The Angel Network

This fall I have been experimenting with how to be a SOUP ANGEL. What does this mean you ask? I have been making and taking different types of soup to sick people. I have come up with a surprising winner. More than Homemade Chicken Noodle soup or Homemade Italian Wedding soup, people love my mom's BEEF STEW when they are sick. Perhaps it’s because it’s full of veggies, along with the meat and potatoes, so they feel nourished. Several people have commented about how they were able to reheat it and eat it throughout the week. I can’t tell you why, but with the STEW, I get RAVE REVIEWS every time!

This is what I’ve learned from my small foray into being a “SOUP ANGEL”

---I’m HUMBLED at how little effort and energy it takes to truly help someone.

---I’m AMAZED at how much closer you can get to a person when you serve them. One of the ladies I brought soup to has become a dear and cherished friend because I was there when she was vulnerable and alone.

---I’m SOBERED to know that simply by making soup and praying for inspiration, I tap into the ANGEL NETWORK. I mean the REAL angel network, not some cheesy TV network. Truly, I’ve had some pretty amazing experiences.....ones that have clearly come together through powers greater than my own.

SO- I been thinking--what if I make a HUGE batch of STEW, and freeze the stew? Before you gasp, I have given frozen stew to people, and have eaten it myself--there is no difference between fresh and frozen. The genius of this is that I so rarely have time to cook when people need food! This way I can be a READY MADE soup angel--ready at any moment to help. I’m documenting how to do this, in case anyone out there wants to be a soup angel too....

ANGEL SOUP

Ingredients:

6 pounds stew meat (cheapest at Sams and Costco)

3-4 x-large cans petite diced tomatoes ($.88 at Walmart)

1 1/2 large bags baby carrots (yes, I’m a baby and don’t get the ones you have to peel)

5-6 Zuchinni

6-7 Summer Squash (these are smaller and yellow)

2-3 White onions (depending on size)

6-8 Potatoes (depending on size)

Beef Boulion

Equipment:

2 large Stock Pots

2-3 Cutting Boards

Enough Tupperware for the Soup (don’t use the cheap stuff--it doesn’t hold up in the freezer)

1. Pour Small amount of oil in stockpots. Once it’s hot, add onions. Cook onions until they turn translucent

2. Get Stew Meat ready--most of the time the meat needs to be cut down into smaller bite sized pieces. I always liberally salt the meat before cooking it. Put the stew meat in with the onions. Cook the meat about 85%, or rare, so there is a little blood showing through. The rest will cook during the simmering process, but won’t get tough.

3. Add the petite tomatoes. For every can of tomatoes, add 3 CANS of water. For my 2 pots I added one Can of Tomatoes to the smaller pot and 2 Cans to the Large pot.

4. Add the beef bouillon to taste. I like the powder kind or the "Better than Bouillon" kind. Most of the time I use 2 different brands, which gives a more dimensional flavor without the cost of real beef broth. I’m not into the cubes. I just keep spooning the bouillon in until it tastes good.

5. As the broth/tomato stuff is heating up, cut up the carrots. Add them once the broth boils. Simmer.

6. Cut up the potatoes next. I never use the peeler--too tedious. Just cut off the skin and cut them into bite sized pieces. Add the potatoes about 10 min. after carrots (just about the time it takes to cut them).

7. Cut up Zuchinni and Summer Squash into bite sized pieces. Don’t make these too big--kids won’t eat them if they are too large. Add these about 5-8 min. after putting the potatoes in--basically the amount of time it takes to cut them.

8. Simmer the soup about 5-10 more min. It’s done when the squash is cooked, but not mushy.

TIPS:

--Don’t cook the potatoes all the way if you’re going to freeze the soup--they will hold up better when reheating.

---Always put the soup in a bigger container than you think you need--you’ll see why as you drive across town. It’s good to have some room at the top. It's also good not to have hot stew splash out all over your car.

---Stock the freezer with a box of frozen french bread (available at Sams or Costco). These are WONDERFUL and it’s great to give someone a frozen loaf of bread to cook when they feel like it.

--Wait for soup to cool before putting it in the tupperware, if possible. Let the tupperware sit on the counter until it’s totally cool before adding the lid and storing it in the freezer. This cuts down on condensation.

RESULTS:

6 large batches of soup.

Cost of ingredients: $28 (About $4.50 each) for stew
Bread: $1 each frozen loaf

UPDATE:

I’ve already given out two dinners in the past 24 hours--one to Meredith’s teacher who has bronchitis and a sinus infection and is STILL going to work. The other I gave to a neighbor I hadn’t even met, but saw the pink new baby balloons outside her house and felt as though bringing her dinner would be a great way to get to know her.

It’s wonderful to know you have dinners waiting in the freezer for people. It’s a joy because the work is already done! All that’s left is to connect with the ANGEL NETWORK.......who wouldn't want to be a part of that??