Six years ago, my friend Liz had the brilliant idea to start a soup group to help us get through a long, dark winter.

Her pitch was simple: we’d switch off hosting soup dinners at home, once every month or two. That’s it!

We loved the evenings so much that we kept going through the spring, the summer, the fall, the following winter, and so on. I’ve been so grateful for this kind of repeated activity — it feels like a heartbeat, especially during hard times. (I imagine it might be similar to what church feels like, just in terms of seeing the same people in a ritualized way?) Last week, we headed to Linsey’s house, where she made a rich, delicious tortilla soup.

We always leave the night with book recommendations, career insights, parenting stories, and nail polish colors. (Remember Gisela’s shell pink?)

Since Linsey’s tortilla soup was so good, I asked her to share her non-recipe. Here goes:

Sauté carrots and onions, and season as you like your tacos (a taco seasoning mix is fine!). Add chopped chicken breast to brown. Then add bone broth, a couple cans of diced tomatoes (very worth it to find the fire-roasted kind!) and green chilies. Add lime juice to taste, plus a spoonful of sour cream. Serve with whatever toppings you fancy — avocado, cilantro, limes, cheddar cheese, black beans, corn, scallions, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.

(Any other soup recipes you love? I’m always looking for good ones!)

Soup Group, est. 2019

Interloper Toby holding court one evening 😉

I adore it, and it’s so simple! Thoughts? Would you host a soup group? Do you host another kind of gathering, or book club, or running group? I’d love to hear… xoxoxo

P.S. Hosting an articles club, and four ways I’ve learned to deepen friendships.