What does soup have to do with appetizers, you ask? Well, soup appetizers can be served either as a main course, or in tiny bowls before a meal - whetting the appetite.

A nice aspect of soup-making is that it has evolved to include the convenience of crock pot cooking... A soup can easily be made the night before, put into a crock pot and cooked over night. There is an abundant supply of soup appetizers and their recipes that are tested, tried and true. I've gathered some of my favorites.

Now, a little more about soup...
Soups have been the basis of many meals and diets for thousands of years. When man finally figured out how to boil water in a container that wouldn't burn up or crumble or fall apart in some way, basically, soup became an important staple.

Boiling water made it possible to cook food at a lower temperature than frying or roasting or baking. Thus, allowing the fuller use of animal or plant products used in making the soups. Did you know that before soup, our ancestors were not able to eat bones - even if roasted? Mmmm... cooked bones, think what they were missing out on! (just kidding!)

Anyway, boiling water brought about new taste sensations. Grains from cereal products suddenly released starch into the boiling water and thickened it! Gravy! How thick the gravy became was dependent on what kind of grain was being boiled.

I can just see in my mind's eye how the discovery of making gravy and sauces happened. An ancient-times housewife was boiling water, her young one distracts her and she moves away from the boiling pot. Another young one comes in from playing outside with a handful of beans or carrot roots. He sees the pretty boiling water and wants to see what happens to the beans when he throws them into the pot...

Voil! Soup was born! Or something like that...

Gratefully, we've come a long way since those days and there are endless combinations of foods that can be made into rich, savory soup, bone-strengthening broths, fun soup appetizers, and hearty, one stop-shop stews.

There's so much more about the history of soups and if you're interested, please visit my web site (information below) and read up on it. In the meantime, here is my favorite soup appetizer recipe. Our dear ancestors would have adored it, had they been around today.

Zippy Tomato Soup
When my mother-in-law, Margie, introduced me to her Zippy Tomato Soup, I became an instant convert! And that's saying a lot because up until then, I was not a big fan of the red soup. But that has changed and you'll see why when you try it too.

This soup is so good as an aprs ski drink because it warms the heart, soul and body. But not only that, you can use this soup as an appetizer or starter for any party or gathering. Just serve it in a warm mug and watch everyone's eyes light up as they taste it.

What you'll need:
- 1 large can of tomato juice
- 4 Tbsp sugar (or less - I usually use less)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 dashes of Tobasco or other pepper sauce
- 1/2 cup dill pickle juice (What! PICKLE JUICE' - keep reading)
- 1/3 cup of fresh or bottled lemon juice (fresh is better)

Don't throw out the juice left over in your big jar of pickles. Save it for this soup! I know it sounds strange, but believe it or not, this is the big secret to making this soup so delicious.

Combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Serve immediately. How easy is that?

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Check out my website at http://www.easy-appetizer-recipes.com/soup-appetizers.html.