Thursday, October 31, 2013

10/31 HAPPY HALLOWEEN, AUTHOR MAGGIE STUCKEY HELPS TO STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITIES ONE BOWL OF SOUP AT A TIME

MAGGIE STUCKEY – AUTHOR, ‘SOUP NIGHT’ 

It wasn’t that long ago that children freely played in the streets, neighbors exchanged good words, and a sense of togetherness filled the air. Now, the modern community reflects something similar to this: Men and women hurry home to immerse themselves in television shows, surf the internet, and chat online. The news continually highlights painful stories of destruction and war, and we look at ourselves and wonder, “How did the fabric of our communities unravel so far?” But amongst the fear that today’s media portrays is a wave of optimism that’s sweeping neighborhoods nationwide.

In her new cookbook Soup Night, Maggie Stuckey presents the story of this optimism through mouthwatering recipes and inspiring anecdotes collected from preexisting soup night groups. What Maggie has found and documented in this gorgeous four-color cookbook is that the humble idea of gathering friends and neighbors on a regular basis for a casual night of soup and sides has an extraordinarily positive ripple effect on children, senior citizens, families, and communities at large. The idea of breaking bread is deep-rooted in American tradition, but it’s now that our country needs to bond together, and Soup Night is the call to action that we’ve been waiting for.

Soup Night far extends the stories of these communities. This cookbook with a special personality offers more than 90 soup recipes, plus 40 more recipes for sides, salads, and desserts. With dishes like Asparagus-Leek Chowder, Vegetarian Eggplant Chili, Carolina Cornbread, and Lemon Ice Cream, readers will be savoring the local flavors of the season. Tips and tricks to hosting a soup night, stocking a soup pantry, and adapting recipes to fit any dietary need are interlaced throughout the pages of the book.

With simple ideas for gathering neighbors and friends together readers will be looking for any opportunity to make Soup Night a part of their lives.

Maggie Stuckey is a writer, who grows vegetables and cooks up a storm in her Portland, Oregon, home. The author of The Bountiful Container and seven other books on gardening and horticulture, she is happiest when tending her vegetable garden and using the outcome to create new soups.