Chilly fall days are best handled with a pot of comforting soup. But one can only take so many bowls of beef and barley or chicken tortilla. Thankfully, soup swaps can lessen the monotony of one-pot wonders and offer warming fellowship.
A soup swap takes its inspiration from the traditional holiday cookie swaps, in which friends get together to exchange recipes and prepared goodies, each person taking home a small haul of sweet treats. For a soup swap, simply replace the cookies with a quart of prepared soup or stew.
The event works best with roughly six participants: a host and five friends. Each person brings six quarts of prepared soup. These can be frozen, canned or refrigerated. One quart is for sampling at the party; the others are passed out to guests for taking home. The host can supply soup necessities like crackers and cheese, cornbread or crusty rolls.
These recipes are great for a soup swap, freeze well and make at least six generous servings.
Tip:
If freezing soup, use containers that do not need to be returned to the owner. Consider using 32-ounce plastic deli containers, which can be purchased at restaurant supply stores and online.
Mexican Chicken Soup
Adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe, as seen on The Barefoot Contessa.
Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated cheese and broken tortilla chips.
Sherried Tomato Soup
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman, www.thepioneerwoman.com.
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 46-ounce bottle low-sodium
tomato juice
2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 tbsp. chicken base
3 tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper
1 c. cooking sherry
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh basil
Sauté diced onions in butter and oil until translucent. Add tomato juice, canned tomatoes, chicken base, sugar, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream* and stir. Add parsley and basil to taste. Adjust other seasonings and serve with crusty bread.
*If freezing, omit cream in this recipe. Add cream to taste when soup is reheated.
Tulsa’s Williams Route 66 Marathon is scheduled for Nov. 22 and 23, and runners are certainly looking to add an edge on the clock. Natalie Sanders, a dietitian with St. John Health System, says the right combination of snacks and beverages prior to the event can help athletes maximize their efforts.
Every body is different, but “generally speaking, about three to four hours prior to race time, 200-350 grams of carbohydrate (should) be taken to maximize glycogen stores at the onset of activity and (to) enhance performance,” Sanders says.
It’s also important to hydrate well – down those carbs with 16-24 ounces of water or a sports drink. An hour before the race, a quick hit of 45-75 grams of carbohydrate can help sustain energy through the run or any exercise used in training to build muscle.
“In order to reach your maximum potential, I believe it is important to cross-train,” Sanders says. “This could include a variety of exercises, such as weight training or other sports like racquetball or soccer.It’s vital to work other muscle groups and strengthen the entire body.”
A delicious way to get those pre-run, energy-producing carbohydrates is a calorie-dense granola. Add a little peanut butter for an extra push to the finish line.
The rib platter at Trail’s End BBQ.
Photo by Brandon Scott.
The rib platter at Trail’s End BBQ. Photo by Brandon Scott.
This small barbecue joint in Owasso has quietly won over diners for years, but after country singer – and Owasso resident – Trisha Yearwood featured Trail’s End and owner John Cash on a recent episode of Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, which airs on the Food Network, Trail’s End finally got its due. With a national spotlight on it, Trail’s End continues to serve its award-winning barbecue to new diners as well as regulars. Take advantage of daily specials, like all-you-can-eat ribs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and all-you-can-eat catfish on Fridays. For a Trail’s End first-timer, try the brisket, which is what won over Yearwood and compelled her to dedicate an entire show to the offerings at Trails End. 8888 N. Garnett Road, Owasso. www.trailsendbbq.biz
Come for the food, stay for the music: Ingrid’s Kitchen hosts Dancing and Dining each Saturday. Photo by Brent Fuchs.
Come for the food, stay for the music: Ingrid’s Kitchen hosts Dancing and Dining each Saturday. Photo by Brent Fuchs.
It’s well known that Ingrid’s Kitchen is an Oklahoma City staple, one of those places to go for reliably delicious comfort food, freshly baked breads and scratch cooking. Of course, schnitzel is popular, as are the Reuben sandwiches and sausages. But Ingrid’s also serves lots of fun on Saturday afternoons. From noon to 2 p.m. Ingrid’s transforms its dining room into a party, where diners can eat and dance to music. Enjoy a plate of authentic German food, along with beer, wine or cocktails, and dance ‘til your heart’s content. It’s a great way to kick off a weekend. 3701 N. Youngs Blvd., Oklahoma City. www.ingridskitchen.com
Street tacos are served with charro beans at Z’s Taco Shop & Market.
Photo by Brandon Scott.
Street tacos are served with charro beans at Z’s Taco Shop & Market. Photo by Brandon Scott.
Hearts were heavy when Tulsa’s only downtown market went out of business in August, but just over a month later Z’s Tacoshop & Market moved into the vacant space.
Serving tacos, tortas, burritos and other Tex Mex classics, Z’s is sure to become a stop for those visiting the Brady Arts District as well as for those who live downtown and crave a place to shop for pantry staples and to grab a quick bite. Street tacos filled with a choice of beef, chicken, pork, chorizo or veggies are garnished with onions and cilantro and served with charro beans. Tortas, those refreshing Mexican sandwiches, are stuffed with beef, chicken, pork or veggies and topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion and refried beans. Wash a meal down with something from Z’s Topeca coffee bar. 305 E. Archer St., Tulsa. 918.406.6009
District House’s take on a classic Reuben is served on a ciabatta roll. Photo by Brent Fuchs.
District House’s take on a classic Reuben is served on a ciabatta roll. Photo by Brent Fuchs.
In Oklahoma City’s Plaza District, where businesses are independent and welcoming, District House has settled swimmingly into its location along 16th Street. A coffee-and-beer bar that offers deli standards along with delicate pastry and an inspiring atmosphere, District House has settled into its role as a must-stop for the 9-to-5ers, a meet-up for creatives and a happening hangout for those who are looking for a great place for coffee and chatting.
Create your own sandwich, or choose from one of District House’s several specialties. The Reuben is piled high with corned beef, provolone and sauerkraut and topped with house-made Thousand Island dressing. Vegetarian and vegan options are aplenty, from the hummus sandwich to the vegan pastries.
District House also encourages creativity. Scrabble meet-ups are held Monday afternoons, and open mic nights along with live entertainment are regular happenings. Start the week off right with Free Coffee Mondays, from 7 to 10:30 a.m. 1755 NW 16th St., Oklahoma City. www.districthouseokc.com
Ann Patchett will be honored for her work by the tulsa library trust in december. Photo by Heidi Ross.
Slow and steady wins the race for American novelist Ann Patchett, who painstakingly plots and plans her fictional masterpieces, which flow so effortlessly on the printed page.
“I am much more of a tortoise than a hare,” says the New York Times bestselling author, who will visit Tulsa Dec. 5 and 6 to accept the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2014 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. “I like to work out my stories in my head for a very long time – sometimes for months and months – before I actually sit down to write. If it weren’t for my nonfiction, which comes together more easily, no one would know I was alive!”[pullquote]“It’s very important for me to write about things that interest me and to set certain challenges for myself especially when writing a novel,” says Patchett. “If a story isn’t challenging enough, I won’t finish it.”[/pullquote]
Hailed as one of the most interesting and unconventional writers of her generation, Patchett has dazzled readers for more than two decades with her award-winning novels, including The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto, Run and State of Wonder. Just as intriguing are her three nonfiction titles: Truth & Beauty, a memoir about her friendship with writer Lucy Grealy; What Now? an expansion of her graduation address at Sarah Lawrence College; and, most recently, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a collection of essays examining the theme of commitment.
“It’s very important for me to write about things that interest me and to set certain challenges for myself especially when writing a novel,” says Patchett. “If a story isn’t challenging enough, I won’t finish it.”
As the co-owner of Parnassus Books, an independent bookstore in Nashville, Tenn., Patchett devotes a great deal of time to reading the works of others. At the time of this interview, she had just finished reading Rick Bragg’s biography of Jerry Lee Lewis. Since opening in 2011, Parnassus has flourished, and Patchett has become a spokeswoman for independent booksellers.
“Maybe it’s working because I’m an author, or maybe it’s working because Karen (Hayes, the co-owner) toils away like life depends on this bookstore … or maybe we just got lucky. But this luck makes me believe that changing the course of the corporate world is possible,” she says. “[Large websites and online bookstores don’t] get to make all the decisions; the people can make them by choosing how and where they spend their money. If what a bookstore offers matters to you, then shop at a bookstore. If you feel that the experience of reading is valuable, then read a book. This is how we change the world: We grab hold of it. We change ourselves.”
Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Series
Honoring Ann Patchett
Award Presentation at Black-tie Dinner
Friday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m.
Librarium, 1110 S. Denver Ave., Tulsa
Call 918.549.7366 to purchase tickets.
Free Public Presentation
Saturday, Dec. 6, at 10:30 a.m.
Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 E. 93rd St., Tulsa
Dan Evans (right) and retired k-9 officer rocky turned a work relationship into a lasting friendship. Photo by Brent Fuchs.
Work And Play
Nine-year-old German shepherd Rocky has been at owner Dan Evans’ side through work and play. Evans is a K-9 handler for the Oklahoma City Police Department, and when Rocky needed to retire for health purposes, Evans adopted his loyal friend.
“He’s still very hyper. He likes to play all the time, and any time you go in the back yard, he thinks you’re there to play, even if you just want to mow the grass. He’s starting to show his age a little bit, but I still have to mow around him in the yard,” Evans says.
When he was working, Rocky helped Evans take down suspects in major criminal cases. He apprehended a murder suspect as his last act on the job.
“The K-9 unit really piqued my interest because I feel like I can serve better on that side,” Evans says. “It’s very satisfying to catch someone who is victimizing others, and once a suspect is caught, it’s also more satisfying because of the bond and trust you develop with your dog.”
When the F-5 tornado hit Moore in 2013, Evans and his family briefly lost Rocky.
“I took Rocky to my parents house so he’d have somewhere safe, because I had my next police dog by this point, and he had to stay with me; and then their house took a direct hit. When I first got to the house I saw him, and I was glad, but I was focused on digging my parents out. Then he was gone by the time I went to look for him,” Evans recalls.
Fortunately, the family got word out to friends and posted pictures of Rocky on social media. He was recognized, finally, in Norman a few days later and returned to his family.
“It was a pretty emotional couple of days,” Evans says.
Married with four children, he says the whole family is very attached to Rocky: “For the kids, he’s basically a big brother.”
Leopold’s Ice Cream is a culinary tradition in Savannah. Photo courtesy Visit Savannah.
Savannah’s Forsyth Square dazzles for the holiday season. Photo courtesy Visit Savannah.
Admit it – when an excursion to Savannah, Ga., comes to mind, the first things to enter it are Sherman’s March and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. One nearly meant the end of the city; the other – known simply as “The Book” by locals – helped preserve it.
Yet for all the beauty of this Georgia town’s celebrated sub-tropical gardens and promenades lined with live oaks, famously strewn with Spanish moss, Savannah creates an unforgettable picture for the holidays. And it owes much of that appeal to its historic districts.
Founded as a British colony town in 1733, Savannah first gained importance as a major seaport on the Atlantic Ocean. In recent decades, the city has reaffirmed its usefulness for today’s exporters and importers. Located on the Savannah River about 20 miles upstream from the ocean, the south-bank city is forward-thinking, yet appreciative of its heritage.
Downtown Savannah boasts the Victorian District and Historic District along with 22 lovingly cultivated park squares, all folded into a single National Historic Landmark District.
Blending Southern culture with coastal town living, Savannah during the holidays offers a unique travel experience. If you thought the city was magnificent in the bloom of spring, wait until you see its palms, oaks and streets awash in poinsettias and big red bows.
Holly Jolly Trolley Tour
When you hop aboard the Old Town Trolley, you’re getting more than just a convenient ride around town. The trolley takes guests around downtown Savannah’s Historic District and onto Hutchinson Island, a narrow island in the Savannah River. During November and December, the trolley runs tours in the evening so visitors can see the city’s brick-paved streets, century-old structures and parks bathed in the glow of holiday lights before swinging by Westin Harbor Resort’s Gingerbread Village, a seasonal favorite. Tourists are in good hands – the Old Town Trolley Tours is the only one of its kind endorsed by the Historic Savannah Foundation.
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
The Roman Catholic presence in Savannah is strong, and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist represents that influence well. Construction started in 1873 and was completed in 1896, but the church was nearly destroyed two years later by a fire. Rebuilt in 1899, the Gothic-style cathedral has withstood the trials of time (and some aggressive renovations) to remind all of the endurance of goodness and spirit. During the holidays, the cathedral sanctuary and its stained glass windows are even more impressive – decked with beautiful décor and wreathes that only enhance the experience for worship and contemplation during one of the holiest seasons of the year for many. There’s also a strikingly detailed Nativity scene.
Savannah Harbor Festival of Lights
The holiday season is also marked by the winter solstice (Dec. 21) and new beginnings. The city started a tradition only three years ago with the Savannah Harbor Festival of Lights on Hutchinson Island. Drive or walk through an extensive holiday lights display, visit the petting zoo, watch live musical theater pieces and feast on a giant turkey leg with a chaser of s’mores and hot chocolate. If you want to know what it is to live in festive Savannah, this is it. The Savannah Harbor Foundation founded the event along with several other holiday events unique to the city.
Shopping on River Street
One of the most frequented sections of town is River Street – part riverfront thoroughfare, part people-watching haven. During November and December, the milder winters allow sweater-clad diners to continue enjoying coffee al fresco. Shoppers make the most of browsing the numerous specialty and boutique shops on the riverfront. Imparting a hint of Old World charisma, River Street is what today’s Savannah is all about – a progressive community paying homage to its history by living with it.
City Market
There’s a reason it’s called the “art and soul” of Savannah. City Market, a four-block center in the Historic District, first saw life as an open-air marketplace for fishermen and farmers back in the 1700s. In more recent decades, the center was renovated to include warehouses and properties around Ellis Square. Today, visitors will find a marketplace and social square much expanded from City Market’s original intent, but thanks to careful planning, this downtown haven retains the atmosphere of by-gone days. And there’s plenty to do at City Market during the holidays, including open house events, the Christmas for Kids Celebration and the New Year’s Eve Celebration.
Savannah Holly Days
Savannah goes all out for the holiday season every year with Savannah Holly Days. Beginning in early November and running through New Year’s Eve, the festival is an umbrella for a myriad of activities, including the annual lights festival, a children’s celebration, ice skating, horse-drawn carriage rides, running events, historic home tours, Christmas church bazaars and more. One of the highlights is Christmas on the River, a day at the picturesque Rousakis Riverfront Plaza on the Savannah River filled with shopping, music and the best seats for the city’s lighted Christmas parade on River Street. Another is the Boat Parade of Lights, held after Thanksgiving and featuring a holiday party, music, fireworks and a parade of 50 boats.
Access: Arrive at Savannah International Airport, which has flights to major cities of the region and along the east coast. In town, shuttle buses, taxis and rental cars get you to various points, while pedicabs, carriage rides, trolleys and a streetcar allow visitors to see more.
Climate:Temperatures in November and December fluctuate between upper and lower 60s as fall passes. The semi-tropical climate creates milder winters.
Main attractions:Bonaventure Cemetery, Lafayette Square, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Tybee Island Beach, Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace
Stay In Style
The Ballastone hotel is the essence of Southern decadence. Photo courtesy The Ballastone.
The Ballastone:Live the grandeur of old Savannah at the Ballastone, a bed and breakfast swaddling guests in Southern decadence. Built in 1838 and once operated as a bordello, the Ballastone is dressed in Victorian-period antiques and includes a bar, patio and restaurant that are the essence of luxury without stodginess. It’s no surprise that the Ballastone is located in the Historic District, and after you’ve seen it, you’ll understand why this sumptuous backdrop is popular for weddings and special occasions. See you for high tea in the dining room! www.ballastone.com
Thunderbird Inn:The Thunderbird Inn is a colorful, retro-chic, motel-style establishment with pop culture touches from Savannah’s not-so-distant past. Accommodating travelers with pets and appealing to a carefree set, the inn may not be for everyone, but there’s a reason why the “hippest hotel” in town is well regarded by national media (including The New York Times, Southern Living and Fodor’s). Praised for its creativity, convenience and budget-mindedness, this Historic District stand out begs to be noticed. www.thethunderbirdinn.com
Dine
The Olde Pink House
Restaurant: One of Savannah’s most popular stops for fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, crab cakes and great surf and turf selections, the Olde Pink House Restaurant is true to its name. Adjacent to the Planters Inn, the famed restaurant brings its upscale best to the table, whether that table is located in one of the gorgeously preserved rooms of this 18th-century mansion or in the romantic wine cellar. www.plantersinnsavannah.com
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room: No guide to dining in Savannah ever leaves out Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room – Southern cooking with everything from fried chicken and meat loaf to okra gumbo, collard greens and biscuits. Part of the historic Wilkes House boarding establishment, the kitchen is better known than the lodgings, which is saying something. If you go for lunch, plan on waiting in a line out the door and making friends at the big dining tables, which offer the best chance to meet fellow travelers and locals. www.mrswilkes.com
Leopold’s Ice Cream is a culinary tradition in Savannah. Photo courtesy Visit Savannah.
Leopold’s Ice Cream: Who wants ice cream in December? Savannah’s mild temperatures mean frozen treats are perfect any month. This old-school ice cream parlor goes back to 1919, when it was opened by brothers George, Peter and Basil Leopold. Leopold’s continues to make its own ice cream from the original recipes and in a multitude of flavors. Johnny Mercer, the renowned songwriter, grew up a block away from Leopold’s, and his favorite flavor was “tutti-fruiti,” still served today. www.leopoldsicecream.com
