Never thought I'd try a @wilw recipe...

...but here I am.

I'm currently in the recovering stages of a nasty sinus battle (damn these Willamette Valley allergies!), but earlier this week, I was wanting homemade soup that had nothing to do with chicken. So, I asked Google to tell me what soups would go great with with the sinus headache of the century and Snotagra Falls. The first thing that popped up was this blog entry from Wil Wheaton:

Recipe time: Wil's Sinusitis Can Suck It Vegetable Soup

I thought, "Why not?" But I was too miserable to drag myself to the grocery store, so I'm only now making it now that I can intermittently breathe through my nose again. But, true to my usual form, I made changes (Wil's in Italic):

• 3 cups tomato juice--I used V8
• 1 can chopped tomatoes, or 4 chopped fresh tomatoes (save as much of the juice as you can)--I used a can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 4 or 5 carrots--I used about 12 organic baby carrots
• 3 or 4 medium potatoes (I used the red, gold, and purple medley)--I used 2 huge potatoes
• 1 medium zucchini--the zucchini and squash at the store was pretty pitiful, so I bought frozen
• 1 medium yellow squash--see above
• 4 or 5 stalks of celery (I used celery hearts)--I used 4
• 1 medium yellow onion--the onion I got was pretty big, so I only used half
• 4 large cloves of garlic--I used 2 teaspoons of pre-minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (Soy or Tamari sauce also works)--I used organic soy sauce

Heat a bit of olive oil in a stock pot or large (~4qt) sauce pan. --I used grapeseed oil.-- ... Add the potatoes and stir. About a minute later, pour in the tomato juice and water, and turn the heat to maximum. Add all the veggies and spices. Stir like a boss. If the veggies aren't covered, you can add a little more tomato juice. --I put everything else in my crock pot, and added the garlic/carrot/onion when it was done. If I could cook everything in that pot, I would.--

Now, anyone who knows me well enough knows that I *LOVE* meat. I briefly considered added chopped beef to this, but ultimately decided against it. Though I may eat it with a turkey sandwich.

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Two hours in CP--taste test. Was kinda bland. Added a little more salt and pepper, another tablespoon of soy sauce, and a couple shakes of Worchestershire sauce. A little better. Potatoes still firm, so still has some cook time.

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Sprinkled in cayenne powder without really paying attention to how much I was putting in (you know, red on red). Went to my in-laws' for a few hours, had a small bowl when I got back. Sinuses were temporarily cleared, and my mouth felt like I was eating lava. Tasted pretty good until I lost feeling in my mouth thanks to the carelessness of my sprinkling. 

Final verdict: Definitely a "season-to-taste" recipe. Considering Wil is a beer connoisseur, I can't imagine he has no sense of taste, but everyone's taste buds are different. I like a lot of flavor, but I don't like my mouth tingling for hours (definitely my own damn fault). I will file this away for later to try again without the torturous amount of cayenne, but as long as you season responsibly, this is a pretty good recipe.

I'm off to watch the Star Trek TNG episodes "Justice" and "Naked Now" so I can laugh the pain away with Mr. Wheaton in spirit.