So here is the soup recipe. It came from Whole Foods, and is called Sopa a la Minuta, or Minute Soup. Again, I've given their ingredients and my modifications (and suggested modifications.

1 lb ground beef

Don't get beef that is too lean - you want a little bit of grease for this.

1 Onion
1 Red Pepper
2 cloves Garlic

Again, I just used the creole mix here.

3.5 cups of Beef Broth

You are going to want at least 4. I would say even 5.

1 cup Water

Again, I used more, because I didn't have enough broth.

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces.

The recipe said Yukon Gold, but I don't think it matters.

1 TB Cumin
1 Bay Leaf

I didn't use either of these because I didn't have them and I didn't see the point in buying them if I don't use them on a regular basis. Instead, I just used a bit of Tony's. More on that later.

1/4 lb Capellini pasta

I used angel hair. Feel free to use the pasta of your choice.

The directions say to brown the meat in a large sauce pan, remove it, then soften the onion, bell pepper and garlic in a little bit of the beef fat. I cooked that stuff, along with some mushrooms, in a skillet with the beef because it was easier. The beef I bought was a little too lean, and I almost didn't have any fat in it. Then the directions say to out the beef broth, water and potatoes in the saucepan, bring it to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. I did that, but remember my meat and other stuff is in the skillet.

After the 10 minutes are up, add the pasta and simmer until al dente. I also added some corn and broccoli mix, because I like it. Then add the meat back in and cook until it is warm. If you use a bay leaf, don't forget to take it out.

This is a good, quick soup. Basically, a beef vegetable soup without having to go through the hassle of making broth, and technically with fewer vegetables unless you add them. Total cooking time, not counting peeling and dicing potatoes, was about 20 minutes. The recipe suggests that you can add some chiles too, if you want, but I don't like chiles, so I didn't

I've extolled the virtues of Tony's before, but let me give you a word of warning if you try it - a little goes a long way, and you can go from nicely seasoned to unpleasantly spicy very fast, especially if you aren't used to Louisiana cooking.

On a totally unrelated note, does anyone else think that CBS's new show, "Armed and Famous" is a really, really bad idea?