Day 17: Homemade Vegetable Soup

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Bastrop State Park to take an educational hike with a park ranger who helped the children to see the fire damage but also the way that nature is coming back and new life is returning to the area.  We needed to leave pretty early to get there, so I worked fast and got the soup ready before we left.  It was in the crockpot by 8:30 and we ae around 6:30 in the evening.  This is a pretty simple yet tasty meal.  We ate more than half of what was in the pot, but I'm still freezing the leftovers to have sometime either for lunch or on an evening when the whole family isn't eating together for some reason.  I'm thinking more and more that I want to bring out the large roaster oven and start trying out some of these recipes in there tripled or quadrupled.  This was another of David's choices.  So far, everything he has chosen has been well received by everyone!  I did double this recipe and it filled my 6-quart crockpot to the brim.

Homemade Vegetable Soup (from Fix it and Forget It Recipes for Entertaining)

1 lb. stewing meat, cut into pieces

1 bay leaf

1 small onion, diced

3 carrots, sliced

2 ribs celery, sliced

3 potatoes, diced

14 1/2 ounce can stewed tomatoes, cut up

8-oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup frozen green beans

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped cabbage

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1. Season meat if desired (again, I used a Cuban cook's favorite go-to seasoning--Adobo) and place in bottom of slow cooker.  Add all other ingredients and stir to combine.  

2. Add water to fill pot or cover vegetables to desired amount.

3. Cover.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or more.

Today we will be making beef and dumplings!  Lots of beef dishes chosen by my boy!  Also, this evening I will be preparing a breakfast dish to be slow-cooked overnight for us to eat in the morning.  I LOVE doing that as well!

Enjoy your day, and find something for which to be thankful!  Yesterday was a good reminder for me--even in the midst of destruction and devastation as horrible as the damage caused by the Bastrop fires last year, God is the one who is making ALL THINGS NEW!!

 "Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'"

Revelation 21:5