Ultimate Frisbee

I love having people in my house. Even before we had children I had dreams of filling my home with lots of people. Having my tables full of happy, talkative people is a treat! Last month I was happy to host the Gustavus Adolphus College's Ultimate teams (men's & women's) who were in Northfield for the Exit 69 tournament. (This is the exit off the interstate for our fair city.)

Ultimate (officially dropping the "Frisbee" part of the name for copywrite reasons), a seeming cross between rugby and soccer, was proposed by Joel Silver as a joke to his Student Council in a small school in New Jersey in 1967. Little did he know that over 40 years later it would exceed it's "after school, pick up game" status and become an internationally played sport with college and city leagues all over the country. (Wikipedia and The Ultimate Handbook sites have lots of good information on the sport.)



Ultimate players are a fun group of kids. They seem to be a pretty free-spirited and independent group. While they enjoy playing a team sport,they're not overly competitive or as structured as "official" collegiate sports. During the frisbee match itself, the players rule themselves. Rather than engage a referee they collaboratively keep the game fair.


Following is exerpted from a listing of rules of the game in the section titled, "Spirit of the Game:"

Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship
which places the responsibility for fair play on the
player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the
expense of the bond of mutual respect between players, adherence
to the agreed upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play.
Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse
conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of
opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling, or other "win-at-all-costs" behavior are contrary to the spirit of the game and must be avoided by all players.


By the time the team gets to my house, they've played a number of games and are hot and tired (or chilled and tired, depending on the weather). The past two years have been cold and rainy; a warm house, hot showers and comfort food "hit the spot." I had 2 huge pots of soup, fresh bread and salad ready for them. As a team, they assigned freshman to help with clean up (if only they knew how much I had done before they even arrived!)







When my other son's team from Lawrence University came two and three years ago, they hunkered down for the evening all over the house. Some studied, some played poker using little kids' toys for chips, a few messed around on the piano, and a handful fell asleep on various couches. My younger children watched and were intrigued by this kind of young adult "slumber party." Most of the Gustavus crew preferred tents and campfires at a nearby county park.

On Sunday afternoon I was able to catch some of my son's game. They're a great group and I look forward to next year's tournament.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Now that I've shared what a marvel I am at soups, I thought I'd pass on three of my favorites.

Baked Potato Soup
5 # potatoes, scrubbed and baked
Bake at 350 for 1 - 1 1/2 hours
2 leeks
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 # carrots
12 - 16 oz. frozen corn
1 - 2 T. olive oil
2 cans broth (vegetable for vegetarians and chicken for non-vegetarians)
2 cans evaporated milk
1 pt. sour cream
1 T. parsley
1 T. chives
1 t. dill
2 t. salt
8 oz. cream cheese, softened


Scrub potatoes and prick them 2 - 3 times. Place them on center rack of the oven. Bake the potatoes at 350 for 1 - 2 hours.

While the potatoes are cooling, elevate the oven temperature to 400. Quarter and thinly slice leeks; mince the garlic; thinly slice the carrots. Toss with the olive oil, place in a shallow pan and place in the oven. Stir every 15 minutes for 1 hours.

Cut the slightly cooled potatoes into large pieces. Add potatoes, roasted leek mixture, broth, and canned milk to a large pot.

Mix herbs with the sour cream and add to the pot. (If the herbs are fresh, blend them with the sour cream in a food processor.) Slowly heat the soup to almost boiling. Allow it to cool. (As it sets, the seasonings develop with the potatoes.)

After the soup has cooled, add 1 - 2 cups broth to the softened cream cheese. Mix well. Add this mixture to the pot of soup and reheat.



Italian Tortellini Soup
3 # hamburger
2 small onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 can spaghetti sauce
1 large can tomato puree
2 cans beef broth
1 T. beef bouillon
2 cups dice carrots
2 cups cut up green beans
3 packages of frozen tortellini
2 t. Italian seasoning
(or a mixture of oregano, basil & parsley)

Brown the hamburger. Drain the fat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the meat and saute. In a very large pot, add the spaghetti sauce, broth, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and seasonings.
Add the meat mixture to the pot. Bring to a boil; add bouillon and vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are done.
In another pot, cook the tortellini according to directions. After drained, add to the soup pot.



Fresh Tomato / Basil Soup
(with fresh tomatoes)
about 2 dozen fresh tomatoes
1 T. oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/ 2 cup fresh basil
2 T. fresh oregano
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. sugar

A note about cooking the tomatoes:
Some people don't like the seeds in tomatoes. If this is the case, cook down the tomatoes and then put them through a sieve.
Your result will be a tomato puree.

If you want a chunky soup, peel and dice the tomatoes and cook them down for about 30 - 45 minutes at a medium to low temperature.
Don't put it through a sieve.

After the tomatoes are cooked to your preferences, set aside. In another pan, saute the onions and garlic in 1 T. olive oil.

Add all but 1 cup of cooked tomatoes to the sauteed vegetables. In a blender or food processor add the remaining tomatoes and the herbs. Blend well. Heat to almost boiling and add the salt and sugar.

A Soup Goddess

I love making soups.

Soups are an excellent venue for various ingredients: meats, spices, liquids, herbs and vegetables. I've never made the same soup twice. In other words, each pot of soup is a fresh creation. Every time it's a different combination for that never-before-tasted bowl of soup. Experimenting with seasonings and fresh ingredients takes time; time makes the best soup!

When I serve soup at the dinner table, I'm usually the first one to comment on how good it tastes. My children like soup and almost always ask for a second helping, but I'm my biggest fan. The more time and experimentation involved in a particular pot of soup, the more I enjoy the product. We had guests one day and the wife commented, "You really love making soups, don't you?" When I asked "Why?" she responded that she could tell how my much my family was enjoying the meal.

One of our family's favorite soups is what I call "Magic Soup." Much like Stone Soup, I feel as if I produce a great soup from water alone. OK, I add turkey bones and fat, a few onions and carrots and simmer it almost forever. The result is a rich turkey broth begging homemade noodles.

As much as I love soup, I rarely order it when we eat out. Most restaurant soups are from mixes or come completely pre-made. (If I wanted to open a can and add water, I'd do that at home.) I did however, have an excellent bowl of Tomato/Basil/Feta Soup at St. Peter's Food Coop.

My track record as a soup maker is pretty good. I've learned a thing or two over the years. If you add pasta to your soup don't let it sit for too long. Pasta continues to absorb liquid, especially just cooked pasta in hot soup. Rutabaga adds a sweet-like flavor that doesn't mesh with well in soups. (Believe me, I've tried.)



As far as I can remember, I've only had one disaster with a soup. I bought a mix at a gift shop at the North Shore for a beer cheese soup. I added the right amounts of milk and beer and IT WAS TERRIBLE! Most unfortunately, it was an evening when my son had invited 2 friends from school for dinner. My family and guests sat politely stiffing their hot soup and taking only the smallest sips of the stuff. I finally took my first spoonful, I almost spit it out. Our guests, though very polite, looked relieved when I whisked the bowls off the table and brought out the bread and peanut butter.

Even the popcorn meant to jauntily float on top of the soup couldn't redeem it.

Magic Soup

I've always loved the book Stone Soup. This is a story of three clever soldiers who trick a stingy village into giving them a meal. My favorite aspect of this book is the subtle way in which the soldiers are able to make something out of nothing. Vegetables and meat, once hidden from the traveling men, make their way into the large pot. Laughing, feasting and dancing replace the villagers' wary suspicions.


With the same gusto and cleverness, I make "Magic Soup." Whether I use a carcass from a turkey or one from Cub's broasted chicken, I have made many pots of this soup for my family.

Others call it "turkey stock" or simply broth. But in our house, it's Magic Soup. After I've pulled off the larger bits of meat I place the bones, skin and drippings in my third largest pot. Two gallons of water nicely cover it all. Whole, cleaned carrots, celery, parsley and onions join the water. After the pot comes to a boil, I turn the heat down and "simmer the heck out of it." (Another bloggers words, not mine) Then the magic begins.

The fragrance makes its way up to the bedrooms. The slight bubbling and rattling can be heard in the living room. As people go through the kitchen, they stop to give it a stir. My husband asks if I know that something is cooking and should he turn it off. The cat becomes a little more vocal.


When some time has passed, (not a little, not a lot) those 2 gallons of water have magically turned into 3 quarts of rich, golden-brown broth. After straining out the bones and mushy vegetables, the pot cools on the back step. Another magic transformation occurs as it gels and the fat hardens on the top. Now it's ready to become the secret ingredient in any number of recipes.

Soups!

I'm just tickled that Fall is here. One of my favorite meals to create is a large pot of soup, fresh bread or rolls, a green salad, and sliced apples. A common meal around our house is "Mama's Soup Surprise" which is anything I make up. (the name comes from a children's song about chicken hips and lizard lips and alligator thighs.) Once the air gets a little nippy, I make up all kinds of soup.

My most recent creation was a fresh vegetable soup with a tomato base (tomatoes from my garden), green beans, spinach, corn and the first rutabaga from my garden. Rutabagas are a Prichard food. On my husband's side of the family, we always have rutabaga for Thanksgiving and Christmas. For my soup, I cubed it and boiled it in the tomato stock with the other veggies.

I would have taken a picture of this lovely soup, but after I added some pasta it ceased to be so lovely. I boiled the pasta in the liquid of the soup and set the pot on the back of the stove until supper time. Wouldn't you know, that little elbow noodles swelled to jumbo size leaving little of that pretty broth. It tasted fine; the next day the noodles absorbed even more and we called it a casserole.

Some day, I will make a lovely meal and take a picture. Probably not on a corndog night, though!