To round out the soup posts from the previous week and a half, Deanna of Mirabelle Creations has graciously offered to give you some tips on hosting a soup-tasting party! Deanna is the maven of entertaining and always offers inspirational ideas on throwing parties and events. A soup-tasting party is a great way to bring friends together during these cold winter months. Make sure to read to the end...Deanna has offered us some free downloadable files to help make your party easier to host! Thanks, Deanna!
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Hello readers of
The World in My Kitchen! I'm Deanna, of
Mirabelle Creations,
and I'm thrilled to be here sharing some party ideas during Soup Week. Over the past couple of weeks, you have been treated to some wonderful soup recipes from a few of
my fellow
Kentucky Food Bloggers. Now that you have all of these
great recipes, it would be the perfect time to host a Soup Tasting Party, a
fun, casual way to warm up a cold winter night. I have a few tips
for you to make any Soup Tasting Party successful.
First, you will want to have at least three or four
varieties of soup for tasting. If you plan on making all the soups, you can
make some of the batches ahead of time and freeze them. Soups generally freeze
easily, so are the perfect make-ahead dish. If you plan on hosting
a potluck, you can ask each guest to bring a pot of their favorite soup.
Since you will have several varieties of soup, you will need multiple serving
dishes for the soup. Guests will be tasting several soups, so smaller
portions are a good idea. Small cups of soup are also convenient
because guests can carry them around and spoons aren't necessary. If
you have numerous shot-glass sized glasses, that would be a perfect serving
size. Also, my go-to individual serving container is actually mini glass
candle holders. I purchase mine at Walmart for $0.60 each.
For example, if you are serving three types of soup for a party of eight, you
could buy enough glass cups for under $15.00. Another option is clear
plastic cups, which you can find in a variety of sizes at any party supply
store. Small cups of soup are also convenient because guests can
carry them around and spoons aren't necessary.
If you want a more substantial serving size, you could
gather all the mugs you have. Since soup tasting parties have a casual
feel, there's no need to have all your mugs match. In addition, you
may want to have bowls on hand in case someone wants a larger portion of their
favorite soup.
A few days before the party, you can make a list of any
toppings you might need for the soups you are serving. Gather up a few
small coordinating serving dishes for the toppings. I love how the toppings
in this picture were served out of small jars. I have a collection of
several different sizes of inexpensive mason jars, which would be perfect for
soup toppings. If your guests are bringing their own toppings, you might
want to have a few extra containers on hand for any additional toppings.
In addition to soup, you may want to provide a few
finger foods. Different types of mini sandwiches go well with soup. They
can also be made ahead of time. Crudités can be served in small cups,
with dip poured in the bottom of the cup. This will eliminate the need
for a plate, but will allow guests to mingle and not have to stand right by the
dip. Another great accompaniment for soup is a crunchy, salty snack
mix.
Finally, for dessert, a good plate-free option is the
cupcake. A
Chocolate Stout Cupcake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting is
a hearty cupcake that would pair well with most types of
soup.
I've also created these FREE, downloadable files for
you to print for your Soup Tasting Party. The first is a
Soup Tasting Card, so your guests can take notes on their favorite soups. Second is a
sheet of
fancy labels that can be used to label the types of soup and/or
toppings. Finally, I have created a
recipe card, so guests can take home
the recipes for each soup.
Thank you so much for having me, Mindy. You can check out my other entertaining and party ideas at
Mirabelle Creations.
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