Beef and Barley Soup

This recipe is for Kristi, who inspired me to make this by asking me if I ever have. So delicious! Kristi has since moved to San Diego where her husband got a new job, so yay for employment and boo for friends leaving. I got this recipe from a food blog that I love, Prudence Pennywise. She made it in the slow cooker, which I would have done if I had the time, but I didn't so I made it on the stove. Everyone who eats in my family loved it.

1 lb. stew meat
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried parsley, or 2 tablespoons fresh
Add later:
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley (quick cooking is fine)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
fresh parsley, for serving

Slow Cooker version:
Add meat through parsley to crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. Add barley for last hour of cooking. Stir in vinegar and sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Stove top:
Heat 2 Tbsp oil a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Cook until onions are translucent an mushrooms have browned, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add garlic and stew meat and sprinkle with salt. Brown the outside of the meat for about 3 minutes then pour in beef broth.
Bring to a boil; add red pepper flakes, bay leaf, parsley and barley. Let simmer, covered, for 35-45 minutes, until the barley has cooked through. Add vinegar and sugar. Adjust seasonings as needed.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

I started realizing how much pasta my family eats when I noticed how many posts I have for it on here. It's cheap, it's fast, and it's good (insert joke), so we eat it a lot. For this recipe you can essentially use any veggies you want - just try to cut them to the same relative size so they cook evenly and pick ones with complimentary tastes.

1 pint grape tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 red onion, cut into eighths
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
8 ounces Penne pasta (or any other short pasta)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded


Preheat oven to 425*. Place tomatoes, garlic, onions and cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

Peel roasted garlic and mash with the flat side of your knife. Add to pasta pot, along with veggies, pasta water and Parmesan cheese. Cook over medium-high until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Bun Carmel Popcorn

Yeah in your face! Here is another post and it's one of Mendi's recipes.....So our sister made this on New Years Eve and it was amazing! I wish I was eating it right now. Also if you don't love cooking or are a challenged cook, it's all made in the microwave. I usually pass on anything popcorn because I can't stand the kernals in my teeth, but this was worth all the flossing.

12 c. popped popcorn
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 c. brown sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ c. light Karo syrup
1 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. baking soda
3 sq. almond bark

Put popcorn and pecans in a big bowl.

In a microwave safe bowl, add brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix. Chop butter and put on top, put corn syrup on top of that. Microwave 30 seconds, stir, microwave 2 minutes, stir, microwave 2 more minutes. Put vanilla, soda into hot mixture (will foam). Pour into popcorn mixture and then put onto foiled jelly roll pan. Bake at 250 for 30 minutes.

Pour baked mixture onto wax paper. Melt almond bark, drizzle over popcorn. Break into chunks.

Makes 5 small containers worth.

Brown Sugar Muffins

Ok first, you are the only one who posts recipes because if I remember correctly you went to cooking school. Second, everyone likes your recipes........so here is my 2nd post

½ cup softened salted butter (1 cube) (if you use unsalted add ¼ teaspoon salt)
1 egg
¼ tsp. vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups of flour (I did 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white flour)
1 tsp soda
1 c. milk

Cream brown sugar, butter, add egg, vanilla and mix. In a small bowl mix flour and soda. Then add alternately flour mixture and milk into the creamed mixture. Don’t over mix. Fill greased muffin tin ½ to 2/3 full.
BAKE 15 minutes 375
Makes 12 muffins.

Lightened-Up Potato Cheese Soup

When it's stormy and freezing outside there are few things that warm you as well as a good bowl of soup, especially if it is a creamy, delicious bowl of cheesy potato soup. The only downside is that you will have to wear stretch pants to eat it and still be comfortable. The original recipe comes from my Aunt Pat who is an amazing cook, but since I would like to continue to button my pants I needed to lighten up her recipe a little. If you want the original recipe e-mail me and I will gladly send it to you.

2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
6 potatoes, peeled and chopped into small dice
2 tsp olive oil
4 cups water + 4 tsp chicken bouillon OR 4 cups chicken stock
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2-3 cups 1% milk
4 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed

In a large pot, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook until onions are almost translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and some pepper. Add water and bouillon (or stock) to pot and bring to a boil; once boiling add potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

In a medium pot melt butter and add flour, stirring constantly to combine, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in 2 cups of milk. Heat through and add cubed Velveeta, stirring until melted. Add to potato pot and stir to combine. Simmer for 20 minutes. If soup is too thick add another cup of milk and stir to combine.


Note: cut your potatoes into small to medium size chunks so that when you eat them you don't get a big hunk of bland potato.

Linguine with Bacon, Artichokes, Tomatoes and Feta

I had all these ingredients on hand so I made a pasta out of them. Super good.

8oz Linguine noodles
6 slices Turkey Bacon, chopped into 1/4" pieces
1/2 - 1 full can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped.
2 handfuls grape tomotoes, halved
Feta cheese
2 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Pepper

In a large pot bring salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until al dente; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Mean while, in a large skillet cook bacon over medium high heat until beginning to crisp. Add artichokes and cook 1 -2 minutes. Add cooked noodles, tomatoes, Feta, butter and reserved pasta water. Toss altogether to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes, until a sauce is formed and all ingredients are coated. Add chopped parsley and fresh pepper to taste. Serve.

Cucumber Salad

You know the really good kind that you get at Japanese restaurants. So fresh and so yummy and SO EASY. According to Mutsumi, my Japanese friend, you are supposed to let this sit overnight so the cucumbers soften and really soak up the flavors, but I made it an hour before dinner the other night and loved it.

2 English Cucumbers
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt

In a medium sized bowl combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Take wrapper off of cucumber and quarter lengthwise. Then slice up each quarter trying to keep an even thickness. Add to vinegar mixture and toss with spoon to coat each piece. Let sit covered in the fridge overnight or at least for an hour on your counter.