I would have...

posted a pic of the wonderful beef barley stew I made yesterday for supper last night but it seems like it's all gone...I only had two small bowls so some mice must have come along and ate the rest of it cause I know my hubby would not have eaten the rest of the crockpot full....

Here is the recipe so you can experience it for yourself:

2 carrots diced
2 celery spears diced (are they called spears? I dont remember I'm having a menopause moment)
1 small onion diced
Stew meat (add as much or as little as you would like, I used 1/2 lb)
Stock beef or chicken (I used chicken) enough to cover
1/2 cup pearled barley

Put all in crockpot and cook for 8 hours on low.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now I must admit I screwed up my chicken noodle soup when I canned it.  I didnt know you werent supposed to put the noodles in too so needless to say the noodles turned to mush (another menopause moment ;)  So I just drained off the broth and used it in the beef barley stew and threw the noodles away.  It worked great!  See I didnt waste too much...Ok you can stop laughing now.  Now if you put the barley in first thing it will be big and soft so if you like your barley a little bit more al dente (oooh big Italian word) add it during the last hour of cooking and it should be fine. 

By the way the stewing meat we got from Trinity Farms not far from where we are.  It was pasture raised and the meat tastes great so to give them a plug...check out their website http://www.trinityfarmsofalabama.com/  They also raise pigs for slaughter as well.  I got some pig fat to make some lard from them.  Half a side of beef filled our freezer so we are set for meat for the winter, and spring, and fall and winter...two people just dont eat that much in a setting well unless it's beef barley stew LOL.

Talk to ya later!

Denise