January is national soup month and national slow cooking month (I read it somewhere on the internet, so this could be true.) Either way, this time of year makes everyone want to hibernate with cozy food. Unfortunately, most of us are not bears, and can’t hibernate.  Instead, we should have more potlucks. Why would you not?  In a month where there’s little joy in time spent outside, and even less sunshine to keep our thoughts happy, a splash more warm, human interaction would do us all some good.

So, just for you, I’ve come up with a list of great soup themes to get you in the spirit, and with some wild, funky dishware from Goodwill, you and all of your friends will be eating tasty soup in bear-suits in no time (Goodwill’s got the bear suits, too).  Happy January!

1. Cheap soup

This one’s for all of you post-college, living-on-your-own-without-money folks. You too can enjoy a good soup exchange. This theme is all about money so don’t let anyone spend more than $4 to feed the whole group, and see who comes up with the best cheap-soup. Tips: some grocery stores will sell on-its-way-out produce at a huge discount. Or they might just give you unsellable produce at the end of the night (just ask around and see what you can find). It all gets cooked down anyway. Just wash thoroughly and remove any bad spots.  Plus lentils are usually a huge bargain, and then you’re just a few onions away from delicious.

2.  Diet variety soup

For those of you still in hot pursuit of a rigorous new year’s resolution, invite your friends to bring over their best diet concoctions and see what people are trying. One might be all meat (high protein diet), another vegan, another gluten-free-raw-ovo-lacto-vegan (is that a diet?) It’s always interesting to see what people think is healthy from one year to the next.  Let your friend’s share their theories.

3.  Mystery soup

Have everyone bring one ingredient (divide friends up so some friends bring spices, some bring vegetables, some proteins) and throw each thing into the pot when that person arrives.  See what you get!  (Try several times. Clearly some weeks would be better than others. Then you could make new friends by telling them about all the awful soups you made with your other friends!)

4.  Pasta soup

So maybe you don’t really like soup. Just make a vat of pasta and have everyone bring his or her own sauce. Mmmmmm…

5.  No utensils soup

I ate FouFou in Ghana and it’s a soup you eat with your hands!  Its tastes like dough (actually pounded cassava) in broth. You pick off dough-pieces with your hands, douse them in the soup and eat. While it’s not my favorite soup, eating soup with your hands is definitely an experience worth having. Tell your friends to bring soup and then hide all of your utensils. Once they arrive inform them that they will be eating with their hands and see what happens! (Watch the carpets.)

6.  Fancy soup

Have your friends find and attempt the most complicated soup they can find and then enjoy eating the soups while your friends describe their labors in excruciating detail.

7.  Family-heirloom soup

Defend your family’s honor and cook up Grandma’s best.  Then share stories from the good-ole-days (even if you weren’t alive back then).

8.  Plastic vegetable soup

In first grade our teachers gave us plastic vegetables (Goodwill has lots) and told us we were going to make soup.  We took turns throwing our items into the pot.  After stirring the pot of plastic foods, miraculously, a delicious real soup appeared! Maybe this will work for you!

No matter what soup you prepare, Goodwill will keep the occasion festive with a huge variety of serving utensils, linens, candles, and other décor. Or maybe just pick up a thermos so that you can take the potluck with you wherever you go. Happy January everybody! Maybe it’s not so dreary after all.