I also make damn fine soup…

This recipe is derived from my grandmother’s and my mother-in-law’s recipes for vegetable beef soup.

I never actually saw my grandmother’s recipe, but I know what she put in it.  My mother–in-law actually helped put together a cookbook for her Woman’s Club and included her vegetable beef soup as well as other family favorites.

My own version is a combination of the two with a little extra zing thrown in..

• 1 package of stew beef from your supermarket meat counter (about 1-2 pounds of meat)
• 2 large cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 large can of tomato sauce
• 1 large bag of frozen veggies (about a pound).  Stay away from California blends with cauliflower and broccoli - they just don't hold up and get mushy
• 2 tablespoons of garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon of oregano or Italian seasoning

Procedure:

1. Cut the stew beef up a little if you like it in bite size pieces, cover with about an inch of water and boil for about 30 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, the tomato sauce, the spices and the veggies.
3. Cook for about 2 hours or until you can't stand smelling it anymore.
4. Serve with fresh hot cornbread.

This recipe FREEZES BEAUTIFULLY and makes a LOT of soup so it’s good to put some in your freezer!  It is so good and perfect for a cold day. 

To freeze, dish up into the container of your choice.  If you want, you can also dish into zipper top bags and lay on a cookie sheet in your freezer to freeze flat.  Then, they stack up.

To reheat, you can thaw if you like or just pull the container from the freezer, run a little hot water over to loosen the soup and dump into the pot of your choice.  Heat on low until thawed and hot.