Good Soup, Kid!

Good Soup, Kid!

The weather here has been crazy - two days of record high temps, sunny and beautiful.   Yesterday and today the temperature plummeted and it is damp, rainy, and raw.   The perfect day for soup!
As a kid, my mother would make wonderful soups and when we would take a taste she would always say "good soup, kid".   I don't know exactly where this expression came from, but it may be from when she was a girl during the Great Depression.   The family took in boarders and supposedly this was the expression the one man always said about my grandmother's soups.   I don't know if this is the case, but as they say - never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
This is one of my favorite soups.  It reminds me of a soup called Hamburger Soup that my sister Theresa's mother-in-law used to make.   Our family had never had hamburger soup, and it quickly became a favorite of mine.   Several years ago I found this recipe and it sounded like it might be close to the original - 

I have changed the recipe a bit to make it a vegetarian dish -

Vegetable Beef ( or No Beef ) Soup

1 lb. lean ground beef, browned and drained.  BUT...I use one package of soy crumbles.   They are easy, on hand in the freezer, and we do not notice the difference as the soup cooks all day and takes the taste of the other ingredients.

1 14-1/2 ounce can of stewed tomatoes

1 15-1/2 ounce can of tomato sauce (I use a can of diced tomatoes instead of sauce.)

1 packet of dry onion soup mix

1 10-1/2 oz. can of beef broth( I use vegetable broth.)

1 15 oz package of frozen mixed vegetables ( and any other leftover veggies that are in the refrigerator!)

Mix all together in a slow cooker.  Stir in one soup can of water.   Cook on low temperature for 8 to 12 hours.  Enjoy with a loaf of crusty bread.

I made this yesterday before breakfast.   It was a raw, rainy day and we ventured out only to go to a great presentation on The First Ladies at the Cultural Center here at Willow Valley.   We spent the afternoon reading, watching a great old movie ( The Lady Vanishes, 1938), and enjoying the scent of a good soup simmering for our supper.   This meal makes enough for 6 dinner sized servings.  I put the remaining soup in freezer containers and am all set for the next cold and chilly day - just reheat in the microwave and enjoy.

What soups do you enjoy making?  Thanks for stopping by Our New Vista - please leave a comment below!