Hearty Beef Barley Soup

It is still very cold in these parts, and snowed again a little bit yesterday.  When it's cold outside I hibernate inside where it's warm and cozy.  So on that note, it was a great day to make a pot of soup and I got to work in my kitchen.  My kitchen is my favorite place to be, it's my fun, creative play space! 

I had all of the ingredients for my soup in my pantry, I keep everything stocked up at home.  There is one thing that bothers me most when I'm cooking, if I need an ingredient, I don't have it, and I have to stop what I'm doing and run to the store and get it.  Puts a damper on cooking.

I do have to say my soup did turn out fabulous! I served it up with a crusty sourdough bread. The hubby was in love all over again and enjoyed every last spoonful of my tasty winter meal.

Recipe Below.

A few simple ingredients for a wonderful hearty soup.

I dusted my beef with a little flour to thicken the soup a bit.

Brown the meat in olive oil.

Looking good.

Beef broth in along with my veggies.

Thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper gives a special flavor to my soup.

Medium grain barley. 

No pre-cook on the barley, just drop it in the soup and let it cook in there.

And there it is, the tastiest bowl of winter soup I have had in a long time.  It's filling, warms you and the belly and is also good for you, what more could you ask for.  ENJOY!

Hearty Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 lbs beef cubes, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 32 oz. containers beef broth, can also use stock, I use low salt

2 large carrots, diced

2 large stalks celery, diced

1/2 large onion, diced

1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained, can use fresh if you like

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons thyme

3 large bay leaves

2/3 cup barley

Instructions

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large Dutch oven.  In a resealable bag add the beef, flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Shake the bag until all the meat is coated.  Add meat to the heated oil in the Dutch oven.  Brown the meat until all sides are seared.  Add the beef broth, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and bay leaves.  Cover and simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Stir in the barley and cook for another 30 minutes until the barley is tender.  Serve with a crusty bread. 

 

Roasted Creamy Portobello Mushroom Soup

Another frigid day here in the eastern part of the country, it's only 3 degrees, YIKES!  I think this is great homemade soup weather, no matter how you slice it.  Today I gave mushroom soup a try, took some basic ingredients and put a twist on them to make this delicious Roasted Creamy Portobello Mushroom Soup.  Recipe below.
  To print recipe, click, highlight and print.

Some basics and a few things to turn up the volume of the soup a little bit!  It's the Sherry baby!

Melt the cup of butter, this makes the broth rich tasting.

Dice the onion, mince the garlic and cook them both in the butter.

Now I got a little crazy and decided to roast the mushrooms, portobellos are meaty so it's easy to do.  Cut up any really big mushrooms, season them with salt and pepper, drizzle on a little olive oil and toss together. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes.

Onions and garlic are tender, throw in some thyme, bay leaf and a little nutmeg, yes that's right just a little.  I also made my roux to thicken the soup. I scooped 3/4 cup of flour into a bowl then ladled just enough of the butter from the pot into the flour, to mix it into a paste.  

Toss back into the pot and whisk it into the remaining butter mixture.

It will become creamy like this with no lumps.

Add the stock, sherry and cream, and using an immersion (stick) blender, or a blender (but be sure to run hot water in the blender before putting anything hot into it so it doesn't shatter!)  Blend all together, so the broth is smooth.

When the mushrooms are done I strain them in a colander so the juice doesn't thin the soup.  Toss about 2/3 of them in the pot and reserve the rest.

Take that immersion blender again and smooth out some of those mushrooms.  When you are done, toss the remaining mushrooms in and leave them whole. 

Delicious, flavorful, creamy and rich Portobello Mushroom Soup.

Roasted Creamy Portobello Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

3 big cloves garlic, minced

5 sprigs of fresh thyme, stripped

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup flour

3 lbs Sliced Baby Bella Portobello Mushrooms (3 - 16 oz containers)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 - 32 oz containers vegetable stock

1/3 cup dry sherry, leave it out if you don't like it

1 - 32 oz container of heavy cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the two sticks of butter.  Add the onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and nutmeg.  Cook until tender but not brown.

In the meantime, spread the mushrooms out on a large baking sheet and season with salt and pepper, toss with the olive oil.  Roast in oven for 20 - 25 minutes until browned. Remove from oven and drain in a colander to drain all the juices.

Add the flour to a medium bowl and ladle some of the butter mixture from the soup pot into the bowl.  Mix enough into the flour to make a roux.  Add back into the soup pot and whisk it into the remaining butter until there are no lumps and it becomes smooth.

Take out the bay leaves and discard.  Add  vegetable stock, sherry and cream to the pot and stir until all is combined.  With an immersion blender or blender, blend until the broth is smooth.  Bring to a simmer over medium high heat.  You will have to continue stirring the soup so it does not stick. When the soup boils, reduce heat to a low simmer for 40-45 minutes, uncovered, stir it occasionally. 

Add 2/3 of the roasted mushrooms to the pot and with the immersion blender, chop them up. Toss in the remaining mushrooms, but leave them whole.  Cook for another 30 minutes, or until the soup thickens.

Makes about 12 servings.

Chase Those Colds Away - Homemade Chicken Rice Soup

So they say chicken soup is good for the soul, but guess what, it's also great in easing the symptoms of the common cold.  There is no cure for the common cold, but eating chicken soup will definitely help you feel better.  It acts as an anti-inflammatory and temporarily speeds up the moving of mucus.  I know that sounds gross, but it may help the body kick a cold by battling the congestion and the inflammation.  It works by helping all that mucus move along and out of your body.

Most colds last 8 -9 days or sometimes up to 3 weeks.  That's a long time to not feel so good, and it's really rough if you work outside the home.  I have a few simple remedies in keeping colds at bay all year long - I constantly wash my hands, I keep sanitizer and wipes in my purse for when I am not near soap and water, I keep my hands away from my face, I wipe the handle of my shopping basket down before I touch it, get enough sleep and eat right.  There is no sure cure for the common cold but some of these strategies will help keep the germs away.

There are no colds in my house right now, but I made this Chicken Rice Soup anyway.  I usually make Chicken Noodle Soup in the Fall and Winter months, but decided to switch it up and use rice instead.  It was awesome!  Recipe below.

A few of my ingredients and get the chicken cooking in the pot.

 Dice celery, carrots, onions and add some seasonings to the pot.

 Cook up the rice and add to the pot, so delicious.

 Take the chicken out of the pot, remove from the bones and chop it up.

 Hot, yummy tasting, cold chasing, homemade Chicken Rice Soup. It's SOUL good!

 Homemade Chicken Rice Soup

Ingredients

6 cups of water

4 large chicken thighs

3 ribs of celery with leaves, diced

4 carrots, diced

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 - 32 oz. box of chicken broth

2 - 32 oz. boxes of chicken stock

1 tablespoon of kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme

3 cups of cooked white rice, cook according to the package directions

Directions

In a large soup pot, add the 6 cups of water and the chicken thighs, leave the skin and bones on the thighs. Cook on high heat until the chicken looks done, about 30 - 40 minutes, depending on the size of the thighs. Reduce heat to medium, leave the chicken in the pot and add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, broth, stock, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes.  In the meantime, start cooking the rice in a separate pot.

Remove the chicken from the pot to a bowl, let it cool. When you are able to handle it, remove the skin and pull the chicken off the bones.  Discard the skin and bones, chop the chicken up and add back to the pot. When the rice is ready, add to the pot, breaking up any rice that is stuck together.  Cook for another 5 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

Purple Babies

Well I am back!  I was cleaning the whole house after my new paint job in the kitchen, redecorating, and moving furniture around.  That is how I spent my Memorial Day weekend.  The downstairs is finally done, and now I will be working on the upstairs.  My son's room is getting painted today, and when my daughter goes overseas for the year for school, her bedroom and bath will be painted.  It will probably take me that long to get it done, I am not as young as I use to be. 

So now I am back to my old ways, cooking dinner every night.  It's summertime, all meals will be cooked outside, weather permitting.  I made these savory potato packets the other night for the grill.  And who ever thought we would be able to buy purple potatoes at the market?  The texture of these "purple babies" as I call them, is so smooth and flavorful.  

I used the steamable in the bag purple potatoes.  Tear off squares of foil, I made four packets. Cut the potatoes in quarters (I only used 1/2 the bag), divide potatoes onto each piece of foil.  Peel a Vidalia onion and cut in half, then slice thickly and divide on top of the potato packets.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp of minced garlic (the jar kind is fine) drizzle with olive oil, top with a few springs of fresh thyme.  You could also use rosemary if you like.

 Fold them up tightly, onto the grill for 25 minutes and you have yourself some fantastic tasting "purple babies"!  Turn the potatoes as they are grilling.  Be careful opening the potatoes, they will be hot and steamy.

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four!

Herb roasted potatoes with onion are a favorite in my house for dinner.  They are so much more flavorful than plain old mashed potatoes or french fries, so easy to prepare, and good as a side dish with any meat, chicken or fish.  This is how I make mine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Start with any kind of potato, white, red, yellow or purple.  Wash and cut them into chunks, about the same size for cooking evenness, put onto a baking sheet.  Peel and slice up one half of a sweet onion, add to the potatoes.  Next, chop up about 1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme.  Sprinkle all the herbs over the potatoes and onions.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Drizzle olive oil over the top and mix with clean hands to coat all the potatoes and onions.  Roast in oven for 45 minutes.  Turn oven to broil, to brown and crisp the tops of the potatoes.  Remove from oven to a serving bowl.  Ummm Ummm Good!