I've had a quiet day, today. I slept in a bit in the morning and when I woke up, I didn't have a lot of energy and didn't feel like doing much. So, although I had planned to do housework, I just took it easy! Instead of dusting and vacuuming and scrubbing toilets, I replied to comments on my blogs, read other blogs, watched Olympics, read a bit, and made a pot of soup!
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| Beef and Vegetable Soup |
I made the soup with the beef neck bones I bought, yesterday. There was almost a pound of beef neck bones in the package I bought, consisting of four pieces. I didn't follow any recipe, as such; just added what I had on hand. I added about four cups of water (sorry, didn't measure); about half an onion, sliced; some celery, sliced; two carrots, sliced; salt, about 6 or 7 pepper corns, and brought it to a boil. Then, reduced the heat and simmered it, covered for about 30 minutes. At which point, I added two small potatoes, cut up; some diced red bell pepper; and a handful of spinach and simmered for another 30 minutes or so.
I had two bowls of soup for my lunch! My daughter says that only I would crave hot soup when it is 97F outside! But it was only 85F inside the house. :D
The afternoon was rather warm, though, so I switched on the air conditioner in the bedroom and read for awhile.
Dinner was another bowl of soup with a slice of bread.
I put the rest of the soup in the fridge for another day.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to sleep in.
- Words of encouragement from a friend, that were very timely.
- Yummy homemade soup.
- Air conditioning when it is hot.
-Video chatting with my daughter, texts from my cousin, phone call from aunt.
Tomorrow, I need to make an effort to get to the housework. The forecast says it will be another hot day, with a high of 97F. So, morning would be the best time to clean the house, before it gets too hot.
Do you like beef and vegetable soup? Do you have a favorite recipe? Or do you tend to throw stuff into a pot like I do?
That soup looks amazing! I honestly don't know how you manage in that sort of heat. But sometimes something hot inside can make you feel cooler, like spicy food or a hot cup of tea. Take care x
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa. I think the fact that it is a dry heat makes it more bearable. :)
DeleteBisque, chowder, soup or stew are dailies here in winter or to use small bits of droopy or leftover vegetables and a mix of proteins. Do you think it would be possible to get people such as yourself to eat more vegetables if they were disguised as soup, chowder, bisque?
ReplyDeleteIt's not practical to open a tin of cream type soup for merely 2, so I rely on a batch of home made dehydrated Soup Mix base, so popular in my mum's time... crystal milk flakes, [sometimes coconut milk powder], potato or corn starch, preferred dried spices [I dry celery leaves] Chinese dried mushrooms and powdered chicken flavor if necessary. Reconstitute with a pat of butter and appropriate liquid. Vegetables are easily whizzed in blender device and virtually vanish.
Family's all time favorite is Butternut squash and apple soup, served as thick as chowder.
I am definitely more likely to eat vegetables if they are in a soup. :) Although, it seems my stomach didn't like all that fiber, because it is complaining again, today.
DeleteWhat a good healthy soup! The bones you bought looked good, with plenty of meat. It surprises me how much they charge for soup bones locally as they sell large leg bones which have hardly any meat on them and are barely fit for a dog to chew on.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Vienna, I was always intrigued because in the produce section of the supermarkets they always sold little packages with a carrot, a piece of celeriac, some parsley and maybe parsnip or something. I can't remember exactly. These would be the basis for adding to classic Austrian soup recipes.
Our weather has cooled down but we still ate our lunch on the deck as it wasn't raining.
Bushlady
A "soup mix" package of a combination of vegetables makes so much sense! I haven't noticed anything similar in our supermarkets, but then, again, I haven't looked. What I have noticed are more packages of prepared vegetables - broccoli and cauliflower florets, etc. Of course, one pays for the convenience.
DeleteGlad you were able to have lunch on the deck. I guess it won't be long till Fall, although September is a hot month for us, usually.
I'm glad you were able to rest when needed. I've never actually made soup with bones before
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jess. I think I am needing more rest now as things are catching up with me. Well, now you have the basic directions for making soup with bones, should you wish to try it. :)
DeleteYou needed to take it easy one day! I'm glad you loved your soup. I've never made beef soup before, I just buy it canned for Greg.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nathalie. Problem with taking it easy one day is it soon becomes two days and more! :D
DeleteCanned soup is good for an emergency. I keep about 6 cans of "cream of something" soup on hand. But I prefer to make my own soups from scratch - that way, I know what goes into it and can control the salt, etc.