So, which ones are the best? (aka, a little update)

In talking with my friend Lisa (who I mention often on this blog), it occurred to us that, although I essentially give a thumbs up or a thumbs down on these recipes, there really isn't a way to quickly and easily identify or search for the "best of the best," or a way to tell the soups which are just worth a try versus those soups that are truly special, without going through all the entries manually.

To that end, I am going to go back (hopefully, today) and retroactively apply a star rating (chosen because it is an easy - if unimaginative - rating system that most people will be familiar with) to each of the recipes in this project that I have made personally.

Also, moving forward, in addition to the normal discussion for each recipe, I'll end each review with a star rating (out of 5 max), using a format that will make soups more easily searchable via their rating.

If you are a regular reader, thank you! If you are new here, welcome! I hope everyone continues to enjoy this project!!

A couple of notes worth mentioning

As I started re-posting my "back" posts that I've previously made on Facebook to this blog, it occurred to me that a little bit of background, some extra info, and at least one disclaimer are in order, for those that care...

First, this project is mostly about a regular guy (not a professional chef, not a professional food blogger, not a person that has any agenda other than making and eating good soups) finding some of the great recipes and hidden soup gems that are published out there on the web and bringing them to his (small) circle of friends and followers. I do like to add, delete, and tweak these original recipes to suit my own style and taste, but I'll always give credit to the original source recipe.  The original recipes and their related images (which I liked to post as a point of comparison) remain the property of their original owners, and I do not have any claim to them other than as someone who has made food described therein.

Second, some background on my own tastes, so you know whether or not to trust my opinions... I love to eat interesting food! That is the biggest thing; it needs to interest me! I like things to be visually pleasing, which I think enhances the whole eating experience, but it is really about the flavor.  I like strong flavors and have a very high tolerance for spice (particularly chiles and related "heat"), but I try to remember that its not everyone's cup of tea to feel like their tongue is being consumed by lava when they eat. I have no tie to any particular "style" of food (e.g., Mexican, Asian, etc.), but I do enjoy the richness that good food borrows from its cultural origins. In short, I tend to seek out good, interesting fare, and I always try to give it a fair shake, as far as my opinion goes.

Third, I suppose I should introduce the others eating the soups and sharing their opinions on a regular basis...

Becky: My wife.  She has a less adventurous palate than I do, and tends to not even be willing to try anything that contains seafood.  But, unless it contains seafood, she is usually game to at least give it a taste.  She has a much lower spice tolerance than I do, but she does like strong flavors, if they are of the right type (e.g., garlic). Above all, she is honest about what she eats; even if I slaved over a soup for 8+ hours that day, if she didn't love it, she'll tell me so.

Hunter: My teenage son. Hunter has a palate that is much closer to mine than my wife's, enjoying very (but not too) spicy foods and strong flavors.  However, if things get too exotic, it tends to turn him off, and he tends to like interesting soups much better if I let him try them before I tell him what is actually in them.

Fox: My other teenage son. SUUUUUUPER picky... He tends not to even want to try anything that contains seafood, or vegetables, or anything that looks weird, or anything that smells like anything other than cheese, or... Long story short, he will participate only rarely, but if he tries it and says it's good, it probably is a crowd pleaser!

Finally, if you have a suggestion for a recipe, or have found one elsewhere that you'd like me to try making and review, PLEASE send me a message. I'd love to start hearing from any readers that have a soup recipe they'd like to get a second (or even first) opinion on!

Here goes nothing...!

Those that really know me know that I am a foodie (much to the anguish of both my wallet and my waistline), and a pretty decent cook (although, sadly, not nearly as good as my sister, my mom, or my wife)... And some of my favorite foods on the planet are soups! At home, we have some soups that are family favorites (like my mom's Italian sausage soup), some that we've copied wholesale from other sources (like the Nom Nom Paleo Egg Drop Soup), and some that are original recipes (like my pozole). We keep a lot of these in the regular rotation, and they all got there because we were willing to try something new.

To that end, I've been saving interesting soup recipes for a while now, and I recently added my 60th or so recipe to the pile. So, I think it is time to start working through the list!

I decided to try to make a new soup (some may - admittedly - be variations on similar recipes we've tried before) every Sunday, and I think I have enough to make one-a-week for a year (at least 52)! Inevitably, because life is life, I'll skip some weeks in between, because of travel and family events and such, but I hope it will be a regular occurrence.

Some are bound to be good, some are bound to be less-good, and some just sound weird (Dill Pickle Soup is on the list!). But, each week I'll post the recipe (along with any departures I made), hopefully some pictures, and what we thought of it.

I started this project on Facebook a couple of months ago, and my posts will go there first, but I thought sticking them on a blog for easy searching and retrieval might have some value too.

Sorry... I recognize this for what it is - a self-indulgent exercise that likely only some of my family and very close friends have even the slightest bit of interest in... But I'm posting them anyway, so deal with it! LOL

So... Let the "Year of Soup" begin!!