My mom grew up during the Great Depression and she said that my grandmother had to stretch the food to feed their large family. So I believe this is a recipe that was passed down from my grandmother to my mother to me and I am sharing this with ya’ll. So give it a try and let me hear from you.
Mom”s Favorite Hamburger Soup:
1 lb. ground beef 1 med. onion, chopped 1 cup chopped carrots 14 oz. can beef broth 8 oz. can stew tomatoes 1 bag frozen vegetables, mixed 1/2 tsp. basil 1/2 medium cabbage, shredded
4 cup water 3 tbsp. ketchup 1 bay leaf
Brown ground meat and drain well. Add other ingredients and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season to taste. Freezes well.
This was another simple soup that I learned to make years ago. It is satisfying and simple. Give it a try.
Beef Barley Soup:
1 pound lean chuck beef cut into cubes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large sweet onions, chopped
1 package fresh sliced mushrooms
3 large carrots peeled and sliced
2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
2/3 cup barley
8 cups beef broth (may be canned)
1 cup tomato juice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 package frozen peas, thawed
Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over a medium heat.Add the beef and the onions, saute’ until beef is brown.About 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the mushrooms to the pan drippings and saute’ for about 5 minutes stirring often.Return the onions and beef to the pot.Add the carrot,celery and potatoes . Add the tomato juice and broth. Cook for 20 minutes partially covered for 20 minutes. Add the barley and cook for 25 more minutes partially cover or until the beef and barley are tender. Add the peas and cook uncovered for about 4 minutes or until peas are heated. Remove from the stove and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Hope ya’ll give this soup a try and let me know what ya’ll think of it.
A truely good cook learns how to make a basic stock early in her cooking life. Stocks are really simple to prepare and very versatile.
One of the first stocks that I learned to prepare was beef stock. It is very simple but a very tasty  beginning to many dishes. It can be used as a base for soups,stews, and gravys.
Once you master stock making you are on your way to becoming a soup master or a gravy guru.
There are two basic soup stocks every cook should know how to prepare. They are Beef and Chicken stock.
Beef Stock:
2 cups water
5 pounds beef shank bones
4 pounds beef short ribs
4 celery stalks with leaves washed and chopped
4 carrots washed
2 large yellow onions quartered
4 bay leaves
1 bunch parsley
1 bulb garlic slightly smashed
1 teaspoon black-pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Place all of the ingredients into a large dutch oven. Bake for 1 hour.
  Remove from the oven, and cover with enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Cover tightly and simmer on low for 4 to 5 hours.
  Remove from heat. Let cool slightly and skim off the fat. Strain. Discard the vegetables. Reserve the meat for a later use. You can now use the stock or refridgerate or freeze for a later use.
Ya’ll come back and next time we will make a delectable chicken stock.