About
Thanks for your curiosity. My name is Karen, and it’s true, I’m addicted to soup.
I’d get help, but ya know, I just don’t wanna. I mean, it’s soup. Who wants to be saved from soup?
I’m an enthusiastic cook, baker and organic gardener in Cincinnati, Ohio. I’m also a professional writer with 15 years of technical writing experience and over 50 bylines in tech magazines and journals. My passion for food writing runs deep, and I explore all related topics, from recipe development to nutrition to agricultural policy.
Welcome to my little foodie home on the web! Still want to know more? Visit my FAQ page.
Karen Gibson
Many recipes on this site (and almost all new recipes) will include vegetarian alterations. Some will also be vegan and gluten-free.
You can reach me at soupaddict [at] gmail [dot] com.
Hello, and welcome to SoupAddict, my little corner of the foodie world on the Interwebs. I'm Karen, and it's true, I'm addicted to soup. The seasons guide my cooking and eating, and when I'm not behind the stove — or the keyboard: I'm a writer by trade — you can find me in my vegetable garden. 
This is such a great blog! I am making pretzels today! I can’t wait for my children to get up so we can start!
Thanks, Stacey! I love homemade pretzels – they’re so fun to make (and forgiving – not the perfect pretzel shape? Who cares, it’ll still be great!), and there’s nothing else quite like a fresh one out of the oven.
Great blog! I found you through the “Smitten Kitchen” site. I cannot wait to finish reading through all of your recipes. You have me sold on your grilled cheese sandwiches though.
Thanks for your support re: the food coloring. What do you use?
Hi Katie – I know, I about fell over when I saw the recipe called for a total of 50 drops of food coloring for the batch. 50! I’m going to make them anyway, and if my gels can only make pink and pale green, that’s okay. I have this exact pack: http://www.amazon.com/Icing-Coloring-Kit-8-count/dp/B0000CFMU7/ref=pd_sbs_k_1 . It’s available at Michael’s (and, apparently, Jo-Ann Fabrics). They work great in icings; hopefully they’ll do the same thing for batter.
Hi Karen,
Had to stop and say Hello when I saw your tags included Findlay Market. I’m a Cincinnati transplant now in Santa Clara CA, in Zone 9b, working on a seed-to-table project for my homeschool coop. Come see us at http://fromdirttodinner.wordpress.com/ I wish you were here to help! Loved your container gardening info and can totally relate about the seed catalogs. Thanks for the blog. It’s fun to find you here.
Juli
Hi Juli,
Thanks so much for your comments, and for visiting someone from your old turf! I loved your winter carrots (and I’m really envious of your CA last frost date!). The seeds in a jar is a totally cool experiment – your students are lucky to have such a teacher!
Karen
Hi julie, since we do not have bees, do we need to polinate our squash plants. If we do need to do this how do we do it. Fran
Hi Fran,
If you have no insects whatsoever that will hop from flower to flower, then your best bet is to hand pollinate your squash. Fortunately, it’s really easy, as long as there are both male and female flowers in bloom simultaneously. They’re easy to tell apart: the male flower sits atop a very slender stalk, while the female flower will sit atop a baby squash fruit.
Use an artist’s paintbrush or a Qtip to gently swab some of the pollen from the male’s stamen in the center of the flower (pollen will be visible, orange or yellow) and transfer it gently to the female’s stigma. Female flowers are often open only in the morning, so it’s best to check your plants before that first cup of coffee. Don’t worry if you see mostly male flowers – they almost always outnumber the females, and begin blooming earlier in the season than the females.
You’ll know if you were successful if the squash fruit suddenly takes off in growth with a healthy green color. Unsuccessful pollinations will cause the fruit to rot and drop off in a few days. Good luck!
Karen
Hi Karen,
Your blog is a hoot to read. Loved the 7 layer cookies, and the kiosk blog from last holiday season. It’s nice to connect with you on your home turf.
Happy Baking!
~ MaryJane @ King Arthur Flour
MaryJane from KAF! Your cookie decorating tips are bookmarked (now those are some amazing cookies), and I’ll be making the Tender White Cake this weekend for a charity event (with KAF cake flour, of course). So glad you stopped by – I need some straight-shootin’ bakers to keep me on track and creating bread to soak up all the soup.
Hi Karen,
I couldn’t find the link to subscribe to your blog via email.. I saw the feed. Help! Thanks! LOVE your blog I just stumbled across it
Hi Gretchen,
Take a look again at the bottom of the right hand bar. I’ve been moving things around a little, and apparently I moved it entirely off the blog. D’oh! Thanks for your note – otherwise, I may not have noticed!
Karen
Hello,
I guess I should have sought help for this addiction also but I don’t want to either. As a child, I was seriously addicted to campbell soups and my mother made some good soups herself too which I try to duplicate, I’ve got her potato soup down pat but the chicken and the vegetable just don’t taste like hers. Anyway, so glad I found you and I look forward to reading through your site.
Regards,
Margaret
I know what you mean – sometimes there’s just nothing like Mom’s soup. (Now that’s chicken soup for the soul.)
Just discovered your blog. Love your writing, your clever quips, humor… and of course, the food. Great… keep it up!! Mangia mangia!
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a hello – Hope to hear from you again!
can’t remember how i stumbled upon your blog but i’m loving it! soup rules
I love your blog! I’m addicted to soup, and it seems we have almost every other hobby in common as well! I promise I’m not going single white female on you, but we also share the same first name! Anyways, I’ve never found a blog more perfectly suited for me. Keep up the great posts!
I’m addicted to Soupaddict! I found this blog today through the Fresh-Pressed-o’sphere and have spent my whole lunch hour going through all the posts. (No… really. ALL the posts. i plugged that sucker into Google Reader and had a blogish field day!) I love your writing, ADORE your photos and covet your garden. Its taking every ounce of willpower not to run out, quit my job, get a garden and a camera and blog away in a similar fashion (though how I will be able to afford a house with a garden and a good camera… er… and internet for that matter… idk) Thanks for posting awesomeness!
I love love love your blog – just fantastic – a daily read for sure! Kind regards from Australia. Carolyn
Lovely blog! I’ve just added to my reader! Greetings from Italy!
Hi Karen,
Congratulations on your recipe being chosen for the big bake-off in Branson, Mo.
I heard about it from the mother of soup addict. She is so proud and so am I.
Lots of luck in the contest and bring that grand prize home! We will be rooting for you!
Love Ya,
Patty
Hi Karen,
We have found your blog through the fresh pressed feature while we are on a mission trip in India and we absolutely love it. My wife and I are both HUGE food and soup fans and have been missing food that’s not Rice and Curry SO. BADLY. So, thanks for making our mouths water and reminding us of home!
Levi
Wow, India – awesome! (Now all I can think about is Chana masala…)
Karen,
Just saw your comment on Smitten Kitchen about shortening the length of CI’s Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. It is one of my favorites too, but I don’t make it as often as I like because of how long it takes. So, if you wouldn’t mind sharing how you shaved 15mins off of the prep time, I would really appreciate it.
Also, I’m glad your comment lead me here. Your site looks great! I can’t wait to explore more.
Nancy
Hi Nancy!
Coincidentally, I did a post about Chicken Tikka Masala almost exactly a year ago: http://soupaddict.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/chicken-tikka-masala/.
Doing the chicken first (all the way through putting it under the broiler), before starting the masala sauce, is what saves the time. That way, the chicken cooks while you’re making the sauce, and while the sauce finishes simmering, the chicken can cool to the point where you can handle it for cutting … so the sauce and the chicken actually finish at the same time. The CI recipe was maddening until I figured that out: the chicken added almost a half hour to the end of the sauce, and meanwhile the rice was clumping, and the oven wasn’t the right temp for the flatbreads. Frustrating!
BRILLIANT!! That makes so much sense, I’m embarassed I hadn’t thought of it. Thank you.
Off to read more of your posts,
Nancy
Karen,
I don’t know how I came across your blog, but here I am! I’m currently reading your delicious-sounding recipes from Seoul, South Korea! It’s difficult to find a lot of things in Seoul, but just looking at your colorful, mouth-watering pictures comforts me and reminds me of home. Thanks for sharing
This is the first blog I’ve ever subscribed to.
Well, welcome!
I love your Blog and am inspired. I gave mentioned it on mine.
Hi Karen,
I just came across your recipes and I can’t wait to try them all
As a photographer myself I also love the way you present your recipes to your readers! Please keep up with this fantastic work!
Are you interested in trying out new soup recipes? If yes, I love to provide you with some really tasty ones.
All the best to you,
Sandra
Hi Karen
You sure have some great stuff here. So good in fact, that I was hoping to link to a few of your recipes in some of cooking school lessons. Could you possible drop me a note or at least send me your contact info so I could send you a brief email? Cheers!
Hi Karen. I love your sense of humor and your blog.
Ran across your blog tonight. Gorgeous and your recipes sound divine. Love your sense of humor as well, truly did make me LOL several times!
Thank God I am not alone! I too am a professed soup addict and cannot stop my slurping spoon-to-mouth ways. I feel like I am with a kindred spirit here
And your blog is so beautiful too! I think I just might make myself comfortable here (with a bowl of soup in hand, of course)…
I enjoy your blog – loved the fish taco sauce. Keep doing what you are do
thanks
Leo
I just found your blog through http://www.mybizzykitchen.com
Your blog awesome… great recipes and hilarious writing.
I am a soup addict, too! I am sure I’ll be trying a lot of your recipes. Thanks for sharing your creations.
love your site/blog Karen, great photos, those always inspire me to try new things. Reading cookbooks and recipes is one of my fav things, and your sense of humor…. right up my alley
I made my own version of pumpkin/carrot savor soup over the weekend…. divine and silky smooth. Bookmarked this site for sure, will be back again and again.
Hey Karen,
I’m new to your blog and loving it. I featured it on my Friday Foodblogger Favorites this week, here’s the post: http://wp.me/p26wpj-nH. Keep up the great work! Thanks, Angela
Hi! I just found your site through a google search for “cheesy vegetable soup” and I am over the moon about your blog! Looking forward to diving deeper into your recipes and seeing new posts come through! Happy Holidays, Kristen
Hi Karen, I am also a Cincinnatian and have just recently found your website! We have become soup addicts at our house because of you!!!! Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful reciepes…
Molly