Home-Made Beef Vegetable Soup

1 Lb Lean Stew Meat, diced

6 - 8 cups water

2 cans beef or chicken broth (optional - reduce water proportionally)

4 beef or chicken bullion cubes (reduce 2 cubes if using canned broth)

1 cup medium carrots (appx 2 medium), peeled and diced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup onion (appx 1/2 medium onion), diced

1 cup celery, broccoli stems, or leeks, diced

1 cup potato (appx 1 cup), diced (peel if russett)

1 cup yellow sweet potato, diced (peeling is optional)

1 tomato, diced (optional)

1/2 cup pearl barley (optional)

2 oz oil or butter for frying

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tsp italian seasoning (ok to substitute oregano or tyme)

1/2 tsp dill weed (or more, if you like it)

dash salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Directions

Brown the stew meat in one or two ounces of oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. When meat has browned, add water, chicken/beef broth, pearl barley, italian seasoning and bring to boil. Reduce heat until soup is at a very low boil. Add carrots, celery, mushrooms, onion. Allow soup t come back to low boil, simmer for appx 5 minutes. Next add potatoes, leeks and tomato to pot. Bring back to a boil for 4 - 5 more minutes. Check potatoes frequently, they should be cooked but not too soft. Turn heat off immediately when potatoes are nearing the desired firmness. Stir in onion powder, dill weed. Check flavor, very carefully add salt or celery seasoning to taste - it is very important to slightly under-salt the soup.

For best flavor, allow soup to rest 15 minutes before serving.

Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing

I have to thank my friend Phil for this one -- it was kinda his secret recipe but it is so dang good I have to share it with everyone.  If you serve this at a gathering, you will surely be asked for the recipe.  Bonus: it is rather intense, so a little goes a long way.
  
4 oz Fresh garlic cloves

5 oz Vinegar

2 oz Maggi seasoning*  (available at many Asian markets)

4 oz Mayonnaise

2 oz Dijon mustard

1.5 oz Olive oil

1/8 tsp Salt (optional)

1 tsp Ground pepper

Directions:

Microwave garlic cloves for 45 seconds to take the bite out of them. Place them in a (small) blender along with vinegar and blend until smooth. Place blended contents into a 20+ oz container for which you have a lid. Add all remaining ingredients, put lid on tightly and shake vigorously until dressing is smooth and uniform.

Makes about 18 oz. About 45 calories/oz if you use light mayonnaise.

Refrigerate in a closed container. Shelf life is about two weeks.

*Note: there is an American version of Maggi seasoning -- it's called "Bragg's Liquid Aminos".  It is basically a soy sauce variant with some MSG in it.  If you don't have it, you can fake it with these two ingredients.