Indian Beef and Berry

Okay, for one, I've noted a lack of my (preferred) spices. That is, this soup book lacks generally any spices at all except the occasional thyme sprig or bay leaf. That being said, I found this soup to be pretty mild but widely acceptable.
Also, I didn't go by the recipe as much as I should have. It's my man's fault! So don't blame me. I asked for stew-beef and he gave me ground beef, but, then again, at the price of meat I was okay with it.

If using ground beef, and it's anything like the one I used, be sure to let it cook for a while with some extra water to soften it all up. The recipe really does lend to tender meat, and ground beef is a bit chewy and resistant to be the texture it should. Keep in mind, too, that this generally makes your house smell like sausage and you may find yourself feeling like eating breakfast for lunch.

The recipe is as follows:

2 tablespoons veggie oil (I use olive for things like this)
1 pound TENDER BEEF STEAK. Or, if you're me, then ground beef.
2 onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 quart good beef stock or bouillon
1/2 teaspoon salt, if desired (that's your choice)
1 cup fresh huckleberries, blueberries or blackberries, smashed up some (I attacked mine in a small bowl with a shot glass. It works well.)
1 tablespoon honey (Go local!)

1: Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan (the one you've been using for any of these other recipes) until almost smoking. Add the steak and brown on both sides over medium-high heat. Remove the steak and set it aside.
2: Lower the heat to low and add the sliced onions and butter to the pan. This will smell fantastic with the beef still looming in the air. Stir well, scraping up all the meat juices. Cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are soft. (This made everyone in the house melt. I swear it was this step that made them almost run me down to get to the finished product.)
3: Add the beef stock or bouillon, and salt, and bring to a boil while stirring often. Stir in the mashed berries and the honey and let simmer for 20 minutes.
4: Meanwhile, cut the steal into bite-sized slivers. Taste the soup and add more salt or honey as you see fit. Add the steak to the pan and let simmer for 30 seconds, stirring the whole time. Serve when desired.

Orange cupcakes.

Homemade icing :D

If you're like me and you have ground beef, don't take it out of the pan. Let it cook for a few hours and then just add the butter and onions to it like you normally would; this would turn out slightly different, I'm sure, than the original recipe, but not by much. Also, it saves you from having another pan to clean, which is amazingly useful after one serves 8-people like I do.
Also, I added a few trace things -- some rosemary, curry powder. Not a lot, but it seemed to help. The berries definitely make it and you don't want to overpower them, so be careful with strong herbs and spices like that. Be sure to taste the soup FIRST, and add things gradually.

Also, I made more cupcakes. They were delish. I never had the chance to take a photo of them with icing because they all got eaten pretty fast. =)