So...for something completely different...

How does everyone feel about soup? Like it? Hate it? Eat it out of a can? Only eat it at fancy restaurants with a soup course? Move spoon toward you or move it away from you? Anyone else grow up eating it with a teaspoon rather than a soup spoon or a tablespoon? Tomato soup -- milk or water? Secret desires for Campbell soup with grilled Velveeta sandwiches? Favorite soups? Is chili a soup?

These questions come up also because Saturday I found myself making soup. This is a rare thing. I'm generally not much for soups. Chicken soup/broth when sick. Potato soup once in a while. Cream of mushroom/celery/chicken available for cooking. Tomato with grilled cheese sandwiches maybe once a year. And perhaps 3-4 big honking pots of the "fire&ice" chili each year. (Is chili a soup?)

And once or twice, like yesterday, when the @#$^%@#$^ cold winter crap gets to me, when I make a several-days-worth pot from scratch based on what's on hand.

I had to improvise a lot, though, as the refrigerator was lacking of much in the line of usable vegetables. (Celery, usually an essential for me, always available turned out to be frozen/spoiled in the back of the crisper. !$#@*@#$!! Kale was spoiled, most of carrots were spoiled, though there were perhaps 2-3 rubbery, yet usable in soup, ones. One small head of purple cabbage. One very small white onion, rest all spoiled. Peppers that had gone beyond spoiled to really disgusting. Some frozen chiles in the freezer. Vegetable part of soup going to be real challenge.

Milk. Butter and margarine. Bacon. Two eggs (probably still good, won't know until cracked). Vinegars, Italian and blue cheese dressing, Angostura and Peychaud bitters. Cheddar, blue, and pepper cheese, and perhaps a bit of Asiago that is salvageable. Queen and arquebina olives, various dill pickles and hot peppers.

Cupboard wasn't much better. Three Yukon gold potatoes that may or may not be good. Lots of cans of refried beans and Bush's baked beans. Some green chiles. Lots of stocks. No mushrooms. No canned corn or peas. One can of lime/cilantro diced tomatoes and one can of tex/mex diced tomatoes. Lots more jars of pickles and hot peppers. One can of potatoes. Lots of condiments. Canned tuna. One envelope of salmon. Various kinds of pasta. White rice. Stove top stuffing and Kraft mac/cheese. Ritz crackers. Bread crumbs. One Slim-Jim. Lots and lots of spices.

Rye bread. English muffin bread. Two "bakery" hamburger buns.

Two cans of Guinness that have been here since Rourke, the Kats, and Mr. and Mrs. zombieslayer visited. Half a dozen bottles of white and red wines (Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Shiraz, two kinds of Chianti). Lots of liquor (Cuervo Gold, various single-malt whiskys and Bourbons and two kinds of Rye, various gins, Chartreuse, orange liqueur,Malibu (WTF?), Ten Canes rum, Portugeuse brandy, grappa. One bottle of cranberry/pomegranate juice, one of spicy V8, one of spicy Bloody Mary/Maria mix, teas and coffees.

Lots of meat and fish in the freezer, could go any direction in terms of protein. Chicken, beef, pork (both Iowan and Spanish), lamb, venison roast, various sausages/wursts. One Kobe burger, but no regular hamburger. Breakfast sausage and little smoky links. Cod, salmon, shrimp, fake crab. But what was I to put with that protein?

Going out to the store was not an option. I hate $%^%&@ winter -- the point of improvising is that I refused to go outside. Plus I wanted to laze around like a slug watching two football games, not get dressed in clean clothes so I could go to the grocery store and then give the dog two extra pre- and post- trip walks to poop and pee.

And my head was set on having soup available during the Packer game and for several days afterward when I was unlikely to be motivated to cook anything.

Given the above, and tasked with making soup, what would you make?

Think about your answer to this last question before adding your suggestion to my contribution in the "part II" thread.

(to be continued)

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I like soup. I eat it all the time. Home (canned and homemade), restaurants (plain and fancy) etal.

I can not contribute much to your specific concoction but I typically make homemade beef vegetable soup. I love a little homemade bread with it. My wife is more adept and can make more varieties including a few creamed soups.

I love chili. Is it a soup is a question that has plagued mankind of eons. If it is done properly it is not. Lots of meat, fixens with only some broth loaded with cheese and onions, add a few bits of bread into the mix, then no. If the budget is tight and you have only a little meat (or none) and skimp a little on the beans and then make the broth a little more watery, it is a kind of spicy veggie soup.

My favorite soup is a good cream of mushroom. (not canned Campbell's concentrated) But a few restaurants can do one from scratch with real cream and Shiitake mushrooms that is outstanding. After a spoon full or two I get to wishing that I had order nothing else but a couple of bowls of the soup.

Spoons- I normally only use a teaspoon. I know that even the regular/average family restaurants have soup spoons but I just don't see why they bother. I can get enough into the spoon to satisfy me. The bigger spoon seems to be a waste. dad always hollered at me to bring him a table spoon. I guess he wanted to get his money's worth with eat bite. I don't give a rats ass about moving the spoon away from me and dragging it off the edge of the cup/bowl. If someone feels the need and thinks it makes the food taste any better then they can knock themselves out. I have also been known to pick the bowl up and slurp a bit of the broth without the aid of any spoon whatsoever. I don't do so very often at a restaurant. But in the average family ones I have.

Crackers. I like crackers but I don't like the idea of sticking so many crackers into the soup that you loose all the broth. That is just gross and heathen. I may load up my chili a bit and lose broth but then it is not real soup anyway.

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How do you feel about meat other than beef in your chili? Or chili done the Skyline way?

I agree with you completely about a good mushroom soup (wasn't aware it was Shiitakes that were used, though). I always thought mushroom soup would be like that canned stuff people put into casseroles, or as they called them where I grew up, "hotdishes". And I hate almost every hotdish I've ever tasted.

Slurping rules!! I think it would be cool to be guest of honor to some fancy dinner with the President at the White House or Buckingham Palace with the Queen, and then, right in the middle of everyone properly using their soup spoon, pick up my bowl and slurp the lobster bisque or whatever. [grin1]

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I lived in Cincy for a year when I was in HS but I did not have Skyline. I have had other versions of it elsewhere (Steak and Shake is pretty good) and it is acceptable to pour a decent chili over almost everything.

Other than beef in chili? Yes. I love the white bean and chicken chili that Ruby Tues markets.

Most places do not use Shiitakes in their mushrooms. They use the button ones as they are cheaper and more readily available. But a few times I have had someone make mushroom soup and use the Shiitake. Now that I think of it some one even used 3-4 different 'shrooms that was pretty good too. A little different taste with every bit.

I do like the canned soup casseroles to a point. I don't have them very often (prob not even once a year.) so it is something a little different when I get them. When the kids were young we would put the mushroom or celery concentrated over pork chops once or twice a year. I can't remember the last time we had that. I will have to try it again.

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Meh. Only soup I eat regularly is Campbell's Chunky variety. And most of the time it's their steak chili. I don't like it enough to make it homemade.

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I love my meat, so the more variety, the better. And Skyline chili.. is that the chili over noodles bit Ohio loves? If that's the case, then YES.

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You have do chili with italian suasage sometime. It'll knock the but out of a cat. As for homemade soup, I like a bean soup started with a ham bone, then add your ham pieces, beans, celery, onions. My mom makes something called beef noodle soup, which you start with beef soup bone, tomatoes, noodles, tomato sauce and then various seasoning salts.

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I love me a good thick soup.. creamy soups seem to be favored by my taste buds.

Cream of Morel is probably on the top of the list, too bad it is only enjoyed once a year, maybe twice with a year with a bunch of supper shrooms. Pretty much all mushroom soups. A good thick Split Pea soup with Ham, Carrot and taters.. the thicker the better.

Homemade Chicken Dumpling is right up there.. clear broth with a assortment of veggies, more dark meat than white in large chunks.

Kidney bean Veggie soup is another must a couple times a year.. this actually blended with a mix of Italian and hamburger. Hunting season I make it with a fresh ground venison.

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When I had it (twice) it was over spaghetti. First time, at a Skyline place it was great. Second time, at Riverfront Stadium, not so good.


Iowa chili: Tomato juice (no lie!), hamburger, beans, bit of chili powder, bit of onion. Shredded mild cheese to "cool it off" if it's too spicy. Bleh!!

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mmmmmm...

Not just italian sausage. I've been experimenting with chicken sausage stuffed with a variety of ingredients (garlic & cheese, pepper jack cheese, apple, etc). All of the chilis come out a little bit different tasting, but all good so far. Habanero with Monterey Jack Cheese has been my favorite so far. Italian with Parmesan is next on the list. This has has been a delicious experiment so far, and I would recommend it to all. mmmmmm...