I Made Stephen King's Tomato Soup Recipe

I don’t think there’s anything that makes me happier than a good book and a delicious meal. Okay, world peace yada yada would make me happier, but lets be realistic. In the real world, being able to sit down and read, alone, in the wonderful quiet, is nothing short of bliss. Having a belly full of yummlys straight from the book—mind blowing.

Confession: I didn’t finish the book before I made Marnie’s lunch. To be honest, I was about 500 pages in when I skipped to the last page.

I KNOW. Bibliophile blasphemy! But I was dying to find out if my Jakey changed the past. Thank God King knew better than to put spoilers on the back page, protecting greedy little readers like me from myself.

In fact, what my prying eyes found were recipes straight from the past, the same meals Jake ate. The foodie in me exploded with glee. I threw down the book (Okay, gently set it down. One doesn’t simply “throw” Stephen King!) and ran to the grocery store. That would buy me some more time.

See, finishing a great book is hard for me. Its like saying goodbye forever to something that was new and special. Of course, you can always go back and re-read a book. It’s not like it disappears when you’re done. But it’s never the same. When you finish a book you loved, its like the book becomes a memory. You can re-read and relive that memory, but it still feels like a memory. You never get that “first time” excitement back again. (Which is probably why I made a very unladylike squeal when I found out King was going back to Derry—my Derry! If only he’d brought me back Bill…but at least we see my favorite ginger, Bev! And on an interesting note, I had just dyed my hair red. See, everything harmonizes with itself, doesn't it JIMLA?)

(She thrusts her fists against the posts and still insists she sees the ...toast? 

Sorry, little tuna salad humor...I'm all done now)

Anyway, making my Stephen King time-travel meal was the perfect way to make this book last just-that-much longer. To wait just a little longer before saying goodbye.

Now about that food. The tomato soup had a wonderful chemical free taste, which is rare unless you make your own food, and I think that was what King was going for by putting recipes in the back. The 60s had a beautiful simplicity to food that we don’t usually experience in 2014. I mulled over this fact for a while, let it marinate, shall I say, and then thought F-it, I’m going to add a shit ton of cheese! To put it bluntly—the soup was kind of bland as laid out. I think my 2014 palate is quite spoiled, so after my initial taste test, I ventured from the recipe and threw in a handful of Italian cheeses and parsley. After it had time to simmer for a while--delish.

The tuna salad was perfect on its own. Simple, classic, clean. Don’t change a thing.

I won’t post the recipes here for obvious copyright reasons, but there is another reason, too. You should go out and experience this book (and food) for yourself. I finished it this morning, before I even had a chance to heat up my leftovers. You know that need you get from books? Its like nothing else. Well, I needed to know how this one ended. Something in it connected to my heart and wouldn't take its hooks out until I finished it.

Friends, if you've ever wished you could change something in the past, read this book. If you've ever wondered if you’d be willing to destroy the entire world in order to change your broken heart, read this book. If you just plain-old love a solid story, read this book.

And then make some tomato soup to cry into when its over. Just throw in a little cheese, first.