I like soup.

I like soup.

Soup is such an amazing food - it can warm a chilled body, refresh an overheated body, fill bellies with hearty goodness or simply whet the appetite before more courses are served. Soup comes in all colors - brown, gold, green, red, white, purple, just to name a few. It comes in all flavors - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, or savory. It can be thin, smooth, creamy, chunky, beefy, noodly, fishy, hearty. Soup is medicine. Soup is comfort. Soup is open minded, magical, and free (did I go overboard with that last line?).

I like soup. Being a person interested in whole, natural foods and someone devoted to living a sustainable life, I make soup from scratch more often than your average Joe. With every chicken I roast, I wonder what goodies I can make with the leftover meat and bones. When my celery wilts beyond the point that I would eat it raw, it goes into the freezer to be saved for my next stock. My carrot peels, apple peels, tomato and squash butts and wilted fresh herbs all end up in the freezer in labeled baggies, to be thrown into the next pot of stock for my next pot of soup. I love food, and soup is a food that I love.

For my past few pots of soup, I realized that I repeated recipes a lot. I'd gotten into a soup rut. I also was diagnosed with a genetic disorder that prevents me from ever following a recipe, or writing down what I do, which prevents me from duplicating many soups. This genetic disorder also prevents me from making pots of soup meant to feed less than 15 people. So, too often, I'd end up with a delicious soup that wasn't exactly the same as the last similar delicious soup. And I'd end up with more delicious soup than I could possibly eat - even with hungry parents, hungry siblings and their spouses, and a hungry boyfriend to feed.

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My resolve is this: For the entirety of 2009, I will make a new, unique soup every weekend. No recipe will be repeated, and every detail of the recipes and "enhancements" that I use will be archived here at Rock the Stock. I will also make an honest effort to make smaller portions of soup. My freezer and tupperware will thank me, and I'd like to strip my family of their right to say "But I'm sick of this soup already!" ;)

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I consider myself a conscious eater. I make a big effort to buy organic and to invest in ethical meat that does not come from factory farms. I use real ingredients, as unadulterated as possible, and avoid processed ingredients as much as possible. Give me real butter and cream over margarine and cool whip, fresh and plain frozen veggies over canned, and whole, "inconvenient" raw chickens over boneless skinless (and flavorless..) breasts and frozen chik'n patties.

I am an omnivore, as most humans choose to be, but I don't judge, and as a conscious eater, I've cut my intake of meat down a lot. Many of the recipes I will make and post here will be vegetarian and vegan. I will also include tips on how to substitute animal ingredients where I see them. Remember my genetic disorder (that one about not following recipes..) and stretch your minds. Feel free to substitute that milk with soy, or to add meat to a vegetarian recipe. Its your soup, not mine. Feel free to email me pictures of your soup results and any changes you make to my recipes at rock.the.stock@gmail.com - I'd love to see what you come up with, and if I get enough (or any..) response, I'll post your modifications up here for all to see and learn from.

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I made my first pot of soup for the year on the evening of New Year's eve. An odd day, considering that I hope to make my soups on the weekends, but this soup was special. Yes, ladies and gents - I made the infamous Mexican hangover soup, Menudo, and it was delicious. My adventure in making Menudo for the first time will be detailed here tomorrow, complete with a recipe and pictures.