BEST Beef Barley Soup

It would putting it mildly to say that "pregnancy nesting" has kicked in. I am BEYOND nesting and I cannot stop cooking and freezing food. Jer thinks it's hilarious and has been (nicely) teasing me that I am preparing for a seven year famine! What can I say?! Welcoming this third baby just might bring exactly that! :)

Anyway, in in effort to multiply the fruits of my labor, I've been pouring through gads of recipes in search of tasty meals that freeze and reheat well. This King Arthur Beef Barley Soup fit the bill but beyond that, it was amazingly good! Nothing like the canned stuff! Although it was a bit cumbersome to make (lots of cooking/cutting/and clean-up) it made about 2 gallons of soup. Definitely worth it's work in finished weight!

If you're interested, I chose to pair it with King Arthur Flour's Soft White Dinner Rolls, but any soft dinner roll or crusty loaf would be just great!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise

2 pounds beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks and patted dry (I increased this to 3 lbs because we like more meat!)

1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 quarts beef stock or broth

1/2 pound medium pearled barley, rinsed in cool water and drained (NOT THE QUICK COOK!)

2 yellow onion, chopped

4 stalks celery, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch slices

6 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch slices

6 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, drained (I cut these up before adding)

DIRECTIONS:

NOTE: I didn't want to use my 10 quart stock pot-I feel like it takes too long to cook in and it cooks unevenly. Instead, I chose to use 2-5 quart stock pots. I cooked half of the meat in each pot and then added 2 1/2 quarts of broth to each pot. I split the rest of the ingredients between the pots as well and it worked just great!

I also chose to dredge my meat in flour (seasoned with s&p) which the recipe does not call for. I liked the end result. The broth seemed thicker than it would have otherwise been. I would definitely do that again!

Heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat in a 10- to 12-inch skillet. Add the garlic and cook until golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the garlic. Working in batches, add a single layer of beef cubes to the skillet and sear on all sides. Remove each batch with a slotted spoon, and sprinkle with black pepper. Leave the remaining oil in the skillet, and set it aside.

In a 10-quart soup pot, bring the stock or broth to a simmer. Add the browned beef and rinsed barley, cover, and return to a full simmer. Reduce heat and cook gently for about 1 1/2 hours.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat and add the onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Stir in the oregano and thyme. Cover the skillet and cook over very low heat for about 15 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables to the simmering soup, then add the chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes before serving. Yield: about 22 servings.

Whole-Grain Brownies

I love to bake. I love to bake things that taste good. I also love to bake things that taste good and that can be good for you as well. Now don't get me wrong, I love the sugary, white flour desserts just as much as the next person down the line but if it can be made a little healthier and without compromising taste, I'm ALL for it. Up till now, I've honestly had trouble finding recipes where whole grain flour can be substituted for all-purpose bleached. Usually "those" kind of recipes are formulated more for health than taste and it shows. Pretty much any attempt on my own has ended in defeat as well. Yeah, those amazing soft, chewy, flaky sugar cookies?! Dark, dense, flat and coarse when made with whole-grain flour. Just not the same. So, when I came across King Arthur Flour's recipe for whole-grain brownies, I was a little skeptical. I knew they had a published recipe book with tons of whole-grain baking recipes but I honestly doubted how good they could be. Nevertheless, they seemed easy enough and the ingredient list was relatively small so I gave them a whirl. Let me tell you, they were fantastic! The only negative thing about them was waiting the 24 hours for the bran to soften! If you're contemplating trying your hand at whole-grain baking, I would definitely recommend these!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups light brown sugar

3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional but recommended

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, organic preferred

2 cups of chips, nuts, dried fruit, whatever you'd like!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan; line the pan with parchment paper if desired.

2. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine.

3. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly just till it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F) but not bubbling. Don't worry if it separates; just stir it briefly to recombine a bit. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder if using, and vanilla.

5. Add the eggs, stirring till smooth.

6. Then add the flour and chips, again stirring till smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

7. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, until a cake tester or sharp knife poked into the center reveals wet crumbs, but not raw batter. The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center. Remove them from the oven, and cool completely on a rack.

8. Cover and let sit overnight before cutting and serving; this gives the bran a chance to soften and become "invisible" in your mouth.

Yield: 2 dozen 2" brownies.