A Weekly Thing

In our house during these cold, dark, depressing winter days (Can you tell the post holiday blues have set in??) one of the only bright spots is knowing we are sitting down to a warm bowl of soup for supper. And or the cook of the family...me...that bright spot shines just a little brighter when I know said soup is coming from the Crock Pot, which has done my job all day while I did my other jobs! And I just feel like when a soup comes out of the slow cooker, the flavor is deeper and it truly has that "cooked all day" flavor without me actually having done so. And so, soups are basically a weekly occurrence at our dinner table during the winter.

This is another recipe from that collection I told you about last week. The set came with many soups, but this was the first I had to try. I had a version of this soup many years ago made by a friend of the family, and it was probably one of my favorite soups of all time. I distinctly remember there only being a small amount of that soup to go around (She was actually sharing leftovers with us) and my dad and I literally fighting over it!

And for those of you who read my plight to find barley on Facebook (it really was quite funny) here is the reason why! For those of you who didn't see that story, I was at 2 different stores on 2 different days before I was able to find the pearl barley for this recipe. So, let me help you a little. Look next to the dried beans and/or rice. If not there, try the baking aisle. (Both of these places were ones I had checked because I had found it there before) And if both of those places fail, try the soup aisle. Now, if you are like I was and after searching the shelves in all of these locations and you are pulling your hair out because you still can't find it, try the international foods aisle. Because this is where I finally found mine! In the "British" section! Which, by the way, I didn't even know existed until this day! Whew...I'm glad I bought the 1 lb. bag because the next time I need it, I only have to search my pantry!

If  you too are a soup lover just trying to survive these winter days, put your Crock Pot to work making this delicious, and easy (after you find the barley) selection!

Mushroom and Barley Soup Adapted from Crock Pot
9 c. beef broth
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. pearl barley, uncooked
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain Jan. 16, 2013
Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Jan. 17, 2013
Shared on The Country Cook Jan. 18, 2013

Soup at Very Good Recipes
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