Saturday, September 29, 2012

My First Book Signing at Seagull





Zucchini & Bacon Soup from "Soup's On!"
Today was my very first book signing at Seagull Book in Centerville.  Thanks to familiar faces who stopped in and offered moral support  -- Bruce Tracy, Dave & Rose Johnson and Brichelle Eyre!

I brought two soups — the Garden Tomato Bisque and the Zucchini & Bacon Soup, to serve as "soup shots."  I underestimated the number of shoppers, and ran out of little plastic shot cups. Luckily, the Dollar Tree store was a couple doors down, so I was able to quickly replenish my stock. People could sample soup, and then move over to the other table for nibbles of Utah Triffles.

The store staff did lots of drawings, and just about everyone went home with a prize.  I signed about ten books in all.

Garden Tomato Bisque from "Soup's On!"
I had a lot of fun chatting with people about the recipes. The Zucchini & Bacon Soup surprised people that
A. it was so delicious, and
B. that it was made from zucchini.
Many people assumed it was some sort of broccoli soup. It just reinforces the theory that if you add enough bacon to ANYTHING, it will taste good.

Several kids really liked the tomato soup; one little girl told her mom it tasted like spaghetti! I was able to make both soups with vegetables fresh from the garden, and each of them took less than 30 minutes to make.

A lot of people asked if the recipes were for the Crock-Pot. I am realizing that there's a misconception out there -- people think in order for soup to be hassle-free, you need to use a slow cooker and a can of cream of mushroom soup.  I explained that 75 of the cookbook's recipes can be made on the stovetop in less than a half hour, with very little peeling, chopping or prep work. A lot of them can be made in the microwave too.  Oh, and you DON'T need a can of cream of mushroom soup either!

  Ten of my recipes are specifically designed for Crock-Pot cooking. It's great when you can think ahead and throw in all the ingredients, then come home to a tantalizing aroma of simmering soup. But when you haven't thought ahead, it's great to know there are 75 options that can be on the table in about the same time it would take for pizza delivery to come.

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