Ten kinds of soup served at the Habitat for Humanity Lunch and Learn Fundraiser held today at my office:
- Leek Soup
- Mushroom Soup
- Vegetable Beef
- Chicken Wild Rice
- Taco Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Curried Sweet Potato/Lentil
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Creamy Wild Rice Soup
- Lamb and Vegetable
I mentioned back in July that Rod Nilsestuen, the head of the agency at which I work, had passed away while vacationing volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. A couple of people from my division proposed that we (the division) pay tribute to Rod by sponsoring a couple of fundraisers to benefit Habitat and organizing a team from the agency to contribute a workday at a Habitat for Humanity of Dane County construction site.
The rest of the division thought it was a swell idea, so things were put in motion, and today was the first of the fundraisers, a potluck luncheon featuring soups and desserts made by various people here at the agency, including yours truly. I made the Taco Soup (which I've made before). I actually made the soup in my cubicle the morning of the luncheon; I browned the ground beef, diced the onion (but forgot to sauté it), and drained and rinsed the beans at home the night before, then brought all the ingredients and my Crock-Pot to work and let it cook while I worked. Aside from having to leave for work a half hour earlier than usual and walk to the bus station instead of riding my bike, it worked out pretty well. Certainly it was a lot more convenient than making it the night before and trying to carry a Crock-Pot full of soup with me on the bus and up the hill.
When the time came to eat, I took the containers I'd used to transport my ingredients downstairs with me and was therefore able to try small portions of three soups instead of the one or two most others were able to try. Clever! I had nos. 4, 7, and 9. They were all good, but I think I liked the Creamy Wild Rice best. Later, I was able to try a bit of my own; there was about a ladleful left at the end of the event. It also was good! (Oh, and here are a few pictures I took. They aren't very interesting, but if you want to see the soups I tried and what my own looked like--and what one item I left on my plate uneaten--you can check them out.)
While we ate, representatives of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County made a presentation about what services Habitat provides and what kind of projects they work on here in the Madison area, and about the specific project we'd be working on next month, the Northport Drive Build Project. I'm looking forward to it!
