I love this soup. I like to have the vegetables cut medium it makes is hardier. But if you prefer smooth you can always chop smaller or puree. I also omit the bay leaf because I don't like bay leaf. I also use a ham hock from left over Easter or Christmas dinner.
The combination of cream cheese, cottage cheese and sweetened condensed milk makes for an incredibly rich cheesecake. A homemade graham cracker crust is easy to make (bake it while you make the filling for the cake) and we think it's so much better than store-bought. This recipe is a bit labor-intensive but the cake can be made up to a day ahead, so it's perfect for entertaining. Click here to visit the new home of KitchenDaily!
