Veggie Beef Soup and Beer Bread

I threw so many extras in there that I had to switch from my Ninja Cooking System to my SIX QUART crock pot!!!  Yes I had enough soup to feed me for an entire week and share with my neighbor for several nights.  And I may have acquired a new addiction to making beer bread, but more on that later!

This soup was a "clean out the refrigerator soup" and boy is the veggie bin of the fridge less full now.  That will be remedied as soon as I go to the store and fill it up again, but I really do like using up what I have in creative ways - and this recipe took care of a lot of excess veggies!  I love the way the smell of soup as it simmers permeates every nook and cranny of the house... it makes me feel all warm and comfortable (and comforted) inside.  So here is what I created... and you have to admit, it is really difficult to ruin soup! (thank goodness for me!)  And it is really quick to put together!

VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
Very loosely adapted from Bobby Deen's recipe for Beef Vegetable Soup in  "From Mama's Table to Mine".

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. boneless chuck, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cans (15 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 quart beef broth
1 quart beef stock
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups chopped white potatoes
1 bag broccoli slaw
1 can butter beans, drained
1/2 bag frozen white corn
1 bag frozen Italian green beans
1/2-1 cup red wine
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Brown the beef in the olive oil.  Then remove the meat from the skillet and cook the onion, celery and carrots for about 5 min until they begin to soften a bit.  Then put the beef, sauteed veggies, and ALL of the other ingredients into a large crockpot (at least a 6 quart) and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, checking to be sure the potatoes are tender.  Enjoy, share with neighbors and freeze the leftovers for a day when you need a healthy meal and don't have time to prepare it!

My SECRET ingredient....really added to the flavor...

This is one of my favorite (yes I have more than one!) slow cookers).
It is Hamilton Beach and has 3 different quart containers so you have
the option of using a 2,4 or 6 quart crock!  Same base - same lid!  LOVE it!

I love having a stash of soup in the freezer!!

And since this was more of a veggie-beef soup than a beef-veggie soup (!), I decided to make a bread recipe that I had recently seen on several blogs.  It is Buttery Honey Beer Bread from Cookie Monster Cooking.  The house smells so good right now with the soup simmering and the bread baking.  There is just nothing like the smell of bread in the oven.  My tummy is growling from the scents filling the air!!

From beginning to BEER!!  

As much bread as I have made over the years, yeast and quick, I have never made a beer bread.  It was SOOO easy and such fun that I will definitely do it again and experiment more the next time.  Cannot wait to try cheese, maybe bacon, herbs from the garden...... oh what fun!!

ALMOST ready for the oven.

OMG!!!  Look at that buttery pool of flavor!

All done - cooling cycle....

Ready to be sliced...... this was SOOOOO good.
Try it if you haven't - EASY and YUMMY!

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