Vegetable Soup

Mmmm....Cool days with a sick little one just simply call for soup!  Yesterday I cooked up a big pot of vegetable soup and then realized I had never shared it here.  I offer my sincere apologies; I know you just couldn't live much longer without it! heehee!  :)

I started with this.

The bag in the back is the empty vegetable soup blend bag.  I always like to add a little extra vegetables.  I normally use butter beans, but we were out.  I just used what I had.  You can add any vegetables you like.  To make the soup, place the vegetables in a large pot.  Pour in the vegetable juice.  Fill that bottle at least halfway full with water and add that. (I use close to a whole bottle of water.)  Adjust the water to your taste.  Bring the soup mixture to a boil.  Then add 3-6 tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon Beef Base to the soup and mix well.  (I use close to 6 tablespoons.)  Turn the heat to low and simmer for a couple of hours until vegetables reach your desired tenderness.  The soup is wonderful just like this, but sometimes I add previously cooked meat from the freezer.  Remember that ham I wrote about the other day?  I took out a bag and added it to my soup this time for a little protein boost.  :)

 Mmmm....It was so good!  We ate it last night and tonight.  We will eat it one more time before the leftovers go into the freezer in individual servings.  I am funny about reheating meats, so when I added the ham to the soup, I left it in bigger chunks so that I can make sure it is all gone before I freeze it.  Also, when I reheat the leftovers before freezing, I don't reheat the whole pot, only what we will eat at one sitting.  Quirky, I know.  I am just not sure about the safety of it.  :)  Maybe someone out there can offer some insight on that matter.

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!