Scratch Soup

So, for the past couple of years, we lived in Maryland and I was FINALLY close enough to North Carolina to be able to get to know my cousins (Abby, Rachel and Jeremy - who live there. and Hannah and Heather - who don't), along with my Uncle Dave and Aunt Joyce. Growing up, we lived in Oregon and they lived all the way over in North Carolina! So, as children, we talked on the phone once or twice a year and exchanged gifts if funds allowed, and got to meet . . . ONCE. We spent a wonderful week at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Arizona. By wonderful I mean that each family loaded up and drove for days so that we could finally meet each other. And while we were there, we enjoyed running around together as though we had known each other for years. I was in the eigth grade at the time, and what I remember most about the trip was that I got pneumonia. I was so sick and so tired. I missed almost 2 weeks of school when we got back. It was quite a trip. What I learned though, from that trip, is that I could love people I had never met, so much more than I thought was humanly possible. We were all so much the same, and so different at the same time. I mean yes, each family had 5 kids - 4 of which were girls, and we were all pretty close in age, but we were more than that. We were cousins! But, I digress . . . So, back in Maryland, Karl, the kids and I were all so thankful for the opportunity to know them more. So on one of our many trips to see Aunt Joyce and Uncle Dave, I asked Aunt Joyce - "What was your kids' favorite meal when they were growing up?" and before she could answer, Rachel and Abby both said something about soup. So, I just had to know about this soup. The truth is, our family meals were sort of getting stuck in a rut and we needed to shake things up a bit. Anyhow . . . Aunt Joyce proceeded to tell me all about this soup. I'm sorry, I can't remember if she had a name for it - We call it Scratch Soup - at our house. So here's how to make it . . . there's no recipe. (Sorry for all you detail oriented people out there.) So, you need a gallon ziploc bag or a good size freezer safe plastic bowl. Each day, you will be adding to your bag/bowl, any leftovers that "aren't worth saving" because you think no one will eat them, or there just isn't even enough for a serving. (Store your bag/bowl in the freezer.) We are talking veggies, pasta, rice, meat scraps, potatoes, the leafy part of the celery that no one eats anymore, ANYTHING! Just add a little each time you have any bit of leftovers . . . don't be picky and think "I added chicken yesterday, I don't think I can add ground hamburger today." That won't work. Just add it. Then, when you bag/bowl is full, put it all in a large pot on the stove. Start it out about medium heat until everything is thawed. You will likely have to add some water or broth and maybe some seasonings. Then allow it to simmer for well, however long you have . . . I would suggest an hour or more. You can always add potatoes, pasta or rice if the "balance" seems off in the soup. I have made this many times over in the past couple of years, and my kids (all four of them, and Karl too.) ALWAYS rave about it! It's never the same, it's always different, but it's always good too. For our family of six, it takes about a month to come up with enough leftovers for a big pot of soup, but I like to think about it this way . . . that's one FREE meal a month! Now who couldn't love a free meal?