, and it's not easy even then. That little blue canister is often on the top shelf, and easily missed by anyone under six feet tall. Just wait until you make your first white sauce with this little gem! Oh, the heaven! No lumps, thick, and smooth as silk. Yum!

Sure, there are low-carb thickeners out there, but I'm not that fond of running around to health food shops to pay exhorbitant prices for tiny little jars of something I can barely pronounce. Xanthan Gum? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? (Lena waits for the military folks to smile, then winks.)