~ Homemade Bread & Vegetable Beef Soup ~

Yesterday was a very raw day , cold , rainy and the snow started coming down last night. We awoke to a couple of inches of snow this morning , it's beautiful to see everything snow covered again , but I'm ready for Springgggggg .............. the garlic still peeks through , letting me know that Springggg ............ is almost here.

Other than checking on the chicks and guineas , feeding them , the rabbit and dogs , I stayed inside. I was going to the grocery store , but changed my mind and decided to make do with what I had on hand. I gathered up 5 quarts of canned veggies and browned some ground chuck with garlic , threw everything in a large pot and let it simmer. Then I tried making french bread again , my first attempt was a complete failure , a few weeks ago. The bread didn't rise and was sooo heavy , not sure what I did wrong . I thought maybe the water wasn't warm enough to make the yeast work or maybe I didn't give it enough time to start working. So I made sure the water was warmer and let it sit longer , until it was bubbling well. The dough did rise and the bread was good with the soup.

I plan to make this bread soon , found the recipe on Mother Earth News at this link ,http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx?utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email&page=4. I've seen on a few blogs , were the bloggers had great success with this bread , and love being able to keep it on hand , to make quickly.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn