It's the Winter of Soup!

I really enjoy cooking and this Fall/Winter has so far been spent trying lots of different soup recipes; I try a new one at least every other week. I've tried chicken and wild rice soup, minestrone, lentil and sausage soup, vegetarian chili, turkey chili, and split pea soup. I also have made my old favorites zuppa toscana and good ol' regular chili.

Some of these soups, like minestrone, are just things I've wanted to try to make. Others, like the chicken and wild rice soup or the lentil and sausage soup, are efforts to re-create something I had elsewhere. The chicken and wild rice soup is based on a recipe I got when I bought some wild rice from a restaurant called the Northern Lights Roadhouse near Beaver Bay, Minnesota in September. The lentil and sausage soup is similar to one I had at a German restaurant in Minneapolis. Each time I prepare those soups, I am reminded of our wonderful trip.

Often the soup recipes make far more than I can eat, so it's a great opportunity to share my blessings with other people. My husband Joe's co-worker Jim, my co-worker Sara, and my friend Fr. Ron have all been recipients of soup care packages. Something about sharing of your food is very powerful. Of course, I am reminded of the Last Supper and of the many other occasions in the Gospels during which Jesus shares a meal. Somehow, there's an intimacy created when sharing a meal -- even if it's just in the form of a take-home container of homemade soup.