february 2012

‘the tAlk’ StArtS NoW

TONY CARR TALKS ABOUT TOUGH STUFF

{page 46}

the BuZZ oN eNerGy

driNkS{page 10}

enJoy a romanTIC marrIed LIfe{page 14}

SWAPPING SOUP,SURVIVING DINNER{page 16}

{page 20}

CAmPQuestions to ask{page 38}Resource guide{page 31}

february 2012

‘the tAlk’

TONY CARR TALKS ABOUT TOUGH STUFF

the BuZZ oN eNerGy

driNkS

enJoy a romanTIC marrIed

SWAPPING

SURVIVING DINNER

CAmPQuestions to ask{page 38}Resource guide{page 31}

16

16 February 2012

If you’ve been trying to cook more

meals at home, you may have

noticed improvements in your

budget, your waistline, and your family

together time. But unless you have a

Cordon Bleu diploma tacked up on the

wall in the family room, you might be

encountering a downside to all this

cooking—boredom with that same-old

rotation of dishes and recipes. Here’s a way

to get variety back into your repertoire,

and have fun with your friends as a bonus.

A soup swap sounds simple, but it makes

people so happy, perhaps because there is

something about the nature of soup-making

that elevates the experience to a higher

level. A salad swap wouldn’t work for

reasons that are both practical and more

intangible. You can’t lose a salad in the back

of the freezer and find it six months later to

enjoy like a belated gift, just received from a

good friend. Here’s how to get started.

A month beforeInvite people. You’ll want to plan in

advance so that there are a few weekends

before the event. Be sure to let everyone

know that they will need to bring six

quarts of frozen, labeled soup.

Set a guest limit. Take a look at the

space where you’ll be hosting the gath-

ering and decide how many people you

can comfortably accommodate

(remember that every swapper will arrive

with a big bag of six frozen soups). Try to

have at least 12 swappers, so there’s

enough variety, but probably no more

than about 25, because of the time

required to complete the swap.

Week beforeSend a reminder. The weekend before the

swap, send out a quick reminder to your

guests and review instructions.

Make, freeze, and label your own soup.

Six quarts is usually at least two batches,

so get out a couple pots and start cooking.

There’s no need to buy expensive

containers; Ziploc bags frozen flat work

great. You can make any type of soup—as

healthy or decadent as you desire. Try an

old favorite or branch out with something

you’ve always wanted to try. And be sure

to make a little bit extra for your family.

At one recent swap in my home, a woman

picked the soup she’d brought, because

she hadn’t made enough to allow for more

than a small taste, and her family

demanded more.

The actual soup preparation can be the

best part of the swap. There’s an

in-the-moment quality surrounding

the time it takes to prepare soup, and

deep comfort in knowing it will be

shared with someone else. With all the

chopping, stock-making and simmering,

it’s a labor-intensive process. But that allows

time to quietly observe what’s happening on

the stove, and to think of someone who

could really use a nice, warm bowl of soup.

This labor, with its attendant memories and

feelings of connectedness, translates into “I

love you” for most of us, even the ones who

can barely rustle up a can of Progresso on a

chilly night.

Night of the swapWrite it down. As guests arrive, write their

name and the name of their soup on a big

piece of paper (I call it the “Wall of

Soup”). Have name badges on hand and

put their name and name of their soup

swappIngsoup,

By Julie Kendrick

resourCesSeattle resident Knox Gardner is credited with launching a National Soup Swap event six years ago. Visit soupswap.com or “Soup Swap” on Facebook.

17

February 2012 17

(this helps to spark conversation among

shy guests).

Feed everyone. Have snacks and drinks

on hand, or offer a big pot of soup to get

everyone in the mood.

Pick a number. Write out numbers on

scrap paper, one for every swapper, and

have them draw numbers at random. Ask

each swapper to write their number on the

Wall of Soup, by their name (this helps to

track them down later if they’ve wandered

into the kitchen for another glass of wine

when it’s their turn to choose).

Telling of the soup. The person who

picked number one tells first, then number

two, and so on. This is a chance to offer a

minute or two of fun facts about the

soup—ingredients, history, health benefits,

or even the sad story of how it would have

turned out better if only there had been

some turmeric in the pantry. The telling of

the soup is always a memorable part of the

evening, because it offers a chance for

friends to share their creativity, their

history, and their

special stories.

Pick soups. Keep it

fair by going in

forward and reverse

order, Fantasy Football

style. Start with the person

who has number one, and when

you get to the end of your swap-

pers, go backward for round two. On

round three, go forward again, until you

reach the end of six rounds, at which

point everyone will have six brand-new

soups to take home. To help keep track of

what’s available, cross soups off the Wall

of Soup once they’ve all been picked.

Spice it upGive back: During one swap, I had a

friend who had just started a course of

chemotherapy treatment, so I offered a

“bring a seventh quart” option when I

sent out the invitations. Thanks to the

generosity of my guests, I was able to

deliver 20 quarts of soup to my ailing

friend and her family. Another “give

back” idea is to have everyone bring

canned goods for the food shelf.

Offer prizes: Have your kids serve as

judges if you want to get them involved.

Awards can be for categories such as

first soup picked, first to run out,

most exotic ingredients, best

recipe name, or best “telling of

the soup.” Give old cookbooks (a

cheap find at garage sales) or

other cooking-related items as

prizes.

Collect recipes: Ask everyone to

email their recipes to you, and create a

virtual cookbook for the group.

Be flexibleI’ve had guests show up one week before

the scheduled event, soup in hand and

ready to swap. Guests who’ve had awful

weeks at work have arrived with six

quarts of Byerly’s finest, or no soup at all,

but eager to observe the fun. One person

who hadn’t quite understood the direc-

tions arrived at a swap with a giant pot

of steaming soup she’d whipped up that

afternoon. Whatever happens, remember

that the purpose of the swap is to share

creativity and nourishing food, and

nothing else matters.

At the swaps I’ve hosted over the years,

we’ve seen dramatic recitations, original

poems, heartfelt reminiscences of the

beloved grandma who passed along the

recipe, and re-enactments of marriage

proposals that were delivered during the

soup course. Friendships have been

formed and a sense of community has

been created. From such a simple

notion—sharing some soup—a truly

great tradition (and a lovely course of

family meals) can be born.

survIvIngdInner

Julie Kendrick begins compiling the “Wall of Soup” at the beginning of the swap.

photo by kathleen stoehr