Everyone LOVES Soup

It's been entirely too long since my last post but I guess that's how it goes sometimes. I knew I was talking big about starting up this new plan of mine -- especially, when I was involved in a show at the time that had performances on the weekend, bars and other socializing to do at night, and eventually tearing everything down and wrapping things up during the closing weekend. I must admit I was too busy to do much cooking and most of the meals I ate during the run of the show were eaten at late hours of the night and were far from homemade. I fail. However, I did cook once two weeks ago!

We had a cast party and agreed on doing it potluck style. I absolutely love parties. Most of the time I enjoy hosting but when I'm invited over, I try to go all out. I would never attend an event empty-handed. I racked my brain for a bit on what would be the perfect dish to prepare. The plans for the evening involved a bonfire and as the weather seemed to be cooling down more and more each day, I knew what I wanted to bring should be something that could keep our bodies warm, something savory and satisfying, and also be enough to feed a crowd. I found a recipe that hit on all of those qualities -- and hit it hard.

Original Inspiration:

 

Things To Note:

 

- You can't go wrong with soup. It is so comforting. Light, yet filling. I could seriously eat soup every damn day. Everyone loves soup. Even guys who don't normally eat soup will enjoy this dish. It's like hamburger helper in soup form. Tell a guy that and watch his eyes light up. I had dudes skipping the spoons and drinking my soup out of the bowl. Seriously, a BIG hit.

- Notice there is no "Finished Product" photo. The shame. I'm going to do better, fellow bloggers. I promise.

 - I doubled this recipe so I could feed more people. Judging by how quickly this dish disappeared after the hosts announced it was time to dig in to the food, I could have probably tripled it and just barely had any left over. That being said, making soup is hard work! It took me hours of prep time and I felt like I was chopping for days. I even got a blister in-between my thumb and pointer finger from where the knife was resting. Make sure you have the time to spend preparing this meal.

- I served my soup with wheat rolls. That was really good and filled me up just the right amount. Next time I try this dish I'm going to serve it pretty much as is but plan on going crazy with the garnishes! Shredded cheese, chopped up bacon, or even some diced tomatoes would all taste great dished up on top!

Overall Impression:

The perfect dish for a cold evening. It actually snowed the night of our bonfire party and we were lucky to have something tasty to eat and to help warm up our chilled bones after being outside. Make a big batch a enjoy a hearty bowl for lunch for the rest of the week.

Hopefully, now that show is closed and I have some free time before the next rehearsal process begins, I'll be better about blogging. I can make no promises -- but I'll certainly try! Until next time.