the full plate's soup swap idea

I was invited to do a soup swap...so great!  I made 6 quarts of Hamburger Soup (recipe to follow) and I now have 6 assorted soups in my freezer!  Eila of The Full Plate blog hosted.  Eila's directions went like this:

•  Invite 10 people over;

• Each person is to bring six quarts of freezer-friendly homemade soup, packed in six one-quart containers;

•  Place everyone’s 6 soup containers on the dining room table;

• Once everyone’s there, each person can give a quick description of their soup;

•  Draw numbers to determine the order of soup selection;

• Then, one at a time, have each guest choose one quart of soup;

• When you've gone through one round, draw numbers again (so nobody gets last choice each time); keep going for five more rounds, until all the soups are selected;

• Send each person home with six delicious quarts of soup which they store in their freezer and enjoy in the coming month or two.

I would love to host another....once my 6 quarts is gobbled up and my freezer has more room!  Soon....

Hamburger Soup

This is Andrew's Mom's soup recipe .

It's hearty and so delicious. 

Oh and oh so easy!!!

1 T. butter                                                                     

¾ - 1 lb. ground beef                                                          

3 small or 2 medium sliced yellow onions                        

1/3 c. barley                                        

1 large can tomatoes 

3 carrots, sliced 

3 celery stalks, sliced

3 potatoes, cut up

1 qt. water             

½ t. pepper

1 T. salt

¼ - ½ t. Worcestershire sauce 

½ - 1 t. A-1 sauce

Brown meat in butter, crumbling frequently to break up.

Add onions and cook 5 min.

Add barley, tomatoes, water and salt; cover and simmer gently 2 hrs.

Add vegetables, A-1 sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper; simmer 1 hr. more. 

Enjoy with crusty bread!

Makes approx 3 quarts