1/2 small onion, in pieces
3 cloves garlic
1 cup mushroom pieces
1/2 cup celery pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
4 tbsp. non-fat dry milk
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper

In a blender, chop peeled and quartered onion and garlic in 1 cup cold water; pulse several times until onion is coarsely chopped. Drain and reserve water.

In a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter, sauté mushrooms, celery and chopped onion.

Put remaining ingredients into blender container (including reserved water), cover and blend until smooth. Add mushrooms and onion, and cover and process for 10 seconds. Pour into saucepan and simmer on medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. For a richer soup, add 1 tablespoon cream.

Add remaining butter just before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh Italian parsley, if desired.

Variations: For mushroom gravy, add an additional 1 small can (drained) sliced mushrooms or 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms and use 4-6 tablespoons flour instead of the 2 called for in recipe. Simmer until thickened and serve over pork chops, steak, or chicken, or mashed potatoes, noodles or rice. When served with meat, a 1/4 cup white wine may be added; cook for 10 minutes after wine is added.