Veggie Barley Stew

We're expecting more snow this weekend.  I have to say,  I usually don't mind the snow but this winter it just seems like it's always there.  I look out the window and there are usually a few flakes blowing around.  That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it sure feels like it!  Luckily, I really do like running in the cold and at least the snow looks pretty while you're running.  Sucking a snowflake down your throat is surprisingly NOT a fun thing though.  It sort of catches there and it makes you cough.  Funny the things you find out being out there all the time.  :)

Anyway, tonight was a beautiful night for running.  Some sun to start would have been appreciated but I took a flashlight just to be sure the cars saw me against the gray sky backdrop of late afternoon.  I decided on a new loop because I was really tired of running the same loops I always run.  Plus, this loop was on roads that are a little more traveled than some of the neighborhoods I run in.  Once it gets dark you feel a bit exposed as a runner because it's just you out there and you always want to be aware of where you are and make sure that other people are nearby if possible.  Last year, I read the story of Sherry Arnold, a runner who was murdered while out on a regular run she did all the time.  It hit home with me and I find that I think of her often while I'm out running alone.  Not in a terrified, scared of the world way but instead in a way that reminds me that I do need to be aware;  I do need to be responsible for being as safe as possible but still be fearless enough to run.  So, I watch my routes.  If something doesn't feel right, I do a different route or run a different direction or even call the hubby for a pick up.  Awareness of your surroundings is so, so important.  It's a big reason of why I broke the habit of headphones while I run.  There is just no way to be as aware as you need to be while the sounds around you are muffled out.  Now I can't even imagine running with music.  So, the 2nd Virtual Run for Sherry is being held this Saturday by her cousin who writes the blog, Shut Up and Run.   I have my bib printed out and am ready to go!  I'm hoping that the hubby and I are doing 20-25 on the Appalachian Trail and it will be my last long run before I stand at the start line for Hashawa 50k.

I made it home, a little chilly but feeling good.  My left knee is still pretty sore from being whacked on the ice two weeks in a row but it held up.  And all I wanted was to EAT.  I was starving!!!  Luckily, I had made Veggie Barley Stew and Biscuits before leaving on my run.  The hubby did 17 this afternoon and I made sure it was ready for him.  I should have made more biscuits though because there only three left when I got home and the boy took one of those.  Okay, so I only made 6 but maybe I should have made more because those biscuits are awesome!!!  If you missed my biscuit recipe (it's not really mine, it really is one I found from a google search and have fallen in recipe love with it) here's my post with the link in it.   I halved the recipe for tonight's dinner.   The stew would have been good without the biscuit but I'll take any excuse to add a biscuit to a meal.  :)



So, by now you know that I am a terrible recipe creator.  I'm not even sure that I make anything of my own creation the same way twice in a row.  Soups and stews are especially tricky because I'm tossing a little of this, a little of that into a pot and I'll check on it and tweak it the whole time I cook it.  But I will try very hard to recreate this for all of you.

 

Veggie Barley Stew

• 2 cups pearled barley


• 1 32 oz container vegetable broth


• 2 cups of water


• 2 organic vegetable bouillon cubes


• 2 -4 cups of vegetables - whatever you have on hand.  I had carrots, parsnips and green beans.  Next time I'm sure it will be different.


• 2 cups of chopped and peeled tomatoes, or you could use canned or sauce even.  Whatever you have.  I had frozen peeled and blanched tomatoes from last summer's garden.

Directions

1. Bring broth and water to a boil and add bouillon and barley.


2. Boil uncovered for about 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to a simmer.


3. Add all remaining vegetables and let simmer at very low heat for about 45 minutes.  Sometimes I even turn my pot off after 25 minutes or so and just let the heat keep it cooking.

Easy but hearty.  I love meals and soups that remind me of my grandmother and this one does that.  Not only the aroma of the parsnips that she loved but the barley soup.  She made that pretty frequently with whatever she had on hand.  I love that I am able to continue some of her traditions and I feel so close to her when those memories are all around me.

I said that the soup was my reward and maybe I should have reserved that for dessert.  I have been wanting brownies so, so badly lately and I refuse to buy mixes.  All of the brownie recipes I've tried all come out cakey but I keep trying.  And I think I finally found a recipe that lives up to it's name.  The Best Brownies.

And they are pretty close to being the best.  I am going to experiment on replacing the oil with melted butter or at least half butter/half oil, but other than that, definitely my new go-to recipe.  Top it off with some red raspberry jam and...heavenly!!  That's a reward!



Now, while hubby's still sleeping before work maybe I should head to the kitchen and grab one more brownie.  Sssshhhh!  Don't tell!  :)

Have a great evening!

Sheri