A month or so ago, on the heels of a whirl-wind trip to Ontario for my Uncle’s funeral , a dear friend provided our family with a meal. It was such a blessing to us during such a busy and emotional time. And as my dad would say, “It was a blessing to my stomach” – which really means, “Man, it was delicious!”
This dear one, who lost a loved one in the fall, knows what it means to be in need and have friends give love in the form of food – and so, she was doing the same for us. And it was good food – Brunswick stew and jalapeño cornbread. Oh, it hit the spot. It is a good thing to have friends who are good cooks.
Not long after we finished our stew, when I saw her again I asked her if she wanted the jars back that had been filled with her Brunswick stew. And she said, “Oh no! I don’t want them! You just fill those jars up with soup and give them to someone else in need!” I promised her I would.
Yesterday, the time came. I was on the phone with a friend – who had a sick little boy. There was no rest for the weary and a day of doctor’s visits. As she was telling me all of the details, all I could hear was my friend’s voice saying, “You just fill those jars up and give soup to someone else in need…”
So, I did. I said, “Let me bring you some soup and bread tonight, so you don’t have to worry about dinner later on this evening.”
And this is what I put in those jars… it turned out quite yummy!
Veggie Beef Alphabet Soup
Ingredients:
(Left over) Pot roast (chopped into pieces, maybe 5 or 6 ounces?)
4 carrots, sliced
4 yukon gold potatoes, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
beef broth (about 4-5 cups or so)
1/2 cup (left over)muir glen tomato basil spaghetti sauce
(leftover) tomato soup (progresso tomato basil, about a cup)
1/3 of a jar of heinz chili sauce
a few tablespoons of kikoman soy sauce (I just shook a few “glugs”into the pot)
a tablespoon or two of molasses
1/2 a small bag of frozen peas
1/2 a small bag of frozen corn
a cup or two of water
a good shake or sprinkle of pepper, cumin, chili powder (to your preferred taste, really)
about 1/3 cup of dry alphabet noodles (Publix brand)
Instructions: Combine the liquids in a large dutch oven, add vegetables, meat and seasonings – bring to a boil, then lower temperature to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender. Then, add alphabet noodles at the end – and continue for a few minutes to cook the noodles.
daily portion 