The Friendsgiving Lifestyle | Episode 4: Winter Soup Swap
Is "Friendship Math" the Secret to Beating Cooking Fatigue? 🥣
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We are hitting that late January stretch where the weather is biting and the post-holiday grocery budgets are feeling the pinch. But as I share in the latest episode of "The Friendsgiving Lifestyle" Podcast, cold weather is just an excuse for a better kind of gathering.
In Episode 4: "Winter Soup Swap," we are diving into a high-warmth, low-cost hosting model that ensures everyone goes home with dinner for the entire week.
What exactly is "Friendship Math"?
It’s simple: If six people bring one big pot of their favorite soup, everyone leaves with six different servings.
In this episode, I’m sharing the "Logistics Chief" blueprint for a seamless swap:
⭐ The Menu Rule: How to use group chat threads to ensure a perfect variety of creamy, broth-based, spicy, and vegetarian options.
⭐ The "Tasting Flight" Hack: Why you should swap full bowls for small espresso mugs to turn a simple meal into a culinary experience.
⭐ The "Cold-Chain" Strategy: Why your stove burners and your fridge space are your two most important assets for a safe and successful swap.
As a host, you aren't responsible for all the food, just the accessories. It’s about creating a "staging area" for community care.
🎧 Listen to "Winter Soup Swap" now to reclaim your weeknight dinner hour:
https://lnkd.in/g-HdU8uM
Episode 4 Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to "The Friendsgiving Lifestyle" Podcast, the space where we celebrate the power of community and the joy of gathering around a shared table. I'm your host, Sandra Colton-Medici, and each week we explore how to create meaningful connections, lasting traditions, and delicious meals that make every guest feel at home.
[00:00:19] From hosting tips to heartfelt conversations, we're here to help you lean into the season of gratitude. So pull up a chair. There's always a place for you here, right at the table. Let's get started. Welcome to episode four of "The Friendsgiving Lifestyle" Podcast. I'm Sandra Colton-Medici, and we are hitting that late January stretch where the weather is a little biting and let's.
[00:00:43] You are in Los Angeles because we have had some pretty good days so far, but in a lot of the country, oh my goodness. Winter is wintering and our grocery budgets might be filling the pinch after the holidays. We are using the cold weather as an excuse for better kind of gathering. Today we are talking about winter soup swap, and it's the ultimate low-cost, high-warmth event where you host once, but.
[00:01:10] Everyone goes home with dinner for the whole week. What is the quick one for today? You guys, you need to check your Tupperware® drawer right now. If you're missing any lids, toss it. Yeah, donate it. Recycle it. You are going to need a clear staging area for the containers that are coming your way. So let's get cooking.
[00:01:31] What are the logistics and how exactly does a soup swap work? The soup swap is a beautiful bit of what we call friendship math. If six people bring one big pot of soup. Everyone leaves with six different servings. That is how you're going to leave this party with a week's worth of soup. Your action item is pretty specific.
[00:01:55] This time you must be very detailed in your invite. Ask each guest to bring one large pot of their favorite soup and enough reusable containers to take portions of everyone else's soup home. If you get that wrong, we might have a problem. There is one menu rule To avoid having six pots of chicken noodle soup, you have to claim your soup.
[00:02:23] Yes. So you want to start a thread in the group chat about which soup you are claiming before the actual event. Variety is the spice of the swap. Think one creamy, one broth based, one spicy, one vegetarian. You get the drill. Okay. We have a little bit of like a tasting flight setup as the host. You're not responsible for all the food.
[00:02:49] You're just responsible for the accessories. As you set up your tasting flight, you can put it in whatever containers you'd like, but make it fun. Here's your hosting hack. Set up a garnish bar. I'm talking about bowls of sourdough, croutons, microgreens, shaved parmesan, and chili oil. So what does the setup look like?
[00:03:09] Instead of being full of bowls, provide small espresso mugs or teacups for your tasting flight. This allows everyone to sample every soup. Without getting too full before your swap begins, it turns a simple meal into, hmm, a culinary experience. Before we get any further, let's talk about The Friendsgiving Shop.
[00:03:32] If you haven't been over to TheFriendsgivingShop.com, we have more products on the shop for you and also so many more blog posts for you to host a fantastic Friendsgiving event, even if it's not during the month of November. That's why it's called The Friendsgiving Lifestyle, because you don't have to wait till November to have a great Friendsgiving event.
[00:03:55] Some of the brand new blog posts on our journal on the website you'll find are the no pressure brunch hosting your first post holiday meetup. Another one is "Detox doesn't mean deprived: Gourmet salads that feel like a feast." I have been loving my salads every single day. I'm on my own little journey, but let me tell you, if you don't have the right salad dressing.
[00:04:19] I don't want it. Alright. Another post that you are going to love is called "The Vulnerability Menu: Deepening Bonds with Rose and Thorn Prompts," which is so perfect for this episode of "The Friendsgiving Lifestyle" Podcast. One of the most essential pairings with this episode. A blog post in our journal called "Mastering the Soup Swap: Container Logistics and Labeling Tips."
[00:04:46] So head on over and read through all of those great tips. There's so much information on the website in addition to great products to help you invite all of your guests and also eliminate the stress when you're creating and hosting events. So we should probably talk about logistics, the cold chain.
[00:05:06] Because nobody wants a lukewarm swap. Keep your stove burners on the lowest simmer setting to keep the pots warm as guests arrive. A really big tip, clear out your fridge before the party. Because you're gonna need some space for your guests to stash their filled containers as the night goes on. If you're short on refrigerator space, a clean cooler filled with a little ice on the back porch actually works perfect for a winter gathering.
[00:05:36] Safety first, soup second, something that we can't forget. Is that storytelling is a great part of every Friendsgiving get together. The story of the soup is important. Every soup has a story. Maybe it's a grandmother's recipe or the first thing that someone learned how to cook in college. If you bring a soup, bring a story too.
[00:05:58] Take a moment while everyone is sampling the soup. To have each person share the why behind their dish. Is it a healing soup? Is it a budget soup? This transforms the night from a simple food exchange into a sharing of heritage and hacks. You'll find yourself leaving the table. Not just with a full belly, but with a new list of recipes to try on your own.
[00:06:23] So let's wrap this up with some gratitude. The winter soup swap is the gift that keeps on giving. There is nothing better than being tired on a Tuesday night, opening up your fridge and realizing your best friend already made you dinner. Yes, and get your stock pot ready next week. We are pivoting into February.
[00:06:44] Can you believe it's going to be February already? We're gonna be talking about love as a verb. And how to host a Gallatins or Palatines that feels like a mini Friendsgiving. I'm Sandra Colton Medici. I hope that you are staying warm and staying connected. Thank you so much for listening to this episode.
[00:07:03] Make sure to subscribe to the Friendsgiving Lifestyle Podcast wherever you get your podcast, and I will see you on socials. youtube.com/CollegeOfStyle and on all socials at Sandra Colton Medici. In the last episode, I featured our brand new products, two brand new invitation cards. Check out the shop with our brand new products.
[00:07:24] We are going to be releasing a lot of new things in the coming months. We have our first two products on the shop, and we just released our first Spotify playlist, Friendsgiving, January, 2026. So if you haven't had a chance to see it, it is on our blog. But it is also in the show notes. And if you'd like to support the podcast, definitely send me an email at support@friendsgivingshop.com.
[00:07:48] Thanks for listening again, and I will see you right back here at the table next week.