Ketchup - is it a magical ingredient.....sometimes?

So - I had a lackluster week in the kitchen and wasn't feeling too inspired so I fell back on an old family favorite, Vegetable Beef Soup.  I have always liked it with a good piece of dense bread and butter in hand for dipping and our weather cooled a little bit so soup seemed perfect.  Not to downplay the recipe (and i know I already don't sound excited about it) but something is really off with my taste buds this pregnancy and things I normally found comforting and tasty, don't have the same affect mid-pregnancy.  So that was how it ended up with this soup.  But, my husband said it was good and he loved the healthy portion of beef so there were no complaints from him.  I also found some great organic free range cubed beef at Trader Joe's so I used that for this recipe and it didn't disappoint. 
Oh, and I must admit (and I wince as i do so) this recipe calls for ketchup.  Just like other foodbloggers have commented it makes them feel, it makes me feel ....well.....the same way using canned soup makes me feel.  Like I've cheated and totally coped out and used impure ingredients.   Anyway, ketchup is used in this recipe and like the little bit of magic it brings to some meatball or meatloaf recipes it does add a little something to this recipe as well.

Vegetable Beef Soup

3 1/2 lbs cubed beef (you can use shank, roast, etc - whatever you prefer, but it can be a lean cut of meat)
1 1/2 qts water
1 can of tomatos (i use whole stewed tomatoes and cut them in quarters or halves)
2 white potatoes , cubed 1/2 "
3 carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced (i like to add the chopped tops/greens too)
1 c. chopped onions
1/4 c - 1/2 c barley (i love barley so i tend to add more)
1/4 c ketchup
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt and pepper

Bring all ingredients to a boil in your largest covered stock pot EXCEPT carrots and potatoes.  (These you add 1 hr before it's done otherwise they will be too soft, maybe even mushy)
Then turn down to a simmer and simmer for 1 hour covered.  After an hour, add carrots and potatoes and simmer another 45 mins to 1 hour.  There may be a little foam on top (from the blood in the beef) skim that off the top of the soup. 
Serve with bread or Ina Garten's wonderful "Jalapeno Cheddar cornbread". which Meg has even referenced in an earlier blog post.  We made the cornbread when we reheated the soup for a second night.

I failed to take a picture of the final product, but what I can post is a picture of my fellow sous chef making wonderful peppermint patties for her 2nd birthday the week prior. 

Meghan and I follow (Meg initially introduced me to it) a sweet blog called http://www.flythroughourwindow.com/ and on it there are great step by step directions and tips for making these tasty little patties.  Very easy and oh so yummy!  They were a hit at our little girl's birthday party and Meghan and her little sous chef even made them for a special gathering at his school as well.  Try them and report back - they are surprisingly easy!