Since we didn't include recipes with our Soup Swap soups, we promised to post them here. While Ade's highly coveted Argentine locro recipe will be coming soon, I decided to post my recipe first. My offering for our 2009 DC Soup Swap was Shrimp Bisque.
Originally, my plan was to make a traditional Louisiana Crawfish Bisque complete with stuffed crawfish heads. I was determined to offer something ultra-enticing that not many people on the east coast have tried. Has anyone out there actually found affordable whole crawfish in the DC area?? Well, I tried to find some and lemme tell ya--it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE, at least without planning far in advance. So, shrimp bisque it was!
I borrowed a few secrets from another favorite soup and doctored it up to make this lovely recipe. As we've said before, the crucial part of any good soup is to start with a really good base. You'll want to buy shell-on shrimp so you can use the shells to make a wonderfully rich, flavorful shrimp stock. Please don't let this step deter you from trying the recipe because it only takes about 30 minutes and it's SO worth the effort! If anyone wants to know if you can substitute fish bouillon, the answer is a resounding NO!
What makes a bisque a bisque is the use of the entire crustacean. Bisque comes from the French term "bis cuites" meaning twice cooked. This refers to first making a stock from the crustacean shells and then taking the actual seafood meat, cooking it and finally pureeing it to thicken the soup. How much you puree it is up to you. If you want to leave it with a more rustic texture, serve it in mugs to enjoy with your Sunday crossword. For a more elegant presentation, puree it until its completely blended, then pour it through a sieve. Serve it velvety smooth on your finest china garnished with a single chive.
There's something about soup swap. When I was well into the fourth hour of making my Argentine Locro, checking the brisket and waiting for the meat to fall apart into tender tendrils of goodness, I felt a wave of warmth and pride. Preparing your soup for 'the Swap' is lke getting your child ready for the first day of school. There's a lot of work, nurturing and care leading up to the day you share your little creation and send them off into the world. I had a moment where I became conscious not only of the tradition we're starting but of the other swappers out there in their own kitchens doing the very same thing. It's a nice feeling.
This year we hosted the event at home which gave things a more cozy and intimate atmosphere. We enjoyed opening our door to relatives, old friends, new friends, work friends, and school friends. We had strong repeat performers from last time as well as some fresh new faces bubbling with enthusiasm. Some of our friends from the DC blogosphere were even there including Francoise and Matty. My friend professional photographer Luis was also there armed with his camera and posted great photos and a nice write-up on his site. Cindy also took photos for us, which we've compiled here in the first slideshow...
We did a few things differently this year. We were definitely more organized and because I'm a dork, I designed veggie, fish, and meat stickers to help distinguish soup types. Also, instead of declaring winners, everyone voted (via secret ballot) on two categories (Most Original Soup + Most Creative Packaging). We'd previously had folks pick numbers once which meant they were stuck with their lot for the duration. This time we had six rounds of numbers. That way if you picked last the first round you had a chance of picking a better number for another. I thought this might take too long since we had 17 soups, but it was pretty fast and efficient. Plus it just gave more people the chance to chat, drink and eat!
Yes, eating was a required activity for ALL guests because as usual we went overboard and leftovers are BAD for New Year resolutions! This year we had hot soup on tap and made our Argentine empanadas; a variety of our quesadillas and muffuletta sandwiches; mini cheesecakes; chocolate croissant bread pudding, antipasto, and much more.
As for the soups themselves, I couldn't help but notice beef was big this year with at least 5 entries using it as a main ingredient. Nothing like cold weather to get the carnivores salivating. Still, soup swap is really about having something for everyone and we did have a great selection. Here's the 2009 lineup followed by this year's winners:
The Soups
1. Fiery Chili Colorado 2. Minestrone with Beef 3. Celeriac-Apple Soup with Bacon & Chive Oil 4. Venezuelan Beef Soup 5. Spicy Tortilla with Smoked Pork + Baby Tamal (accompaniment: fried tortilla strips) 6. Beef Stew with Porcini Mushrooms 7. Indian Spiced Split Pea Soup 8. Lentil + Sausage (3 quarts) 9. West African Peanut Soup (3 quarts) 10. Pig in the Apple Tree Stew 11. Chicken + Wild Rice Soup 12. Lamb with Beans, Barley, Carrots & Kale 13. Thai Butternut Squash (3 quarts) 14. Spicy Sausage + Potato (3 quarts) 15. Organic Cilantro-Potato Garbanzo Bean Goodness 16. Shrimp Bisque 17. Argentine Locro Stew
Most coveted soup: Pete's "Spicy Tortilla with Smoked Pork + Baby Tamal (accompaniment: fried tortilla strips). During his "tell" he informed the crowd that he'd smoked the pork at 10pm and then let it finish overnight in the oven at 200 degrees. Who can resist this man!
Most original soup: Julie's "Pig in the Apple Tree Stew." She said she was inspired by the signs of the Goddess, the pig and the apple. Who knew!? (Runner-up: Danni's "Celeriac-Apple Soup with Bacon + Chive Oil")
Most creatively packaged soup: Michelle's "Chicken + Wild Rice Soup" for using prescription bottles to label her soup containers. "Take at first sign of cold or flu. May cause happiness. Active ingredient: Love." Walking up to claim her prize, Michelle exclaimed, "Thank you pharmaceutical companies!" (Runner-up: AGAIN, Danni's "Celeriac-Apple Soup with Bacon + Chive Oil" )
Last but not least soup: Luis' "Venezuelan Beef Soup." We think this is a tad unfair, because his soup was in the freezer trying to freeze when folks were strategizing their soup picks. In any case, Margaret and I are delighted to have some waiting for us to consume one snowy night!
I really wish we'd had an extra set of the squishy bowls. Those things are cool! But, instead we'll settle for our freezer packed with a variety of great soup!, I assure you this is in no way the result of my own soup selection skills. Whenever I'd walk up to pick Margaret would hiss, "WAIT! No, No, NO, not that one we already HAVE that one, get a different one! Get THIS one!" What would I do without her?
Once the final quart was plucked from the table the crowd erupted with a roar of applause and triumph. Success! Together we brought in 90 quarts of soup and every one of them went to a good home! We also managed to collect 35 canned goods which will be donated to Martha's Table. Martha’s Table helps DC's at-risk children, youth, and families improve their lives by providing educational programs, food, clothing, and enrichment opportunities.
We want to thank Heather and Joe for bringing extra tables, buckets of beer, donating a prize, and helping emcee; Cindy and Laris for bringing tons of veggie and pork spring rolls and helping with furniture rearrangement; Tatu for making her legendary steaming hot chai and doughnuts; but most of all we have to thank the great and enthusiastic group that made it out on a cold Sunday for our little "souperbowl" of sorts. We couldn't do it without you!
As things were wrapping up we overheard a few couples already making mental notes for next year. They picked up on the fact that if they were to each make six quarts of soup that means they'd get 12 glorious quarts to take home (that's our little trick). I know I already have a good idea for my 2010 packaging and accompaniment, now I just have to pick the perfect soup!
In case you haven't heard, National Soup Swap day is upon us once again!!! Our friend Knox Gardner's been one busy guy not only with his own soup swap in Seattle but with revamping the official Soup Swap site and keeping up with all the national news.
Soup swappers are pretty laid back about things, so if you don't have enough time to get your friends and acquaintances together this weekend, you can always plan one when it's convenient for you. After sitting out last year, our friend Heather kindly nudged us over the holidays to get it together for our second DC swap. We're glad she did and now we're having ours at home this Sunday. I prefer Sunday afternoons/evenings since it gives people the whole weekend to make sure their soup is good, ready and frozen. Then we can all kick off the following work week with a packed freezer!
Speaking of frozen, if you're a first-time soup swapper looking for tips on how to cool, freeze, and store soup, click here.
Now that we only have about 4 days until our swap, we've been picking up a little buzz here and there from our guests. With categories like Most Coveted Soup, Most Unique Soup, Most Creatively Packaged Soup, and Last But Not Least Soup, we can't help but get excited and curious about what concoctions might walk through our door on Sunday.
Like last time, we'll have a full report on who made what next week! So stay tuned! In the meantime, happy soup swapping!
Here in America New Year's traditions often entail black-eyed peas, cabbage for good luck, something a bit healthier to kick off a resolution, or even a full-on detox.
In France, however, the New Year is often associated with oysters. France, after all, is Europe's #1 producer of oysters and the holiday season is the peak of oyster season. This New Year's association was news to me, but my friend Cindy asked me if I'd heard of oyster stew for the holiday and so I went rummaging around to dig for some inspiration. I can certainly see its appeal especially on a day when there's no shortage of celebratory spirits like champagne or stout.
So this New Year's Eve our stove's burners were simmering with chicken and sausage gumbo and this here oyster stew.
1 garlic clove, minced 2/3 c table cream, light cream, or whole milk 24 oysters, canned or shucked with 1/4 c oyster liquid reserved 2 tsp salt
4-6 twists of cracked black pepper 1-2 pinches red pepper flakes 1/4 c green onions, chopped
1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir continuously for about 3 minutes until you have a blond roux. Add salt and black pepper.
2. Throw in the yellow onion and garlic and saute about 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved oyster liquid, table cream, and bring to a boil and then simmer. Keep stirring so as not to burn the cream.
3. Add the oysters and keep stirring until the edges of the oysters curl about 3-4 minutes. Top with green onion and red pepper flakes. Season to taste and serve!
Here we are, finally, on our last day of the 12 Days of Pomegranate! Soon we'll be back to just soup again here at the GB, but our other recipes will live on at our new sister site. Thanks for humoring us. We hope somewhere in these 12 posts you found something worth trying.
The friendly folks at Pom Wonderful got wind of our little pomegranate celebration and were kind enough to send us a package of their juice along with information on the pomegranate's many health benefits. Thanks Pom Wonderful! While we still debate whether or not straight-up fresh pom juice tastes better than the bottled kind, there's no doubt the bottled stuff saves time and energy for recipes like this one.
This recipe is our most decadent of the 12 days and it was inspired by my first ever bite of a Cakelove masterpiece. We live down the street from Warren Brown's original Cakelove and Love Cafe shops and while our proximity is a detriment to our waistlines our tastebuds do a little dance anytime we stop in. What's more is that in light of the state of the economy, Warren has slashed prices, provides online coupons, and has started offering two-layer (as opposed to 3-layer) cakes, so now our wallets are happy too. Margaret prefers Neil's Hat Trick which features chocolate ganache and vanilla buttercream with fresh raspberries. I, on the other hand, am a fan of the Razz Ma Tazz featuring chocolate ganache and bright pink raspberry buttercream. The first time I tried a slice of this cake and tasted the Italian meringue version of buttercream that Warren uses for all his sweet treats, I couldn't help but wonder if a pomegranate version would work. Well, I took my idea to the mixer and let me assure you it does. The tang of the pomegranate with the richness of chocolate is a marriage made in heaven!
The only thing we noticed was that it didn't end up quite as pink as we'd expected. We kept ours natural, but you can always add red food coloring in Step 8 if you want a more dramatic color. We took the buttercream and used it for layers of something much like an opera cake, but you can use it however you like!
Pomegranate Buttercream
2 (8 oz) bottles of pomegranate juice (we used Pom Wonderful) 5 large eggs 1 1/4 c extra-fine granulated sugar* 1/4 c water 4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and brought to room temperature
* To make granulated sugar extra fine at home simply pulse it in a food processor for about 3-5 minutes.
1. Pour pomegranate juice into saucepan, bring just to a boil and then simmer over low heat to reduce the juice for about 30 minutes until it yields about 1/2 cup pomegranate syrup. Set aside.
2. To make a simple syrup, prep by measuring 1 cup of the sugar with 1/4 cup water in a saucepan and affix a candy thermometer to the edge of the pan. Don't heat yet.
3. Separate egg whites from yolks and reserve yolks for another use. In a mixer, whip egg whites at high speed to stiff peaks, and with mixer running, add 1/4 cup sugar to the whites and continue to whip for another minute, just until whites are glossy.
4. Turn on the saucepan and heat the sugar/water mixture from Step 2 over medium-high until the candy thermometer reaches 245 degrees.
5. With mixer on medium-high speed, slowly pour the simple syrup into the meringue, being careful to avoid the sides of the bowl and the whisk, then keep whipping meringue at medium-high for about 2 minutes.
6. Reduce the mixer to medium speed and continue to whip for an additional 3-4 minutes until the mixture has cooled. (You can put your hand on the bottom of the mixer bowl to determine this).
7. Add butter cubes one tablespoon at a time until all butter is added. Increase the speed to high to fully incorporate the butter into the buttercream.
Note: For the next step, we actually took half the buttercream and set it aside to keep as plain vanilla for the center layer of our cake, but it's up to you whether you want the whole batch to be pomegranate or not.
8. Add the pomegranate syrup to taste, adding a little at a time, mixing and tasting as you go. We ended up using about 6 teaspoons total for our half of the buttercream (so we'd estimate it would be about 12 teaspoons for the full batch). Here's where you'd also add red food coloring if you like. Once you're satisfied with the taste, cover and chill the buttercream in the fridge until ready to use.
On a side note, for those of you wondering how George (the dog) is doing post-surgery. It took about 2 weeks for his wounds to heal. During this time we did everything in our power to ensure his maximum comfort. He didn't waste anytime taking advantage of this situation, meaning he even joined us on the (normally verboten) couch! He's doing fun
When I was growing up in Great Falls, my best friend Kelly McGuinness lived two doors down. I spent many an afternoon at her house. So many, in fact, that I'm sure the neighbors got tired of us cutting through their lawns just to go see if the other could play. After school we'd do homework together and I always preferred going over to her house because her kitchen had cushy chairs that rolled and cabinets filled with good snacks. HOSTESS snacks. I also distinctly recall them keeping Duracell batteries in their refrigerator drawer. This was very MYSTERIOUS to my eight-year-old mind. As we got older time spent together evolved from playing video games like Duck Hunt and Choplifter to talking about boys while she curled her bangs and obsessed over Joey from NKOTB. Year after year, though, one thing stayed the same.
Kelly's family always took time out for charity during the holidays. If they didn't have a Unicef box on their table, they had plans to serve food at a soup kitchen or do something else. Around Christmastime, Kelly or her brother would always ring our doorbell. We'd go to answer it and find one of them standing there (sometimes reluctantly) holding a gift of homemade cranberry bread. Their mother would be waiting in the dark driveway at the helm of their Ford Taurus ready to go on to the next house. I don't know how their family found the time to do everything--our street had a good 20 houses on it--but I still can't help but think of them when I see Christmas bread.
This bread isn't as traditional as cranberry, but it's just as festive with red pomegranate arils and green pistachios. It's perfect for gift giving or enjoying by the fire with friends. Enjoy!
Pomegranate & Pistachio Christmas Bread Makes 1 loaf
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 c milk 1/4 c orange or clementine juice grated zest of 1 orange or 2 clementines 6 T unsalted butter, room temperature 2/3 c sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature 2/3 c pistachios, shelled & roughly chopped 1/3 c pomegranate seeds (aka arils)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8 1/2-inch x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In another bowl combine the milk, juice, and zest. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add sugar and butter and mix on high until well combined, about 3 minutes. Then gradually beat in the eggs.
4. Either with a rubber spatula or with the mixer on low, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk until just incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. Fold in the pomegranate arils and the pistachios.
5. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until golden brown, about 45-50 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, you're done. Let the loaf cool in the pan on a rack for about 5-10 minutes, then remove from the pan and allow it to cool completely on the rack.
A few days ago our fellow soup swapper and blogger friend Knox Gardner shared with us his idea to top cheesecake with pomegranate seeds! We thought this was a great idea... why not stop there? A drizzle of pomegranate sauce instead of the traditional cherry topping would be deliciously decorative too. Thanks for the inspiration, Knox!
Anyone who knows me well can tell you that the mere utterance of a new food idea will send me bolting to the kitchen almost immediately to start tinkering around. The way I see it, my impulsive culinary adventures produce so much more than a sinkful of dirty dishes and a decent night's dinner on the table--they feed my soul and nourish my creative spirit. There's no place that makes me happier than my kitchen.
OK, so there has been one tiny problem we've had to deal with during the 12 Days of Pomegranate: our year-old oven was suddenly out of commission somewhere around Day 5 or 6. This means that many of the pomegranate ideas we've had have gone untested up until now!
I refuse to deal with appliance service clowns...uh, I mean "technicians"... if I can help it, so I decided to do a little research and order the part myself. Happily, this morning a shiny new oven sensor was delivered to my door. So I took out the faulty one, proceeded to give it a few choice words before I popped in the new one. It was surprisingly easy and after all was said in done I was baking again in about an hour! Hallelujah! All is well with the world again.
But we were talking cheesecake, right? Keep in mind that this recipe is for mini cheesecakes made in muffin tins, so if you want to make one big cheesecake, you'll need to adjust both the cooking temperature and the time quite a bit. See the bottom of the recipe for suggested cooking instructions.
Individual Cheesecakes with Pomegranate Sauce Makes 24 mini cheesecakes
Crust: 18 graham crackers, 1 1/2 pkgs (I used chocolate grahams) 10 Tbsp butter, melted 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
Filling: 2 lbs (4-8 oz pkgs) cream cheese 1 cup sugar 5 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup sour cream
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 12-muffin tins with silver liners.
2. Puree graham crackers in food processor until crumbs are fine. Add melted butter and pulse to combine fully with the cracker crumbs.
3. Press 1 heaping tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each lined muffin tin, then use a small juice glass to press the crust firmly to the bottom.
4. Bake the crusts at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes, until slightly crisp to touch. Let cool while making the filling. Reduce oven to 300 degrees and put a small sheet pan of water at bottom of oven to create moisture while baking the cheesecakes. *If making one large cheesecake, see time and temperature notes at the end of the recipe.
5. Using paddle attachment, add cream cheese to mixer and let mix until smooth and no lumps remain. Add sugar and let the mixture blend on high speed until sugar has dissolved into the cream cheese.<
6. With mixer on low speed, add vanilla then the eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl very thoroughly. Fold in the sour cream, then the mixture is ready to go into the tins.
7. Using a quick-release scooper, add enough filling to reach the top of the liner. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes, just until middle is set. A good indicator of doneness is when they don't jiggle in the center when the pan is lightly shaken.
8. Remove tins from oven and let the cheesecakes cool completely on a cooling rack, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
9. The sauce is best when it is a bit warm. Top the cheesecakes with the pomegranate sauce (see recipe below), sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top and either put in fridge to set sauce or serve immediately.
Pomegranate Sauce: Makes about 1 1/2 cups
1 cup pomegranate juice 1/4 cup sugar 1 Tbsp lemon juice 2 Tbsp corn starch slurry (corn starch dissolved in 4 Tbsp water) 1/2 cup pomegranate arils, optional (add after sauce has cooled or sprinkle on top after spooning sauce on cheesecakes)
1. Heat in a small saucepan the pom juice, sugar and lemon juice.
2. Bring to a boil, then add the corn starch slurry and return to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon until thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon.
3. Let sauce cool and add pomegranate arils if you wish.
*To make one 9" cheesecake: Press crust into 9" springform pan and bake for 8 minutes. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 225 degrees and bake an additional 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside with the door oven for about an hour (which will keep the cake from cracking.) Then let the cake cool on the counter for another few hours and refrigerate overnight.
I know it's cold out and everyone is sipping on mulled cider and hot chocolate, but sometimes I crave a fizzy carbonated beverage no matter what the weather. Basically a pomegranate italian soda, this pomegranate fizz is fruity, sweet, and a perfect healthier substitute for the usual cola. And this is another recipe where the bottled pom juice comes in super handy!
Pomegranate Fizz Serves one
Ice 1 cup plain seltzer water 1/4 cup pomegranate juice simple syrup* to taste (I like about 2 Tbsp) a smidge of pomegranate arils (just for fun!)
*To make simple syrup: Combine equal parts sugar and hot water and stir to dissolve. Store in a clean jar or squeeze bottle in the fridge. Keeps indefinitely.
There's nothing like a quick pan jus to raise a simple pan-seared pork chop from ho-hum to highfalutin. And once you learn how to make this quick gravy, you'll likely find yourself making it every single time you cook any type of protein at all. This simple cooking skill will serve you well for a lifetime of dinners--it's something to pull out of your hat when you're cooking for your new honey for the first time or even when you've got the in-laws over for dinner. I can't guarantee that you'll win friends and influence people, but it's very likely!
I grew up eating pork chops and sauteed onions fairly often, and in those days pork chops were cooked to about 180 degrees, a.k.a. seriously well well done, and of course I always insisted on having a side of apple sauce. Can't you hear Peter Brady now?..."pork shopsh and apple shaush." I know all of you who were born between the years of 1960 and 1975 all know what I'm talking about!
Anyway, all of that is just to say that I adore fruit with pork chops or pork loin. Pomegranate juice is pretty tart, so to make this sauce a bit sweeter I added a few dates to the pan and cooked them down until they fell apart and just melded right into the sauce. It ended up being a great solution, taking the sharp edge off and just adding a whisper of natural sweetness. You could certainly experiment with other fruits like apples, pears, or figs.
The basic technique goes like this: Sear the meat in a saute pan until nearly done, then remove meat and let it rest. Add a bit of diced shallot or onion to the pan and saute until translucent, then deglaze the pan with a bit of liquid (usually wine, juice, or stock) scraping the bits or "fond" left on the bottom of the pan from the searing process. Crank up the heat and let the whole thing reduce down by half. Taste and re-season as needed, then swirl in a few pats of butter and fresh herbs to finish the sauce. Spoon over the meat and serve.
Pork Chops with Pomegranate Jus Serves 4
4 bone-in center cut pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick salt and pepper 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 Tbsp shallots, thinly sliced 4 dates, chopped fine 1/4 cup pomegranate juice 1/2 cup chicken or veal stock 2 Tbsp butter 1/4 cup pomegranate arils chopped parsley
1. Heat a saute pan to medium-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper, drizzle oil in hot pan, then sear the chops on first side until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, depending on how well done you like your chops. Transfer the chops to a plate and cover to let rest for at least 5 minutes.
2. If pan is too dry, add a little more oil. Add shallots to pan and cook for about 3 minutes until translucent. Add dates and cook a few minutes more. Add pomegranate juice and stock and let cook down by half.
3. Swirl in butter, taste and re-season as necessary. Add pomegranate arils and chopped parsley. Spoon sauce over pork chops and serve.
Pomegranate Wheat Beer from Saranac hits the spot!
My line of work offers endless temptations in the beer department and I have the opportunity to work with and serve many self-professed beer geeks in the DC area. Now, I'm not sure what they would say about this tasty wheat beer, but I found it to be light and slightly fruity on the nose with a delightfully tart finish. Very refreshing indeed!
Apparently the folks who make Saranac over at Matt Brewing Company up in Utica, NY love it as much as I do since they chose it as one of their seven core beers--especially since they make about a bazillion different beers throughout the year. Pomegranate Wheat is made with Columbus hops, white wheat and 2 row malts and has a mere 4.7% ABV (alcohol by volume), so you can have a few and not expect to act like a complete fool. Unless of course you're just like that naturally, in which case I can't help you.
*Beer Geeks: you may want to stop reading now!
Since I can't leave a good thing alone, I decided to do a little experimenting with my beer, which those of you who aren't beer purists may enjoy. I added a few shots of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice to the beer to make a nice fruity and fermented beverage. The best part was that it turned the beer a pleasant pink color that looked lovely in my glass. The bonus: PINK FOAM!
Serve your fruity brew beverage in a fancy glass with some pomegranate seeds and juice thrown in at your next cocktail party for your friends who like pretty drinkies with a little extra pizazz! Or just grab a six-pack, pop one open, and drink a toast to the beloved pomegranate! Cheers everyone!
When we were newly single, living in small apartments with tiny kitchens, the two of us began taking turns making soup once a week. The only limitation was that it had to be a different soup than the week before.
We knew soup could be delicious, but along the way, we started realizing just how easy, versatile, and economical soup can be for anyone. So here we've decided to talk soup and share some of our recipes, photos, and tips with you.
We hope you enjoy the site as it develops into what we anticipate to be a fun and inspiring resource. In the meantime, send us your comments, feedback, and submissions!
in tomato red!
