Most of us have heard of cookie exchange parties. I've always thought they're a great idea but for some reason I've never actually attended one.
But look what I discovered in the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. A soup exchange party! This I would participate in. I'd even organize and host a party like this. Who wouldn't want a freezer stocked with half a dozen hearty soups for quick heat-and-serve dinners during the busy holiday season?
It's pretty simple:
- The hostess mails invitations to her friends and includes labels so each guest can label her soup containers.
- Each guest (and the hostess) makes a large enough batch of her favorite soup that each person attending the party receives at least a four-serving container.
- Each guest brings a cooler filled with frozen containers of her soup and recipe cards to go with them. She also brings one container that isn't frozen for sampling.
- The hostess heats the sampler soups and serves them with warm bread and cherry cheesecake for dessert. OK. The cherry cheesecake wasn't in the article but it should have been. Right?
I think six people would be a nice size for a soup exchange party. But even 2 or 3 friends, or a dozen, would be nice. The hostess should be sure all her guests know how many people are attending so they know how many containers of frozen soup to bring.
I can't think of an easier party to host. The guests bring dinner!
Here's the recipe for the bread the hostess in the article served to her guests. She also gave a package of the basic mix and the recipe to each guest as a parting gift.
CHEDDAR-HERB BREAD MIX
BASIC MIX (place in a clear plastic bag):
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
(Basic mix may be stored in resealable plastic bag or container for up to a month.)
INSTRUCTIONS (to write on attached recipe card):
One package basic mix
1/4 cup butter
4 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8X4X2-inch loaf pan.
Place basic mix in a bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese.
Combine milk and egg in a small bowl. Add to crumb mixture all at once. Stir quickly with a fork to moisten. Spred in prepared pan.
Bake 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaf out onto wire rack; cool completely.
Makes 12 servings.
Article by Mikhael Romain; Photos by Phil Harvey; Produced by Paige Porter
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38 comments:
I LOVE soup Barb, it's one of my favorite things! What fun this would be to do and you gave us a recipe too, thanks so much for sharing it.
I'm keeping this one in mind for a Sunday school fellowship.
Hope everyone around your house is doing ok this week.
This would make an awesome get together for around the holidays. I printed off the bread recipe as it sounds great. Thanks. Think we could share soup recipes around the blogosphere and gather for a "night" of sampling and friendship? Just a thought ;)
Mmmm... A wonderful cozy idea!
My cold is keeping pretty light but it's there. I should make some soup!
God Bless!
A soup party sounds like a wonderful idea!! What a great thing to have stocked in your freezer for cold winter days:)
What a fun idea!
That sounds so inviting..thanks for sharing...I may do this in January with my girlfriends...I'll let you know how it goes....
This sounds like a great idea, especially for after the holidays. I love soup too, and make it year round, but this time of year I make at least one pot (or crockpot!) a week. When we have our Super Bowl party in January, I fix two kinds of soup and appetizers. I think this is a terrific idea!
The bread sounds really good too, but I'll have to look for white cheddar here. Not sure I've seen that. And I'm totally with you - how remiss of them to leave out the cherry cheesecake for dessert. Shame, shame! :)
Hope you have a lovely day!
I really enjoy reading your blog! thank you,
Be Blessed!
Excellent idea, and I think a blog soup party would be great too. I make a wonderful butternut soup. The bread recipe sounds delicious!
I too love soup. But it's sad I wouldn't be able to even make a dinner out of the portions each person would get. :( I have to make a HUGE pot each time and rarely do I get leftovers. Ah well. Neat idea though.
HI, I find your blog captivating! Thank you!! I have been making the freindship cake that you posted a while back. You stated after day 20 when you add the pineapple chunks that it should foam when stirred. Mine does not? Am I in trouble? I first added the peaches with the starter and sugar, stirred for 10 days and then added the pineapples with sugar and nothing happened, the juice got slightly lighter.
I love soup too, and what's a soup party without cherry cheesecake. Really how remiss of them to leave that out! :vD
This is such a great idea:) And I love the host making the bread and giving parting gifts of the mix!
I've had a cookie exchange in the past, but it was a dude. I think this would be a great idea!
Oh my! Our homeschool support group is having a cookie exchange here next week, and it's probably too big a group to make this work, but I'm going to try to organize one for just about half a dozen gals after the holidays while it's still soup weather! We all have very large families so it will be a challenge to make enough for everyone, but I think my little circle is up for it :-) Thanks for sharing the idea!
What a great idea... I love soup! I love to eat it and to make it. Thanks for sharing.
Ooooo, can't you just smell all those soups coming into your house??? The bread recipe looks scrumptious!
It does sound like fun! And what a better idea than taking home thousands of calories of cookies! I made a really good one the other day that I found in the newspaper insert, plus some whole week soda bread - yummy!
WoW! This is perfect for me! I love soup and this whole idea sounds so great to me. I might have to think about this to do after the holidays - wouldn't a gathering in cold January be inviting if SOUP was the inticement? Love it! Thanks for sharing this, Barb!
I read this in BH&G too! My Mom sends me her one yearly free subscribtion. You are right this is a great idea!
And, yup.........I've been googling stuff all day long. =)
I love that idea. With the weather finally getting cooler here, I'm all a soup exchange and what a great way to fellowship with other ladies.
I love it. I love the bread recipe. I'm going to try that very soon.
I can't resist - what a "souper" idea! Seriously, I do love my soup. This sounds like fun and I just might suggest it to a few friends.
I accept!! What a great idea for a party. I love soup but don't have many recipes. Wouldn't it be great to have all those soups prepared ahead?! The bread sounds delicious. Soup and bread (with lots of butter) - Yummy!!
Soup is such a wonderful comfort food!
I love this idea!
:)
That sounds wonderful...and just to think I'm going to a Cookie Exchange this Saturday!
BTW - I sent a lil' somethin' in the mail today. :)
This is a very good idea. We eat a lot of soup in our home. My husband makes homemade split-pea and homemade Broccoli.
BTW-This music reminds me of Josh Groban concert I get to attend in February. : )
HOW fun!!! What a great idea!:)
(btw - I voted for you today :))
A soup exchange...that's something I've never heard of before but what a great idea! I would make my Chicken Rice Soup:-) Glad you added the Cherry Cheese Cake...that's one of my favourites!! hehe
I went to a cookie exchange last year - except I'd burnt all of my cookies that morning (dumb oven!) and had to eke out these teeny little trays of cookies... and then my saran wrap didn't stick. It was awful!
On that note, a soup exchange would be fun. Too bad it's not practical online, eh?
Ahhhh! Yer' killin' me here! I love soup in the winter. I make recipes up most of the time, with whatever I have on hand. Would love to do this.
A soup exchange really is a great idea. And the bread sounds great - I'll definitely be testing out that recipe!
This is a wonderful idea. I've been so busy i haven't had time to crack my BH&G magazine. I'm off to put it next to my bed for tonight!
What a wonderful thing to do this time of year. thanks for the post
A quick message to Shannon:
I answered your question about your friendship cake starter in the comments on the last post you did. Sorry, but I couldn't find any other way to contact you with my answer.
So....how do you feel about moving closer to Arkansas? LOL! Don't you know if we lived close enough we'd be cooking up a storm together?
What a great idea! I have heard of entree' exchanges, too, and one-dish meal exchanges. Hey, whatever works!
Oh that 'Cheddar-Herb Bread' mix! Sounds Yummmmmy.
I have several friends who would LOVE this!
I've done the cookie exchange party before and they are pretty fun. The soup sounds like a great idea - especially during the cold months; although I don't know if I could cook enough soup for 6-8 ladies to take home to feed each of their family of 4...that's a lot of soup making!
I tried to comment yesterday, but blogger was being fickle. I love this idea. I can see a lot of fun coming out of this type of evening!
I also saw this in BH&G and am hosting one next week. However, I am only asking guests to make a 12 cup recipe and divide into 3 (4 c) containers. That way, each person brings 3 containers, and takes 3 new soups home. We are also only sampling 3 pf the soups, Can't wait to see how it works!
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