Jan's Ruffage Vegetable Soup

***You can use any vegetable and meat combination you like.
You can leave out the meat entirely.
You can also cut this recipe in half - but the leftovers
freeze really well.

Cheese Cloth
2-3 lbs. of stew meat, or chuck roast, or short ribs
2-32 Oz. Cartons of Beef Broth  
2-24 Oz. Bottles Tomato Juice like Spicy V-8
3 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
2 Tbsp. Lemon Pepper                    
1 lg. container of chopped Onion           
   Bell Pepper & Celery
1 Tomato - chopped (or a can of Rotels)
3 Carrots - chopped 
2-3 Mirlitons  - peeled & cubed
1-2 Turnips - peeled & cubed            
1 Sm. Cauliflower - chopped               
1 Sm. Broccoli - chopped
1 Sm. Cabbage - chopped
1 Zucchini  - peeled & cubed
1 Yellow Squash - peeled & cubed
1 Bunch of Parsley or Cilantro, chopped
Salt & Blk. Pepper to taste
 
(Try to get a soup bone or some meat that has a bone.  
I use any combination that looks good.) 
Season and brown the 2 to 3 lbs. meat in an oven proof 
pot.  Add 32 oz. of beef broth to the pot, cover and put 
in a 350 deg. oven for 3 hrs.

Remove meat from the broth and set aside.  Strain the
broth through the cheese cloth until it comes out clear.
Set broth in the fridge so that the fat will rise to the top
and you can scrape most of it off.  

Chop or shred the meat - remove any fat or gristle.

In a large soup pot - bring the Tomato Juice, broth from 
the meat, the other carton of beef broth, Onion mix,  
the Italian Seasoning & the Lemon Pepper  to a boil.

Throw in about 6-8 cups of the chopped vegetables,
Rotels (if you're using them), and the chopped 
meat.   Cover, lower the heat and simmer until the
vegetables are cooked to your liking.  
Add the chopped Parsley or Cilantro and season with 
Salt and Pepper.