1 lb. lean beef, hamburger or stew meat
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
4 c. hot water
2 c. 1/2 inch potato cubes
1 c. thin sliced carrots
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf, remove after cooking
3 chopped tomatoes

Cook all ingredients except tomatoes until tender. Add tomatoes then cook additional 15 minutes. This can be microwaved 30-32 minutes plus 15 with tomatoes. Crock pot cooked for 4 hours low plus 15 minutes. On stove top 40 minutes plus 15 minutes.