Ya Win Some, Ya Lose Some

Last weekend we finally managed to get all three of us together (only took four months!) so we could travel up to Indy (Indianapolis, for you non-Hoosiers) to visit my son, his wife and our grandson. Unfortunately, it was a rainy, chilly, dreary day. But we were together and we had a nice time visiting with the rest of the family. And the little one is growing so quickly. Babies tend to do that, don't they?

So, we had lunch out and then spent some time strolling around a nearby open-air mall (would it kill them to have covered walk ways?) before we needed to head back home. After a couple of hours driving through the rain we arrived home just in time for dinner. Oh, joy. Now I get to cook. Or not. I'm tired after driving and walking around in the rain and the last thing I want to do is spend time in the kitchen. So I decided to go with my favorite comfort meal when I don't feel good. Drum roll please: grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. Now, my daughter only likes the microwaveable chicken and noodles that comes in a handy container, so that is what she gets. I have to admit that I do have a soft spot for the microwave creamy tomato soup, so I was looking forward to that. However, the dear husband decided to throw a monkey wrench in the works. It seems the only other thing around is a container of vegetable beef soup for two. There goes my tomato soup with chopped green onion and freshly grated cheddar cheese on top.

Being the dutiful wife that I am, I reluctantly heat the soup while I make the sandwiches. Then I taste the stuff. Great, I guess I was in the mood for sodium, preservatives and mushy things that sort of resembled vegetables - not. I couldn't finish the stuff and I vowed never again.

Fast forward a couple of days. I purchased a couple of beef shanks, some veggies and some one-cup plastic containers at my regular grocery store.

Here I have two packages of bone-in beef shanks, black pepper, salt, onion, two cups of homemade beef consomme, three red potatoes, one carrot, celery heart, some fresh green beans, frozen corn, a garlic clove, some Crimini mushrooms, fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves and two small Roma tomatoes.

The veggies have been washed and chopped.


Now it's time to trim the meat. Trim off as much connective tissue and fat as you can. Be patient, this takes a while.

I cut the meat into 1/2-inch pieces. This was worth the time and effort, given that beef stew meat is two dollars more a pound and I always have to trim that up any way. As a bonus, I have the bones and other scraps, which will go into the freezer for a future beef stock.

First I sear the beef in batches in a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Remove to a bowl while you continue working.

Saute the onion, carrots and mushrooms. You may need to add a bit more olive oil at this point.

The remaining veggies go into the pot. Saute lightly and add the beef consomme so the veggies don't burn. As you can see, the consomme is still frozen. That will soon be remedied. Add the herbs. I didn't even bother chopping them as the leaves will fall off the stems as they cook. The stems and bay leaves will later be fished out of the soup.

Add the beef (and the juices) back to the pot and add enough water to cover. Season the mixture at this point. I partially cover the pot and allow this to simmer over medium heat for a couple of hours.

Once the soup has cooled, ladle into labeled containers. The bay leaves and stems from the herbs are pulled out and set aside. I ended up with six single-serve containers and one multi-serve container of homemade beef/veggie soup. These go into the freezer and will be ready for a quick meal.

Now, do you remember the title of this post? When I told my husband what I had made, he pouted. He actually likes that chemical-laden crap in a can. What's a foodie to do?