Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Soup, Bread, and Limping Back to Normal



I am just getting back to some sense of normal around here. Christmas was a wonderful mix of family, lots of food, sweet time with old friends, and a surprise visit from my sister. Because of the way Christmas fell on the calendar this year, Greg was off for more than two weeks. It's amazing how out of the routine you can get in two weeks. We are limping - and I mean limping - back to normal.

Yesterday's below zero temps screamed for a dinner of soup and bread. As I was devouring the leftovers today for lunch, I felt that I HAD to share the recipes with you. Nothing Earth-shattering about this meal, just simple, healthy, and delicious. It makes you grateful for cold weather and long days indoors smelling rising bread and simmering soup.

Easy Beef Vegetable Soup:
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 envelope Lipton's dry onion soup mix
1 bag frozen soup vegetables
1 carton V8 vegetable juice

Brown the meat and put it in a crockpot. Add vegetables, soup mix, and V8, give a good stir, set crock on low, and cook for 6-8 hours.

Mom's Awesome White Bread
In a bread maker, add the following ingredients in the order suggested for your machine:

3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
3 cups bread flour (King Arthur's is best... I've tried to cheap out and get a less expensive brand, but it doesn't taste as good)
1.5 t salt
3 T unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 t yeast

Set it and forget it. If you serve this bread with pasta to your dinner guests, you will be a hero. I promise. Save the heel and toast it for lunch the next day, smothered with butter alongside a big bowl of the leftover soup.

Stay warm & happy, friends!

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