Ahhhh, yes! Good ol' home made split pea soup, One of my all-time favorite 'comfort foods'. I've tried it in restaurants, soup & salad places, etc, But for some reason, It is just never very good. But I do love the home made! My 'recipe' is very simple, kind of like my mother made it. Just the split peas, the ham bone, some onion, a bit of white pepper, (I don't like 'fly-specks' in light colored foods) And a little carrot, grated on the largest grate of my grater, for some color. Oh, and water or chicken broth, of course. We do like it to be sort of thick. So glad you & your family tried it and liked it, Isn't it fun to try new things? And get a positive reaction from the family? Rusty

Eileen, Fantastic idea for a party!!! You've inspired me to have one of my own. Plus I will actually get to enjoy the party instead of "making sure everyone else is getting what THEY need!".. I'm a big soup maker so it's hard to pare this down. I won't put them in order since it's all a tie but... Pasta E Fagioli Chicken corn chowder split pea w/ ham tortilla soup Maybe we'll all get some good soup recipes we DON'T have out of this thread. Yeah for fall weather!! Have a fantastic party. Question: Do you make any of your soups in advance and in what order, if you did, would you make them? You've got my mind thinking now :)

Oh fer cryin' out loud...You all are invited, and that includes this party and all future soup parties, too! LOL Yep, it's gonna be a fun night. Here are the recipes for those that reqested them. Marilyn's Lasagna Soup 1 pound ground beef (sirloin or chuck) 1 large onion; chopped 5 cloves garlic; minced 4 cups beef broth 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes 15 oz. can diced tomatoes 1 can Campbells tomato soup 1 teaspoon dried basil 4 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/4 cup mafalda pasta (mini lasagna noodles) Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese Brown ground beef in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and continue to cook until onions are tender, stir in garlic and sauté for another minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, soup and basil; bring to a simmer and cook covered for 30 minutes to blend flavors. Meanwhile cook pasta until al dente, drain and toss with olive oil. Add spinach and pasta to the soup and simmer uncovered until spinach wilts, 1 or 2 minutes. Taste soup and season with salt and pepper. To serve, place 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese in the bottom of bowl and ladle hot soup on top to melt cheese. Garnish top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately. Serves 4 generously. Recipe inspired by Lasagna Soup from Cuisine at Home magazine. Marilyn Big EdÂs Cajun Shrimp Soup From allrecipes.com 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/4 cup sliced green onions 1 clove garlic, minced 3 cups tomato\-vegetable juice cocktail 1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice 1/2 cup water 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup uncooked long\-grain white rice 3/4 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined hot pepper sauce to taste Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute green bell pepper, onions, and garlic until tender. Stir in vegetable juice, clam juice, and water. Season with thyme, basil, red pepper, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, and stir in rice. Reduce heat, and cover. Simmer 15 minutes, until rice is tender. Stir in shrimp, and cook 5 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. Remove the bay leaf, and season with hot sauce. Yield: 6 servings Sherried Brie and Mushroom Soup Makes 8 cups 1 pound Brie cheese 2 cups dry sherry 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup minced shallots 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons flour 4 cups low-sodium beef broth 1 3/4 cups half and half 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh chives, for garnish Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Trim the rind from the brie and then roughly tear it into 2-inch pieces. (It is easy to trim if you first place the cheese in the freezer for 30 minutes or until it is sufficiently hard.) Set aside. In a small saucepan, reduce the sherry over medium-high heat to 1 cup. Set aside. in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms, shallots, and lemon juice and cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, add the flour, and stir until the flour is fully incorporated. Return the mixture to heat and add the beef broth and reserved sherry. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the trimmed Brie, stirring until the cheese has melted. Add the half and half and pepper and continue to simmer without boiling for 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. To serve, ladle the soup into separate bowls and garnish each with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chives. Linda

Here are some of the details and my specific questions and concerns. Have at least 6 people participate, what should be the limit if more want in? Everyone will bring a container of soup for everyone attending plus 1 which will be used for everyone to taste. How big should the containers be? Suggestions have been 1 qt or 1 1/2 qt? Family sizes range from 1 -5 people. Some people say bring the soup anyway you want (container wise) others insist the soup is in ziplock freezer bags pre-frozen flat. I like containers better. I will make sure there are a variety of soups and ask those attending to bring the recipe to share. I will provide everthing else needed including desserts, bread, etc. Now some of these events are real swaps where you would say I will trade you my chicken noodle for your potato soup. Others are just like a cookie exchange where you get 1 of each variety. I don't want any hurt feelings from no one wanting to trade for your soup and there being a clear "favorite". I would like everyone to get 1 of each variety BUT being that I have a family of 4 I actually would rather have 2 containers of 3 types of soup than 6 containers each different. It really doesn't matter that much to me either way I just love soup. Hope that all makes sense. If you were attending what would you like for sizes, container types, way to exchange?