Ok, so this doesn't look like my dad. If I hadn't said that, you might have thought my dad had a full beard and was portly, as they said back in the day. He really was skinny as a rail. Dad passed away on Armistice Day, what we now call Veteran's Day, November 11, in 1951. Armistice Day was to commemorate the signing of the end of World War 1. When I was growing up, that was a very important day in our house. After all, Dad was a veteran.

What does that have to with soup? Not much. My dad was not much of a cook, but he was a whiz with soft fried eggs on toast. Dad developed this soup out of desperation back around 1940, just before the War. Mother decided she needed a job and found one in a factory that canned tomatoes. That left Dad at home to fix supper for my brothers and me. I suppose we could call this Desperation Soup. He threw it together with whatever he could find in the kitchen.

Whenever I come across a new cookbook, I always turn to the soup section to look for Dad's soup. I haven't found it yet. I wonder how many wonderful dishes are out there that haven't made their way into a cookbook. If you have such recipes, be sure to write them down. Don't let a fabulous dish die with your loved one. If she won't give you a copy, take pencil and paper, sit down and watch her make it. If she doesn't measure, just eyeballs the ingredients, you know, a handful of this and a pinch of that, write it down that way. Later, it won't be that hard to figure out.

Another thing, do you remember when bacon did not come sliced? It even had the rind (skin before it was smoked) still on it. Treasure your sliced bacon. Gone are the thick misshaped slices of yore, gone and not missed.

DAD'S BACON VEGETABLE SOUP

½ lb sliced bacon, diced
1 pint of home canned tomatoes, or
16-oz can diced tomatoes
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled, sliced in coins
1 stalk celery, cut like the carrots
2 medium potatoes, peeled, diced
Anything else in the veggie drawer of the fridge
Salt and pepper to taste
Homemade noodles, if you've got 'em, or otherwise, 8-oz noodles, cooked and drained
1 quart water, or more as needed

In large kettle, place the diced raw bacon, tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. Add water. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until all vegetables are tender, about a half hour. Add more water as needed to maintain soup consistency, otherwise it's a stew. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The bacon cooks up nicely. Add cooked noodles. It is even better the next day. Serve with bread and butter.