Porch Living, Soup, and Still Smiling.

SOUP’S ON!

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow is exhilarating;
there is no such thing as bad weather just different kinds of good weather.
-  John Ruskin

Sitting on the porch wearing my favorite old London Fog and slurping up a paper bowl of hot beef vegetable soup as the rain slaps against the screen. It is cold out here but the hot soup I made in the crockpot earlier in the week hits the spot!

I warmed the crock pot dish on the gas grill burner.

(We have no kitchen right now in case you were wondering.)

When the guys come home I will make grilled cheese sandwiches with rye bread and NY sharp cheddar.

On the grill. A new one for me.

I guess I have been doing it wrong all along!

Feels like camping.

I will be so grateful for the new slide in range!

My sister in law, Alice, served this soup years ago, and I have been using a version of the recipe ever since!

Cooling off here in Augusta, thought I would share this hearty meat eater recipe!

This recipe is off the top of my head. You can improvise—

Vegetable Beef Soup

1.5 lbs. beef tips

1 plastic container of V8 juice (large size container, could use half, then add beef broth)

1 family size frozen pkg mixed vegetables

2 small onions chopped

4 garlic cloves

4 celery stalks chopped

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 medium baking potatoes cut into 1 inch chunks

 

Place beef tips in a large zip lock bag, add flour. Mix the beef tips with the flour to coat. Heat dutch oven or large pan to medium high add olive oil, pressed garlic cloves, celery and onion, stir, then brown the beef tips. Toss the zip lock bag in trash.  Add browned beef tips to crock pot if you want to let simmer overnight. Set the crock pot to low. OR add to dutch oven on medium heat stove to simmer.

Next add the liquid–V8 juice, beef broth or a combination of both and add the potato chunks. Cover.

I let this simmer slowly for about 2 hours on the stove or all night on low in the crockpot.

 

Have you ever grilled your cheese sandwiches on the outdoor grill? It’s a first for me. Honestly I felt stupid like they should have been GRILLED all along instead of in a pan on the stove as I have always made Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. I made them this week with dark pumpernickle bread. DELISH.

 

Stay warm and dry. 

Please comment below so I’ll know someone read this!

ML