Soup Swap (exchange) Success!

debrak_2008

11 years ago

Yesterday I hosted my first ever Soup Swap. It was actually an exchange so in the future that is what I will call it. At swaps people trade soups where at exchanges you get one of each soup.

There was a total of five including myself. It stated at 11 am and most left at 1:45 pm. Each person brought 5 quarts of soup, four frozen, one not. We had the non frozen soups for lunch. Then everyone exchanged frozen soup containers and recipes. We had some soup trivia questions for fun. I had a soup ladle for everyone. We had chocolate cream pie for dessert. The whole thing took place at my kitchen island. I was going to suggest we move to the dining room for dessert but forgot. Everyone said they liked being at the island.

The soups were black bean, wedding, lady chicken noodle, potato, and stuffed pepper. I posted the recipes on a separate thread.

I asked for honest opinions from everyone on how it went since none of us had ever been to one before. Here are some notes.

Participents should be limited to 6 as its alot of soup to make. Tasting the soup and talking to the cook, everyone felt encouraged to actually make these soups themselves.

Plan on heating most of the soups on your cooktop. The microwave took too long. Have a few bring pots.

Had crackers and crostini, most went untouched.

Make sure the unfrozen soup to serve is actually unfrozen.

Soup trivia was fun.

We used disposable bowls so with each soup you would get a fresh bowl, everyone liked this so flavors didn't mix.

Use plastic containers not ziplock bags as the bags puncture easily.

We were having so much fun we didn't get alot of photos but here are some.

I plan on doing this again next year. One friend is planning a chili exchange in the fall. I'm thinking of a modified cookie exchange as in frozen ready to bake.

My dessert plans did not turn out. The week had some unexpected things happen and by late friday night I was too exhausted to make a cheesecake that took 3.5 hours. Saturday morning I ran out to get a fresh made chocolate cream pie. Next year I will plan something easier.

Here is a link that might be useful: soup exchange recipes

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Comments (21)

Teresa_MN
11 years ago
Glad to hear it was a success!

On another note - thanks for posting the pictures. I am remodeling my kitchen. I have dark cabinets and intend to keep them and refinish them. I like the combination you have with the counter top and backsplash.

Teresa
compumom
11 years ago
Thank you for sharing all the details of your creative exchange! I think it sounds like a delightful and innovative luncheon idea. It's also a great way to mix friends from different areas of our lives who enjoy cooking & food!
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debrak_2008
Original Author
11 years ago
teresa, come over to the kitchen forum if you haven't already for more inspiration!
Teresa_MN
11 years ago
I dread the day I have to start making choices. I cannot make up my mind about anything. I've shopped around and the more counter top choices I see the more undecided I get. And I've brought samples home and they don't look the same in my lighting as they do in the store lighting.

Maybe I should visit Kitchens - select someone elses kitchen and make it mine!

Teresa
triciae
11 years ago
I think your soup exchange looks wonderful. I'd love to do something similar but the people my age (retired) I know mostly don't cook anymore. Everybody eats out. Their kitchens are fancy and look pristine but you couldn't make a PBJ sandwich if your life depended on it. I'd never get them to make soup. :(

/tricia
SaraKat
11 years ago
Yum!
Teresa_MN
11 years ago
SaraKat - another name I am not familiar with. Welcome - whether you are new or returning to post here. And please go on over to the "Be My Valentine - Newcomers" thread. Tell us a little bit about yourself. It might get buried in a thread of another title.

Welcome!
Teresa
debrak_2008
Original Author
11 years ago
tricia, ask people of all ages to join in the soup exchange. While most were in their 40's we had one 65, retired person. It didn't matter everyone got along and had a good time.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
11 years ago
Wonderful that your Soup Swap was a success.

Thank for the posting of recipes.

Ever since the Seinfeld show, I have become a soup addict, not soup Nazi. :-)

dcarch
debrak_2008
Original Author
11 years ago
Who was the soup nazi? was one of the trvia questions that I think everyone knew.
nancylouise5me
11 years ago
Congratulations on a successful soup exchange. Some good tips too! Welcome to the CF, NancyLouise
sally2_gw
11 years ago
That sounds like great fun. I don't have any friends that cook here, but once we move, I'll be able to round up others that like to cook, and may just use your idea.

I love your counter top.

Sally
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
11 years ago
Posted by debrak_2008 "Who was the soup nazi? was one of the trvia questions that I think everyone knew."

Then give them this one the next Swap:

Whose older brothers had been nicknamed "Hambone" and "Chicken Bone." ?

dcarch
annie1992
11 years ago
debrak, that sounds like a lot of fun. Like others, I have friends who mostly don't cook, only my friends here seem to enjoy cooking. Everyone else likes eating at my house, LOL.

I really like the frozen cookie dough exchange idea, as I often make cookie dough and freeze some to bake later, it's very convenient to have on hand.

I also think a simply dessert would be good, maybe cookies, especially if you have some in the freezer! Or brownies or bars of some type, something that could be eaten out of hand.

Annie
annie1992
11 years ago
debrak, that sounds like a lot of fun. Like others, I have friends who mostly don't cook, only my friends here seem to enjoy cooking. Everyone else likes eating at my house, LOL.

I really like the frozen cookie dough exchange idea, as I often make cookie dough and freeze some to bake later, it's very convenient to have on hand.

I also think a simply dessert would be good, maybe cookies, especially if you have some in the freezer! Or brownies or bars of some type, something that could be eaten out of hand.

Annie
debrak_2008
Original Author
11 years ago
dcarch, do I get the answers?

Annie, maybe you should have cooking classes at your house. I had a hard time finding people. Most people I know said they have never made soup and just use canned. Others were worried their soup wasn't good enough.

Now that I've done this once those who attended can help spread the word.

Glad you like the frozen cookie idea. I like to make chocolate chip dough and freeze it in cookie sized balls. I don't know how many other types of cookies could be frozen like that. So thinking....that each person could bring perhaps a dozen or more "cookies" for each person. Then you would go home with lets say a dozen of 5 different types of unbaked frozen cookies. I love to be able to just pop some from the freezer into the oven when cookies are needed.

Any other thoughts on this idea?
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
11 years ago
"Posted by debrak_2008

dcarch, do I get the answers? ------ "

Yes, but later :-)

May be someone else here can guess.

dcarch
Teresa_MN
11 years ago
Wasn't it Soupy Sales?
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
11 years ago
Very good Teresa!

Soupy Sales, older brothers had nicknamed "Hambone" and "Chicken Bone."

Soupy's nickname was "Soup Bone"

dcarch
Lars
11 years ago
I like the frozen cookie dough idea, but I did participate in a Christmas cookie exchange when my friend Eva was still here - she is now in Oregon. I would need a bigger freezer to store 5 quarts of soup!

I also love your island and wish I could renovate my kitchen also. Kevin wants to also, mostly because we get aggravated by the dishwasher. When it is going through the drying cycle, it is not possible to turn it off, but I want the dishes to dry without heat to save electricity. I also want new countertops and could use new cabinets. I think we should just get a new dishwasher!

One would think that we could have a soup exchange here in L.A. among the CF forum members, but it's a bit difficult to get everyone together, due to the distances here.

Lars
debrak_2008
Original Author
11 years ago
Sally, thank you!

publickman,
We installed our 6 year old DW in the new kitchen. It lasted 2 weeks. In a month or so we are getting a new one. A Bosch which does not have a heater element but dries by condensation or something like that. So you might like that.

Sounds crazy but I don't worry about electricity for drying dishes, but then our island granite is heated. yeah, its set at 82 degrees. We love it.

I've got 8 quarts in the freezer right now!

Those interested in kitchen design, come over to the kitchen forum.

Soup Swap (exchange) Success!

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Teresa_MN

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