I’d be lying if I told you Spy and Q ate this. Nope. This was purely for Jeff and me. And it was good!

We were both getting the sniffles. The weather was chilly. It was the weekend. I threw this in a pot and tortured us both as the wonderful smell wafted through the house. Dinner in a pot. Spy and Q were treated to leftovers.

Sniffles were gone the next morning. Coincidence?

Beef Shank Bone Soup

Cook first:

8 cups of water

1 large beef shank bone

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 bay leaves

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp dried sage

¼ tsp oregano

¼ tsp basil

¼ tsp rosemary

¼ tsp marjoram

Vegetables:

2 cups butternut squash, chopped (I cheat and use chopped, frozen butternut squash)

½ cup carrots, chopped or sliced

1 (26 oz) box tomatoes or 1 can (28 oz), chopped

1 bunch kale, pulled from the stems and chopped

pepper, to taste

Put everything in the ‘cook first’ category into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 3 hours. Add the vegetables to the simmering soup. Continue to simmer for another half hour.

Alternatively, start the soup in a slow cooker. Let it cook on low for 8-12 hours. Turn it to high and add the vegetables. Allow it to cook for an additional 1-2 hours.