Beef Barley Soup

This is one of the best things I have cooked in a long time.  It was delicious!  I clipped it from Cooking Light a few years ago, put it in my recipe binder, but never gave it a second look.  The other day I was browsing recipes and noticed that I already had most of the ingredients, except for the beef and the barley - so I tried it and I'm so glad I did!



3/4 lb boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrot
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
4 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
2/3 cup uncooked pearl barley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently.  Remove beef from pan.  Add carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms to pan; cook 6 minutes, or until liquid almost evaporates.  Add beef, beef broth, and bay leaf.  Bring to a simmer over medium high heat.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in pearl barley; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until pearl barley is tender.  Stir in salt and pepper.  Discard bay leaf. 

*The smallest cut of roast I could find was 1 1/2 lbs, so I doubled the recipe.  It took about 20 minutes, rather than 6 minutes, for the liquid to evaporate with the vegetables.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

This is a super fast recipe and really delicious.  Thank you Paula Deen!


1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (.5 oz) package dry pesto sauce mix
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) package bow tie pasta, cooked

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt, and pepper.  Add chicken; seal bag, shaking to coat. 

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, and cook for 5 mintues or until chicken is cooked through.  Add lemon juice.

In a small bowl, combine milk and pesto sauce mix.  Add milk mixture and peas to chicken mixture; cook for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Stir in cheese.  Add cooked pasta, tossing to coat.

I used penne instead of bow tie pasta since I already had it on hand (from last night's chicken sausage and pasta bake) and instead of 12 ounces of pasta, I used about 8 ounces.  

Chicken Sausage and Pasta Bake

I made this tonight and it was a big hit with the hubs...total man food!  It came from the October issue of Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade magazine.

1 (12 oz) package fully cooked chicken sausage

2 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta

2 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tbsp stone-ground mustard

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat sausage according to package directions; cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

In a large saucepan, bring water to boil for the pasta.  Add pasta; cook for 7 minutes or until almost tender.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.

Wipe saucepan clean with a paper towel.  Sprinkle flour in saucepan.  Gradually whisk in milk and reserved 1/2 cup water.  Brink to a boil, whisking constantly, over medium heat.  Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly.  Remove from heat; stir in mustard, sage, salt, and pepper.  Add sausage and pasta.

Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish.  Cover and bake for 20 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes, or until cheese melts. 

I actually used fresh thyme instead of sage because I had it on hand and it was delicious! 

Chicken and Herb White Pizza

 

This came from the October issue of Cooking Light.  It's one of the best homemade pizzas I've ever had!

1 lb refrigerated fresh pizza dough

1 tbsp butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup 2 % reduced fat milk

1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese

1 tbsp cornmeal

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken breast

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place dough in a bowl coated with olive oil or cooking spray; let dough stand, covered, for 15 minutes.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add flour and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Cook 3 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal; roll dough into a 12-inch circle (or press into a free form shape with fingertips like I did).  Spread white sauce over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.  Top with chicken and onion.  Bake at 450 for 17 minutes or until crust is golden.  Sprinkle with herbs.

I made a few changes...

Instead of oregano, chives, and parsley, I used fresh thyme because I had it on hand.  It's one of my favorite herbs and was a delicious substitute.  I also didn't use the cornmeal, but just sprayed the cookie sheet with Pam.

Heirloom Tomatoes

My new favorite summer treat, drizzled in olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper.  The day before, this tomato found itself sliced and placed in a grilled cheese with cheddar cheese and fresh basil.  Scrumptious!

Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables

I found this recipe in the June issue of Cooking Light and made it for our Father's Day dinner.  It was a big hit!

Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables

4 oz uncooked ziti

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow squash

1 cup chopped zucchini

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cups chopped tomato

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

2 tsp chopped fresh oregano

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 cup ricotta

1 egg

cooking spray

Cook pasta, drain.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add squash, zucchini, and onion; saute 5 minutes.  Add tomato and garlic; saute 3 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, and red pepper.

Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg.  Stir into pasta mixture.  Spoon into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Neighborhood Beauty

What a lovely tree for a bird's nest

I'm so happy to see green again.

The most beautiful snail I've ever seen.