Soup is a lot like a family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor. -Marge Kennedy
Hi Friends,
There is a chill in the air, and that means one thing in this house, and that thing is SOUP.
I love making soup. Not just because it is delicious. Not just because I LOVE one-bowl dinners. I love making soup because making soup is like writing a story.
How?
Let’s start cooking!
Ask anyone who knows me: When I make soup, I don’t always follow the recipe. I trust my instincts–and my nose–and I play. That’s how I feel when I am drafting, too. When I write/cook what makes me happy, I am always pleased with the results.
Sometimes, I shop for ingredients. But sometimes, my best soups begin with one ingredient sitting in the fridge that needs to be used NOW. (Hello! Chopped Kitchen! I am waiting for my moment!) Starting with one unusual ingredient sparks my imagination. It’s sort of like a spark of inspiration that happens when I’m in the middle of a draft. I find something unusual or contradictory, and it changes the whole scene.
Soup also requires some attention. It also takes a while to cook. You cannot rush your revision just like you cannot rush soup no matter how much you want to. You also have to taste the soup to get the flavors right. (That isn’t a bug–it’s a feature!) Just like stories, you have to listen to your ingredients. Each batch is unique.
When I make soup, I feel creative. I get a lot of great ideas. A few years ago, while making matzo ball soup, I was so inspired, I actually wrote a story about the power of soup, blended families, and the most important ingredient in both those things, LOVE.
It’s called Brand New Bubbe.
And it is being published in August 2022, by Charlesbridge with illustrations by Ariel Landy! (I am over the moon!)
So here is a warning. Or how about we call it the dinner bell? (And I don’t mean the smoke alarm, although sometimes that goes off, too.)
Do you like soup? If yes, I’m going to be posting recipes.
Do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to share? Send it!
Are you a grandma? Or a future grandma? Or you have a grandma? Or you miss your grandma?
Well, this book is about grandmas, too!
An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup. -H. L. Mencken
Also:
A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting. -Abraham Maslow
What’s YOUR favorite soup? What’s your best tip for making a great soup?
Let’s get ready for the season of soup!