Nothing like a Home Cooked Meal

Nothing like a Home Cooked Meal

Beef Vegetable Soup Edit

Welcome spring with this hearty vegetable soup

They say there’s nothing like a home-cooked meal.  This holds especially true around here. And with he cold dying down, you’ll want something hearty and healthy to get you back in the swing of spring. Many of us know that an old-fashioned vegetable beef soup is the perfect fit. Local, Daniel Townsend, through the blog, Top Recipes, provided this particular recipe. It’s perfect for if you want your kids to have the taste of home you had a a child or if you jut want to experience it again for yourself. // by Sean McCracken

INGREDIENTS:
– 1 lb. beef stew meat
– 1 onion
– 3 celery ribs
– 10 baby carrots (or a couple regular carrots)
– 2 potatoes (peeled if you like)
– 1 cup frozen corn
– 1 cup frozen peas
– 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
– 3 1/2 cups beef broth (or 2 14-oz cans)
– 2 small bay leaves
– 2 teaspoons garlic powder
– 2 tablespoons olive oil (or any other cooking oil)
– 4 cups water
– 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut meat into small, bite-size (1/2″) pieces.
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté meat in 1 T oil on medium-high heat until all sides are brown.
3. Set aside on a plate.
4. Chop celery, onion, potatoes, and carrots into bite-size pieces.
5. Sauté celery and onion in remaining 1 T oil until onion is golden (about 10 minutes).
6. Add browned beef, water, broth, and tomatoes with juices, carrots, potatoes, corn, bay leaves, and garlic.
7. Bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until beef is almost tender, about an hour.
9. Add peas and hot sauce to soup.
10. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 30 minutes longer.
11. Serve and season with freshly ground black pepper, hot sauce, or crumbled saltines, if desired.