Farm House Dinner

After blistering heat here in the Northwest we are finally enjoying some cooler weather. It has even been raining. As the calendar rolled over to August I noticed a very subtle change in the air. There is the slightest "nip" to the air now, and the vine maples have taken to changing their colors. That can only mean one thing...

(Beautiful Vermont Colors, not my hometown)

Fall is coming. This is my favorite time of year. Back to school, cool weather, rainy days, falling leaves, and a quiet the takes over the earth. So in honor of fall coming just around the corner I decided to make a hearty farm house dinner. Out of my food storage I dug out my alphabet/lentil soup mix and made what our family calls Hamburger Soup. Think I want to rename it to Farm House Soup, that just has a nice ring to it.

Logan and I had so much fun going out into the garden and harvesting as many different vegetables as we could for our soup. We picked peas and onions, pulled carrots and dug up potatoes. It was like a treasure hunt. We came in a got to work. This is a throw together recipe with no real instructions, so I am going to do my best and giving you a recipe.

Farm House Soup
8 c. water
5 beef bullion cubes
1 c. brown gravy mix, according to package directions
1 c. alphabet/lentil soup mix
4 red potatoes, chopped
1 c. shelled peas
4 small carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb. hamburger, cooked
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt-to taste
Bring water to a boil. Add soup mix and bullion cubes. Turn heat down and let simmer. Brown hamburger and chop vegetables. Add hamburger, vegetables, gravy and seasonings to soup mix. Bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 1 hour or until veggies are tender. Enjoy with some homemade bread and crackers.

What farm house dinner would be complete without a yummy dessert. I got a big bag of rhubarm from my parents when we were visiting last week. So hubby helped me whip up a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. It was so tart and yummy. The only thing it lacked was some vanilla ice cream! But, I was so happy when I found some whipping cream. I added a little sugar and a lot of vanilla. It was divine! Here's to a "Happy Fall"!