Soup Exchange: An Exercise in Building Community

Do you remember when I went to a soup exchange last year? I made 5 batches of my favorite tomato soup, which is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food called Classic Tomato Soup and lugged it over to my friend, Kathryn's house. Well the soup exchange was such a hit, it not only has returned, but expanded! I think 21 women exchanged soup this year. 

My friend Kathryn is a positive, energetic and organized woman who loves to cook. She is also a mother of 3 who knows how wonderful it feels to have a stash of dinners in the freezer, particularly during the cold Winter months. I'm sure many a family warded off the polar vortex last year with a big pot of soup. 

I was lucky to be able to attend the party on the night of the exchange this year, because originally I thought that we might still be in Seattle. I RSVP'd for the camaraderie but didn't register a soup in case I was still out of town. The last thing I wanted to do was leave her short one girl. I came the night of the event and marveled at everyone's effort. All of these women came together for fun and fellowship...and left with a freezer full of soup. In case you want to try a soup exchange with your friends, I'll explain how the night worked.

There were 3 groups of 7 women. Kathryn gave each participant 14 empty plastic quart containers.   Each participant was to bring 12 containers of her favorite homemade soup (frozen) in a cooler to Kathryn's house.  Each participant kept 2 of the quarts of her soup at home for her family.  

Each group would do an organized swap. The first 7 women
(Group #1) set out their frozen soup on the table by the sign with the name of their soup (see photo above). Then they would walk around the table and take 2 quarts each of the other flavors and put them into the cooler they brought. When all the soups were claimed, Group #2 set out their soups and the process started again. It sounds complicated, but it was surprisingly easy. Group #3 proceeded the same way.

After the coolers were tucked back into the cars, Kathryn set out 21 individual Mac n Cheese ramekins, 2 large pans of roasted brussel spouts with bacon and 2 cold apple/cranberry Jell-O salads. We knew that she was making dinner, but we still couldn't believe that the rush-rush of our lives was suspended for an evening and that we were all sitting down to a relaxed adult dinner. There were two big tables of women talking and laughing. We didn't all know each other, in fact, I only really knew about 8 of the women. But I learned a few names and really connected with a few more.

Some of the best things in life (friendship, community, family dinners) take effort. And it is the kind of effort that has lasting benefits.  I have seen a few of the women since that night and we've met each other with an honest, "Hi!" We hugged and chatted and are on our way to becoming friends.  We shared a common experience and we spent some real time getting to know each other. Priceless.

Thank you, Kathryn!

Soup Exchange: Homemade Tomato Soup with Croutons

There are a lot of reasons to love a positive, energetic and organized friend who loves to cook. On this particular day, my friend Kathryn's vision led a group of 14 women from our church to hold a "Soup Exchange."  The goal was to have homemade soup in our freezer to help each other have some "dinners up our sleeve" during the cold (and hectic) Winter months.  

Kathryn divided us into two groups of 7 and gave each of us (14) 32 ounce plastic containers.   Each participant was to bring 12 quarts of her favorite homemade soup (frozen) to Kathryn's house for a combination "Girl's Night Out" and "Soup Exchange" last Friday.  We were to keep 2 of the quarts at home for ourselves.

Daunting, right?  Making soup for an army was a big job, but luckily my soup could be made in one giant batch (the recipe x 5).  I relied on my trusty favorite, Classic Tomato Soup from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food and Dan kept walking into the kitchen saying "They are so lucky."  He loves this soup and knew that it would provide my friends with a nice cozy dinner.  

When I was at the grocery store the week of the exchange, I had a lightbulb moment when I saw some big loaves of day old French bread.  Croutons!  I bought and cubed the loaves and then tossed them in batches with a mixture of melted butter, olive oil and dried Herbs de Provence.  I baked them in a single layer on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes in a 300 degree oven until they were dry and crouton-like.  Each set of of my tomato soup came with a bag of fresh croutons.

The night of the exchange, I arrived with my frozen soup in a cooler and set them out on the table above, by the sign marked: Tomato - boy, was Kathryn organized! Then everyone in my group, systematically went around the table and took 2 quarts of each and put them back in our coolers.  I came home with: Asparagus Leek, Butternut Squash, Turkey Chili, Curried Carrot, Chicken Tortilla and Ajiaco (a Cuban soup of chicken and potato).  Neat, eh?

After our coolers were tucked back into our cars, we enjoyed a casual and relaxing dinner and conversation.  There were two big tables of women talking and laughing - you could just sense everyone's blood pressure going down.  

It wasn't easy to make a ton of soup, and it certainly wasn't easy for Kathryn to coordinate us all and then make us dinner!  But that is exactly my point. Some of the best things in life (friendship, community, family dinners) take effort. And it is the kind of effort that has lasting benefits.  I saw a few of the women at church a few days later and we hugged and chatted and are on our way to being friends.  We shared a common experience and we spent some time getting to know each other.

I left the party with far more than soup.  Thank you, Kathryn!

*Footnote:  Remember the message I posted here on Monday? We lost our power! My first thought was: Save the Soup!  Luckily, everything in my freezer in the basement was rock solid when the power came back on.  I lost everything in the upstairs refrigerator, but at least the soup was fine.  Tonight we have Chicken Tortilla! 

Refreshing Summer Soup

Okay, so my mint leaf was disproportionately large in relation to the bowl, but other than that, this Summer Soup is perfect!

I combined a 46 oz bottle of Kern's Apricot Nectar with a 15 oz bottle of Naked Mighty Mango juice in a large glass bowl.  Then I added a bag of frozen sliced peaches, still frozen.  As they thaw, they chill the soup - genius, if I do say so myself.  Add a variety of chopped fruits in very small cubes.  This time I chopped up pieces of frozen mango, fresh watermelon and Fuji apple. 

Allow the soup to meld (and the peaches to defrost) and serve with a leaf of fresh mint.  This is a no-fail recipe.  The cold refreshing liquid dotted with crunchy apple and silky mango will delight any audience.

Really Homemade Tomato Soup

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I was inspired to try this recipe for canned tomatoes when I saw an episode of Laura Calder's "French Food at Home" on the Cooking Channel last year.  So in August, I filled 4 jars with "Sweet 100" cherry tomatoes (from my pot of tomatoes on the patio) and off I went, with hopes of homemade tomato soup in the Winter.

Now fast forward...I opened my first jar yesterday!  To my relief, it gave a satisfying "whoop" when I broke the seal; my first time canning was a success.  The recipe calls for sealing small tomatoes, a piece of onion and a sprig of thyme in the jar.  When I poured the contents into the soup pot, I only had to add a bit of milk and salt, heat and then puree it into soup with an immersion blender. 

It worked like a charm and gave us 2 satisfying bowls of soup for a snowy Tuesday.

Storm Soup

I am making "Storm Soup."

And if a post isn't up tomorrow, we have lost power.  The weatherman says that a doozy of a blizzard is headed my way and while "snow in February" is certainly part of the bargain in my beautiful home state, we are apparently going to get at least 12 inches of snow overnight and everyone is battening down the hatches.

When I was at the grocery store (along with everyone else) stocking up on milk, eggs and bread, I also bought sugar, flour and a new box of baking soda.  A girl's gotta bake, right?  I can think of nothing better in a blizzard than a warm fire and homemade muffins...a chocolate cake...English shortbread.  Being snow-bound means I am guaranteed a little quiet time to peruse my cookbook collection.  All this goes out the window if the power goes out, so cross your fingers for me.

Another part of the fun of anticipating a blizzard is making "Storm Soup."  Any variety will do, but today I am making chicken noodle.  I always have a package of soup mix on hand (my go-to brand is Wyler's Mrs. Grass Chicken Noodle), and today I trying a new mix by Shore Lunch and adding fresh chicken along with carrots, celery and onion.  So far it smells delicious!

What do you do to batten down the hatches?

Easy and Fresh Asparagus Soup

How do I make asparagus soup? I bring together two important factors: easy & delicious. I buy fresh asparagus from the farmer's market (or in this case, I was at the farm!). 

Then wash a bundle of stalks, cut them into 3 inch pieces, cover with water and simmer in a saute pan until tender. Pour off the bright green asparagus water into a measuring cup. Open 2 cans of Campbell's cream of asparagus soup and pour into a sauce pan. Measure asparagus water into one of the empty soup cans and add to soup. Pour in 1/4 cup milk or Fat Free Half & Half to make it creamy. Add cooked aspargus and warm contents over low heat. Enjoy!

Cold Fruit Soup

It has been hot hot hot lately and I wanted to make something cold & light (and easy) to go with grilled chicken. Enter cold fruit soup. 

Cold Fruit Soup

1 qt. watermelon pieces
1 pt. cantaloupe pieces
1 box (33.8 oz) Ceres Apricot juice
1 bottle (15.2 oz) Odwalla Mo'Beta juice
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 bag (16 oz) frozen sliced peaches
1 Granny Smith apple
Fresh mint

Blend watermelon & cantaloupe to liquid in food processor or blender. Transfer melon slush to a large bowl and pour in 1 box of Ceres Apricot juice and 1 bottle of Odwalla Mo'Beta juice. Add 1/4 cup of golden raisins. Add 1/2 a bag of frozen sliced peaches. These transfer a deep chill to the soup, but should be completely defrosted by the time you serve (check with a fork). Ladle soup into each bowl. Chop apple (including skin) into a petite dice and sprinkle 1/4 into the center of each bowl. Top with fresh mint leaves and Enjoy!

Vegetable Soup

All this plus green beans, wax beans, and corn. Yum! It is 39 degrees this morning, with bright blue skies. A perfect day to have a pot of soup on the stove. 

I think I am going to make mini corn muffins (Jiffy, naturally) to go with. This afternoon I am planning to stroll around downtown at Art in the Park.

 What a great weekend for Fall activities. Soon, a trip to the cider mill, but we have to wait a bit. Right now, I think it is more like apple juice. In this life, timing is everything.

Saturday Morning Trip to the Farmer's Market

It is going to be a beautiful weekend...get thee to the Farmers Market! 

Start thinking about a wonderful vegetable soup you can make on Sunday afternoon and then feast on all next week.

I have my big white Chantal stockpot out on my stovetop and I am going to make and serve this soup with crusty french bread on Sunday night. Join me?