Grandmother's Vegetable Soup

As with all wonderful recipes of my grandmother's, this is merely a guideline.... If you don't have some terrific leftovers stashed in your freezer that you can add to this, it will be basic vegetable soup. However, if you have some yummy chili leftovers, spaghetti sauce leftovers, beef gravy, cooked vegetables with basic seasoning (read: bacon grease, salt, pepper, sugar), etc. then this soup will be amazing. Peas, butterbeans, green beans, corn, etc. all work well; avoid cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cabbage and strong tasting veggies like mushrooms green peppers unless you want the soup to taste like them.

• 1 soup bone, preferably with meat
• gallon of water
• salt and pepper
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 whole onion, chopped
• 3-4 ribs celery, chopped
• 3-4 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 can okra
• 1/4 t. basil
• pinch thyme (1/4 t.)
• 2 rounded T. dried parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 potato OR spaghetti OR egg noodles OR rice
• leftovers

I have no directions down for this soup! Just the ingredients.... General soup making tips: browning veggies (onion, carrots, celery) will enhance taste. Bring ingredients to a boil and then simmer until flavors meld. Add starches and cooked leftovers at the end.