Good afternoon, and Hello again!
Itβs been a while since Iβve landed in your inbox, but thereβs no better time to start talking about food again than at the start of summer cookouts.
But first a little segue. Succession fans, I'm still marveling at the final season. I was not an avid viewer in the beginning. After it had caught on in a big way, I tried to watch the pilot and was like, omg, why would I want to watch this, I've lived inside the corporate greed and entitled schmucks for decades. Hard pass.
It also didn't help that in interviews, the actor Brian Cox spoke about the show and his character in super serious ways, which masked the elemental comedy/farce/tragedy β tragefarce? β that the show really is.
I picked it up again with the 4th season and then looped back to the beginning. I'm always late to the cool-kid party β same thing happened with The Good Place and the Avenger movies β but it also means that I can satisfyingly binge-watch a show from beginning to end without the excruciating wait between seasons.
But what does this have to do with soup, SoupAddict? Absolutely nothing. Lol. Only that the Canadian fires have made the hot and humid Ohio Valley extra gross and unhealthy, making it a great weekend to stay indoors with the stove off, eating cold leftover pasta, and having a binge-watch party. Also, a friend shared this with me the other day. Perfect.
Whatever your long weekend holiday plans, indoors or out, I hope it all centers around good food and great friends.
Youβve got the main course covered, right? Iβm here to back you up with all the goodies that go with the burgers and brats and bbq chicken and corn-on-the-cob!
Herbed White Bean Picnic Salad
This is my go-to summer cookout salad. Since there are no dairy-based ingredients, this dish can stand up to the heat a little more readily. Herbaceous and bright, itβs a lovely alternative to pasta salads.
Triple Layer Guacamole Salsa Dip
Always a crowd-pleaser. Chunky salsa layered over a creamy cotija cheese layered over guac. Serve it in a somewhat shallow bowl with big, sturdy chips so that the peeps can dig down and get all three flavors in one scoop.
A unique and tasty alternative to traditional potato salad, this chilled dish uses prepared (or leftover) mashed potatoes instead of potato chunks, and takes just minutes to pull together. Make it ahead and let it rest in the fridge, and then itβs ready to go. Perfect for cookouts and potlucks!
This is an appetizer from long-ago July 4th parties that my mom always made. The recipe has been around forever, and, like boot-cut jeans and bohemian florals, it circles back around again and again. Using pretty rainbow veggies makes people forget that itβs, you know, veggie-loaded.
This nibbly snack is both blessing and curse. Blessing in that theyβre so good, you canβt stop eating them. And curse in that theyβre so good, you canβt stop eating them. Itβs a better person than I who can refrain from demolishing half the batch long before party time.
No cookout is complete without a kickass pasta salad. On any other day, this is actually a full meal at Casa SoupAddict, with its antipasto leanings, but for picnics, itβs a beautiful and tasty side.
If your party is more ultra-competitive badminton tournament than sit under a fan on a shaded deck, keep the peeps well-hydrated with big pitchers of ice-cold, real fruit-flavored water.
Left Turns
I wanted to say a few words about why I disappeared for such a long time. This is definitely not summer party vibes material, so, if you don't want your mood harshed, skip this section. Perfectly okay. In fact, I've deleted and re-added it a half dozen times myself. Iβve kept this quiet from everyone for so long that Iβm still not sure Iβm ready to reveal. But, here we go.
So, there's no way to sugarcoat this. I have stage IV cancer. Melanoma β skin cancer β that's spread all over the place. The drug therapies that push things back don't work on everyone, or for very long, and toxicity is a real problem. But as my doctors tell me at every visit, the goal is to hang in there long enough for better treatments to come along.
Melanoma is a sneaky beast, and you just never know when or where itβs going to pop up. Kidney, lungs, spine, neck, thigh, armpit, ovary, elbow, stomach, brain. Melanoma likes to travel, see the sights, wreak some havoc. I was originally given only a few months to live, but here I am, 19 months later, still kickin'. More or less, lol.
I quit my full-time job last week, which was quite a relief. Corporate america is not exactly known for having heart, and thatβs an understatement. The environment was chaotic, stressful, and β¦ I canβt find another way to put this β¦ mean. All in all, it's not the way I had planned to end my long tech career but, enough is enough.
What does this mean for SoupAddict? Better things, I hope. It's hard to balance cancer treatments, side effects, medical appointments, a household, a full-time job, and a cooking blog.
But pluck that job outta there and maybe some time gets freed up. I can't promise regular recipes or timely Digests β see re: beast above β but I'll give it a go.
So, no new soup today, but a new edition of the Digest. One step at a time right?
Until next time, friends, stay cool π₯΅, stay kind π₯°, eat well π, wear sunscreen π§΄, and remember that soup is never a bad decision π₯³.
Dear Karen, First and foremost, thank you for all the years of wonderful recipes and entertaining stories! You are a real treasure. I am sorry to hear of your illness. Cancer is a mean enemy, and I will pray for you during this fight. You have brought us all so much joy, so please know we are pulling for you! God bless!
Dear Karen, I made your Mongolian Beef Soup last night and was reminded what a treasure you are. I have what I call a soup ministry, making soup for friends and neighbors when they need a hug. MANY of those quarts of soup are your recipes. I wish I could make you soup right now. Hugs and positive vibes on your health journey.