Friday, February 12, 2016

winner winner soup dinner

 The Trader Joes store that I frequent had a Souper Bowl contest where you had to pick one of their boxed soups (they gave you the choice of Latin Black Bean, Butternut Squash, or Red Pepper and Tomato) and submit ideas for "jazzing it up". I submitted a few ideas for each one. Guess who won?! Yours truly.

They had me come into the store today to have my photo taken with the employee who's going to be demoing my soup "recipe" the weekend after next. 


They also presented me with a big bag of groceries!


There were nine different soups, a french baguette, oyster crackers, croutons, and a big bouquet of purple and yellow tulips. I was so touched and grateful.


The tulips are beautiful and so spring-like ~ as the winds howl outside and the temps dip down to -20 tonight with the wind chill factor.


So, which one of my ideas won? A simple one: adding their soy chorizo to the Latin Black Bean soup and topping with a swirl of sour cream. After talking to the staff today, I learned that they indeed were looking for simple, not complicated or lengthy. They said most of their customers want exactly that. This soup recipe will also be easy for them to whip up at the demo station. One of the employees who's a chef, told me that another person who had entered the contest actually added 15 items to one of the soups! He said that would defeat the whole purpose of their soups; that you wouldn't even be able to taste the soup if you added 15 other ingredients. They obviously weren't looking for transformation - just some embellishment. 

Happy weekend, everyone. Stay warm and eat some soup!


31 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Melanie. How fun is that! I will eat soup this weekend. It's -30C here. Deb

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  2. This is so cool! I know how you love TJ so this is perfect. Congrats! :)

    Jane

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  3. I think having all those soups on hand could come in very handy if you can't cook or get to the store at some point during this winter weather,

    Oklahoma is finally getting a Traders Joes, it's almost an hour away but is in a part of OKCity we drive through, I will be visiting it once it opens.

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  4. How fun! Congrats to you! What a great big bag of gifts, too. Enjoy! Warm wishes, Tammy

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  5. That is awesome Melanie and it sounds like my kind of cooking tweak...super easy! It's cold here, too, minus something, but I won't look at the exact number. I hope all that soup and your pretty tulips keep you warm!

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  6. Congratulations! How exciting to win a contest at Trader Joes! We don't have that store here in Rockford, but I visited one in Madison. I was quite impressed with their products. You're right, we do need to stay warm this cold weekend!

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  7. Woo hoo!! Congratulations, Melanie! It's the coldest day of the year so far, and a bowl of soup sure sounds good. I wish we had a Trader Joe's nearby.

    My daughter gave me that same TJ bag because she knew I would love the design. So cute!

    Stay warm!

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  8. Congrats! I love TJ soups! Fun idea and so happy you won. I have tulips in my home and they are so lovely. Love that mirror behind the photo...did you make that? It's amazing.
    hugs,
    Linda

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  9. Congratulations. We don't have a Trader Joe's here. If there's one in Houston it's no where near here. I used to go to one when I visited my parents in NJ, but since they've been gone I don't get back there anymore. I wish they would open one.

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  10. I meant to say...-20. That is really cold! Stay warm and stay inside.

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  11. Congratulations! What FUN it was to read this! Stay warm! :)

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  12. Just fabulous - congrats. on the great prize, lovely!
    Changing up their soups is something I enjoy too! I always roast a small casserole dish of tomatoes (even in winter they're pretty good roasted), and puree them into the Red Pepper and Tomato soup. When it's warmer weather, I grill red peppers outside and add them into soup, add some fresh basil - wow it's good!

    Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow - here it will be a soup for supper day being as it's turning very cold tonight!
    Mary -

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  13. Simply and deliciously done makes you a winner!
    xoxo
    Mom

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  14. Congratulations! That is an exciting thing to happen and a bright change of events in the loom of winter. I love your tulips and that little yellow bird placed under the chicken-wire is adorable :)
    Have a happy weekend!
    Connie :)

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  15. Wow, that is really neat! Congratulations.

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  16. Your a star! What a great experience for you!

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  17. Congrats, Melanie, that's awesome!! Good for you, what a nice way to end the week!! I see a snippet of Dean Riddle's book in the shot with the tulips....:)

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  18. Brilliant, Melanie, seems like this could be a new career!
    Ginene

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  19. Wow, congratulations! How exciting. Your soup idea sounds wonderful. I can see why they chose it. I'm really happy for you, Melanie!

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  20. Congratulations! What a lovely win. Your recipe sounds delicious and a very easy variation too. Hope you get to go to the instore tasting! Happy Valentines! xx

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  21. This is so great, Melanie! I'm not totally surprised that you're the winner...from the recipes you share on your blog, I can tell you're a fabulous cook!
    Mary Alice

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  22. So happy for you! Simpler is better -- always!

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  23. Congrats to you, Melanie! How fun and exciting. And a nice little prize package too.

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  24. Congrats on being chosen as that is quite an honor!!!

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  25. That is very cool, Melanie! Congratulations! It's easy to see that you had fun with this. The gift was so nice too, even the pretty bag that held it all. I love Trader Joe's too.

    Really cute picture of you!

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  26. How fun for you to win! And with a gift bag too, especially the tulips. I keep seeing tulip bouquets at the store, and I keep resisting. Trying not to spend unnecessarily, you know.

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  27. Congrats on the soup win!! How fun to receive the TJ's bag of groceries.

    Andrea

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  28. I'm woefully behind in commenting on blogs but wanted to pop in and congratulate you. This is really cool! I wish we had a Trader Joe's here but we did finally get the first one in Oklahoma recently (Tulsa) and OKC is supposed to get one, too.

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