There are two things my mom actually taught me how to cook, hamburger vegetable soup and what I call "Cup of Cobbler" which I'm sure I'll share how to make later. My mother is not a great cook, nor does she proclaim to be. However, she makes a great hamburger vegetable soup.  Anytime there's a chill in the air it makes me crave the taste of it and a piece of cornbread.

Yesterday we went for a ride on the motorcycles with some friends and on the way home we weren't quite soaked to the bone, but all I could think about was having a steaming hot bowl of Hamburger Vegetable Soup and cornbread muffins for supper. The cup of cobbler for dessert would have been like icing on a cake, but since we still have leftover cake I didn't make it.

If you've been reading my posts, then you'll probably be surprised that I actually used ground beef and not turkey for this! Actually, I probably would have used turkey, but all I had was the seasoned kind in the freezer and the corner market doesn't carry it.

I put the ground beef in a skillet with a little bit of water so that when it cooked it would break up in to finer pieces. While it was browning I chopped up 1/2 of a medium sized onion and added it and about 2 teaspoons of minced garlic to the skillet.

Once the onions were clear, I drained the ground beef in a colander and then poured it in a Dutch oven. You know, that big pot that comes with a set of pans.


I added a tablespoon of KC Masterpiece Steak Seasoning to the meat. I don't think my mom does this, but I had some and thought it would taste good added to it. I was right!


Then I added a big can of tomato juice. Of course, I still haven't found my can opener, the one that makes the triangle holes in the side of the can, so I resorted to making a slit on each side of the can with a regular can opener and using a butter knife to make the holes in the sides.


I poured the tomato juice in the pot with the meat.


Then I added two cans of veg-all, juice and all.


I turned the burner on low and stirred it every five minutes or so until it started bubbling. Just because I like things "steaming" hot, I let it simmer a few more minutes before ladling it into a bowl, topping it with some shredded cheese and serving it with cornbread muffins.


Perfect rainy day supper!


Hamburger Vegetable Soup

1 pound ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon steak seasoning (optional)
32 ounce can tomato juice
2 cans veg-all (I don't recommend the generic or other brand!)

In a skillet, add ground beef, onion and minced garlic. Brown meat until onions are clear. Drain. To a large pot add the meat and onion mixture, steak seasoning, tomato juice and veg-all (do not drain). Simmer uncovered on low until soup is bubbling hot, stirring every 5 minutes or so.