2 1/2 lb. beef (shanks, soup meat or sm. chuck roast)
1 lg. soup bone
3-4 lg. carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 pkg. frozen soup vegetables
3 tsp. barley
2 cans tomato soup
Parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
1 green pepper, diced
6 potatoes, diced
Tabasco sauce, to taste

In a large soup pot, place the cut up meat and the soup bone and fill the pot with water, covering meat. When water starts to boil, turn the heat down and skim any skum that has formed. Keep cooking the meat until it is almost tender. Then add the rest of the ingredients, except potatoes; simmer the soup for at least 2 hours. Add the potatoes and cook for 25 minutes longer. Add a few drops of Tabasco sauce.