You know you’re getting older when you spend an entire weekend acting out the life of a suburban housewife and you find it to be AWESOME. You see there was a time not too long ago where I would be so pumped each week to spend the weekend getting dressed up to go out and about, stay up late, dance, etc. Now I’m finding that what I really enjoy about the weekend is the time it provides for relaxation as well as actually getting some stuff done, all of it close to home.
On Friday night I attended a soup swap at the home of a neighbor. In preparation, I spent Thursday night making an unreasonable amount of soup:
That’s five quarts, and there had to be at least another quart or two still on the stove at this point. I had both of my largest stockpots going simultaneously to cook it all and it still barely fit!
Each participant in the soup swap brings 5 quarts of frozen soup and puts it on a big table in the middle of a room. We had 25 people (so, 125 quarts of soup!). Then you draw numbers and take turns picking a soup off the table. Whoever’s soup is gone first gets a prize. Also, whoever’s soup is gone last gets a prize.
I chose to make my Easiest Lentil Soup for the swap, because it is one of my favorite things to eat in the world and everyone loves lentil soup, right?
My humble entry (1 of only 5 vegetarian options, only 3 of which were vegan) did not come in last (thank goodness), though it was near the end. People seemed much more interested in the bacon- and cream-filled soups. Oh well. [Oh, and that Carrot Soup with Lemon and Ginger next to mine? Sounds veg-friendly, doesn’t it? But it’s not. It’s made with chicken broth. This was actually the case with like 50% of the soups there. Why do people insist on ruining perfectly good soups with chicken broth? Food for thought: if you used vegetable broth, it would taste pretty much EXACTLY the same AND it could be enjoyed by more people. K end of rant.]
I actually had a wonderful time at the soup swap and it was a great chance to meet some ladies from town. And drink wine. Plus, the lack of veg options worked out to H’s advantage because I ended up using all of my turns to pick out stuff for him!
On Saturday, H was out helping his brother move and so I had some time to do some work around the house. In addition to cleaning and grocery shopping, I also got a new rug for our sitting room and a fun new apparatus for my kitchen:
It makes the whole kitchen feel so much more organized. I’m in love.
Yup, organizing my kitchen is what excites me these days.
We stayed in on Saturday night and enjoyed Netflix and this:
On Sunday morning, I got in a Ragnar training run (in short sleeves!!) before we headed out to have brunch at Walnut Grille with friends who were visiting from out of town.
I got the Mighty Greek omelet (veganized as a tofu scramble with Daiya):
It was tasty but definitely benefited from the liberal addition of hot sauce and ketchup.
After brunch it was time to get ready for the Superbowl! To get in the Seattle spirit, I enjoyed a homemade iced mocha:
To make: nuke 1/2 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened almond-coconut) with 1 tbsp. dark chocolate chips for about 1 minute and stir until chips are melted. Add 8 oz. cold coffee and lots of ice cubes. If you’re feeling feisty (and I usually am), throw some Kahlua in there and go to town.
We went to a party at our neighbors’ house (not the soup swap neighbor) and brought Spinach Artichoke Dip with Garlic Cashew Cream OBVIOUSLY, and Skittles for Marshawn and also guacamole.
This was the best guacamole I’ve ever made. Seriously it was outrageously good. I mean really how can you fail when you’re working with something as gorgeous as this:
You can’t.
Well, maybe you can if you’re this guy:
So, in summation, my suburban weekend consisted of a soup swap, cleaning, grocery shopping, staying in, running, brunch, and a neighborhood Superbowl party (complete with small children). I’m not even mad.
How was your weekend? Any good Superbowl eats?
A.Cook in the Making 
I have had the same problem at soup swaps. One woman looked at me piteously once and said she didn’t have time to make a vegan soup. I still have no idea what that means. The soup I brought to that swap took less than half an hour to make.
That is just crazy–why would it take longer to make a vegan soup than a non-vegan one?! It’s kind of funny but also pretty sad.
I was too confused to explore further. Haha!
I’ve never heard of a soup swap before. That sounds like fun! Although I would like to go to a vegan one so I don’t have the same problem you two had. If I knew any other vegans I would be tempted to throw one myself. Yes, everyone loves lentil soup and by everyone I mean everyone in this house for sure.
I have the same question/rant about the overuse of chicken broth. I don’t understand why it’s used when chicken isn’t even an ingredient in the dish! I had a bad experience at a restaurant because of that.
I also understand about the weekends being different now. I much prefer doing the same you did.
By the way, I live in Denver, No hard feelings though because we could care less about sports. We did check-in on the score and couldn’t help but laugh. We found it funny because everyone thought the Broncos winning was a sure thing. Seattle has always been a dream of mine to visit so I don’t mind supporting them (shhh… don’t tell my husband’s family).
Oh a vegan soup swap would be amazing! I only know a few other vegans and I’m not sure how much interest there would be, but it is something to keep in mind for sure.
Both Denver and Seattle are actually high on my list of U.S. cities that I want to visit! I don’t think anyone saw that game coming. I hope your husband’s family isn’t too bummed. I’ve been there (just 2 years ago) and it’s no fun.
I might pitch the soup swap idea to our vegan community here that puts events together to see what they think. If you ever do come to Denver check out my restaurant recommendations 🙂
Thanks, I definitely will!!
woah that is a lot of soup! please come and organize my kitchen:) I like it organized but i can never find the time to set it right.
i felt really bad for peyton. it was such an amazing game!
The problem is that once I start organizing one part of the house, I suddenly come up with 100 other little “projects” I want to do! There really is never enough time 🙂
I felt bad for Peyton too but was still happy that it turned out the way it did. I can’t even imagine how you must feel!