The Family Table: A Simple Soup From a Giving Cook That Touched Countless Lives

Readers share their treasured recipes

Packed with vegetables and ground beef, this simple and satisfying soup became the author's mother's trademark dish. Courtesy of Helene Purdy

Submitted by Helene Chesley Purdy, Hamilton, Virginia In honor of Winkie Chesley, Redding, Connecticut

My mom was diligent in getting her six children to church every Sunday when we were young. We were all baptized and confirmed, but it wasn’t until we were teenagers that she surrendered her life to the Lord. Mom became active in her church and embraced her gift of service while struggling with the demands and challenges of raising our large family.