How to Host a Soup Party

There’s nothing more heart- and belly-warming in the winter than a bowl of soup. But those same old recipes can become a little repetitive in a couple of months, so why not cull all of your friends' concoctions?

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Slow-cookers–the number of these items correspond to the number of guests
• Small bowls
• Spoons

1. Invite friends to the soup party (particularly those you think are good cooks). Ask all of them to bring their favorite soup. If one or two are particularly afraid of cooking, there are always other items to bring–a bottle of wine or a loaf of crusty bread.
2. Hit up a restaurant supply store. You could ask your guests to bring their own bowls and spoons if you want to go the budget route, but buying the items isn't all that expensive if you shop around. Get small bowls (a serving of 4 to 6 spoonfuls is plenty–people can always go back for seconds). You'll also need to have spoons and some extra ladles on hand.
3. Ask your guests to bring their soups in their own slow-cookers if possible. If you invite more than four people to your soup party, you’ll probably run out of burners on your stove. Set up a table or different stations where the cookers can plug in. If you have a power strip, that will help make the most of the space you have.
4. When your friends come over, be prepared to use display cards to place in front of the cookers identifying the creations. Relax and eat up!

Tips & Warnings

• To add some fun competition, have your guests cast a ballot for the best soup. The winner can take home bragging rights or a fun trophy like a golden ladle.
• You can also ask your guests to supply the recipe for their soups to offer to the other soupers.
• Encourage people to cook vegetarian if you have veggie friends. You wouldn’t want them to be left out with just their soup to eat.
• This is a fun party for entire families. You could have it on a Sunday afternoon or, if you want to keep it an adult event, there’s always Saturday night. This type of party is more inclusive than a wine tasting.
• Try to keep track of who will bring which soup. You want to avoid having six batches of chicken noodle.

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