hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. i celebrated the holiday by preparing golden mushroom soup for my family and even my dad (a mushroom naysayer) enjoyed it. the power of soup prevails!

this saturday i will be going back to the basics: a good old fashioned vegetable soup. have no fear-the soup and accompanying bread will be vegan. i'm really looking forward to eating this one, so if you don't end up ordering any this saturday, that's okay-the more for me!

and a head's up: the next installment of soup's on (benefit for god's kitchen of grand rapids) will be held on january 29, 2007 at the BOB. if i remember correctly it was at last year's soup's on in which our friend kevin timmer bid on and won a soup bowl decorated by none other than jennifer granholm.

some food for thought.

if you don't like squash or kale, you won't enjoy this saturday's soup. also, any soup that utilizes a member of the squash family, is a whole other ballgame. so if you ordered this saturday's soup, and you don't end up liking it, i promise that the next time i make soup we'll get back to the basics. i just finished making the acorn squash and kale soup, and i have to admit that it doesn't compare to last week's golden mushroom soup. but what can? all apologies if this soup didn't meet your expectations.

there will be no soup next saturday because of the thanksgiving holiday. i need to go home and see the family. catch up on sleep. and organize my thoughts. hope everyone has a good thanksgiving.

last saturday's golden mushroom soup was a success. with all the soup requests received, i was lucky to sneak away with a bowl of my own. golden mushroom soup is my new favorite. in fact, i plan on making a big pot for my family on thanksgiving this year.

due to an incredibly busy week at school, i have yet to post photos of last saturday's soup. however, they are on their way. don't despair. in the meantime, enjoy these absolutely adorable photos of justin's son, thaden eating golden mushroom soup. these photos brightened a particularly rough tuesday.

thaden, you've got good taste! i have that same star wars plate at home.

and in case you're wondering, get ready for the acorn squash and kale soup this saturday. last saturday adam gave me a generous bag of kale that he and matt picked and i am excited that i found a recipe that incorporates both the kale AND the acorn squash my mother harvested from her garden this fall. by the way, this week's soup and bread will be vegan.

find out what autumn tastes like. as always email your orders to me.

i would recommend listening to the soup song as you read this entry.

the word soup comes from the teutonic word for suppa which refers to a medieval dish consisting of a thick stew poured over hardened peices of bread called sop. this concept of using sop is still implemented today. think french onion soup. The word restaurant was first used in France in the 16th century, to describe a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors called restaurer.

ronald reagan's favorite soup was hamburger soup.
william shatner's is carrot vichyssois.
and barbara walters likes roasted eggplant soup.

in case you were curious.

meanwhile, the soup orders are pouring in for this saturday.
and i am busy busy busy.

to those of you who ordered cashew chili last saturday: thankyou. i had a lot of fun on friday night preparing the chili with my friend ben (who happens to be a chili master).

however, the real fun was had on saturday driving around in the x-wing making deliveries.

i should have grabbed my camera before heading out because i would have liked to have recorded some people's reactions. if you were not among those who ordered the chili last saturday, picture a timid, unwashed, sleep deprived little lady stepping out of an x-wing and tiptoeing a purple lunch bag up to your front door. that was me. my name is sara. glad to meet you.

on top of meeting new people, i had the chance to enter some of your homes. i entered the apartment of a grand valley state university professor only to discover that he had a little hobbit door leading off of his kitchen. he told us it led to the "rebel room" and indeed there was a rebel flag painted on the floor within. i know because i couldn't resist the urge to crawl through such a tiny door. the ceiling was so low that even i had to duck down. this rebel flag had probably been painted on the floor a half a century ago. strange.

anyway, next saturday the soup is golden mushroom. it is vegan as well as the accompanying bread. thank you to those of you who have already emailed me your orders. i look forward to tiptoeing up to your front door this saturday.

cashew chili

have you ever heard of the soup peddler? his name is david ansel and i read his book slow & difficult soups about four months ago. the book is clever. it includes recipes and stories about his customers or "soupies" as he calls them. the soup peddler and his love for his friends in austin, texas is my inspiration for starting saturday soup here in grand rapids, michigan. a city that desparately needs a bowl of hot soup at the moment.

however, i was not immediately inspired to follow the soup peddler's lead. sunday night, i was in my tiny kitchen with someone i love very much. i recommend cooking with people you love because it adds a lot to the recipe. we were preparing chili because i had just visited chicago, where i had consumed the best chili of my entire life and i was hoping to recreate the experience. i tackled the tomatoes, onions, carrots and beans while my friend busied himself with the garlic and olives. throw in some sincere conversation, laughter and other key ingredients and we had ourselves a delicious chili which fed my roommates and i for the better part of the week.

i love cooking. more importantly, i love feeding people. i wish i could cook more. these were my thoughts when i was lying in bed the next morning. and it hit me. i will make soup and bread on friday nights and deliver it to my friends saturday. just in time for lunch. i will take pictures of them eating my soup. i will record their thoughts. i will use my soup to make friends and build bridges. i will cure colds and heal heartbreak with my soup. soup equals love and so on.

so for $4 i will deliver a pint of soup and fresh baked bread to your door on saturday. make it $6 and i will get you a quart. this will cover the ingredients, the packaging, and my travel expenses. i doubt i will make a profit. profit is not motivating me to embark on this project.

people connect over a hot meal. for example, food is the highlight of most family events because food is such a large part of cultural identity. when you think about pierogies you think about poland. when you think about borscht you think about russia or the ukraine. when you think about croissants you think about france. when you think about tamales or mole you think about spain or mexico. onigiri=japan. you get the idea.

as another michigan winter approaches, it seems that soup should be the medium. soup transcends most cultures. every culture i can think of has a popular soup. and now everyone i know has the chance to eat mine.

soup's on.

saturdaysoupGR@gmail.com