Last week, I had the best soup I have had in years. Filled with chicken, spinach and orzo in a lemony chicken broth, this soup was served at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Carlsbad. This weekly event is open to the public and serves over 50 dinners each week.
Dr. Mike’s Soup Kitchen was created by Dr. Michael McCarthy over 10 years ago “with a mission to build a compassionate community by reaching out with love and support to friends and strangers anywhere, wherever we are able.”
According to kitchen assistant coordinator John Leone: “We have over 50 volunteers who help organize this event each week. Not only do we have volunteer cooks in the kitchen, but many others who pick up donated food, serve and clean up at the supper and those who distribute the remaining food to other food pantries.”
Kitchen director Mark Anderson organizes the preparation and the food service each week, and invites anyone in the community to join the dinner.
“Our goal is to serve as many local residents and strangers as possible,” Leone said.
In addition to serving over 50 weekly soup meals, volunteers distribute over 50 meals to the Safe Parking Program in Encinitas and to Showers for Blessing Food Pantry in Carlsbad.
Among the local donors that contribute bakery items, food supplies and desserts to the Thursday supper are Café Dawny, Costco, Krispy Kreme, Legoland, Panera Bread, and Paris Baguette, as well as individual donations.
The Thursday Soup Supper is served from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 3821 Adams St. in Carlsbad. There is no charge for the meal, and all are welcome, including children. To find out more about becoming a volunteer for the project, contact Mark Anderson at [email protected] or call the church at 760-729-2866.
Learning the art of homemade gift giving
I learned the art of giving to others during the holiday season from my father, Dick VanDenBerg, of Wisconsin. When I was an adult, I assisted him in the tradition that he joyfully called, “Christmas Cranberry Relish time.” The recipe was from my grandmother, Edna VanDenBerg, whose cooking skills were highly respected in the family.
The first step was to locate a case of 1-pint glass Ball jars. These small jars would hold the bright red holiday relish. My father’s favored appliance was an old-fashioned metal meat grinder. This item was reserved only for cranberries, so there was no fear of contamination with meat products. The remaining ingredients included three bags of fresh cranberries, four seedless oranges, white sugar and orange juice.
He was living in Phoenix when he retired, and his spacious garage held his workshop. The ingredients were laid out on the garage’s 6-foot Formica counter.
After he washed the berries and peeled the oranges, he fed them through the coarse attachment to the meat grinder, landing in a large glass bowl. He added orange juice and sugar to taste. After the perfect consistency was reached, he filled the pint jars and decorated them with bright red bows. He placed the jars in the carrier, ready to distribute to neighbors.
“Ta-da! Mission completed!” He happily walked down his suburban street delivering the homemade Christmas Cranberry Relish. I still make the relish today and deliver it to friends. The lesson I learned is that no matter how much you spend on friends and relatives, homemade gifts are still the best.
For the complete recipe for Christmas Cranberry Relish, contact me at [email protected].
Jano Nightingale is a master gardener and horticulturist who teaches vegetable gardening at the Carlsbad Senior Center. Contact her at [email protected]
