Mushroom Barley Soup

Picture did not turn out very well but this soup is delicious and surprisingly filling. It was even better after it rested in the refrigerator overnight.


1 1/2 pounds portobella mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 leek, white and light green parts only, chopped
8 cups of vegetable broth (I made my own)
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste

Slice mushrooms, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic. Heat olive oil to medium in a large soup pot. Add all of the vegetables, except mushrooms, to the olive oil. Saute vegetables until tender, for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms, cook for about 3 minutes. Add vegetable stock, barley, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low heat. Cover pot and simmer soup for about 35 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

I'll admit it. I am totally not a morning person. I have spent a majority of my working life on the "off" shifts primarily 2nd shift for a long time. Even when I was young, I always felt as if I functioned better late at night. I have always wanted to defeat it but I never have. That being said, I get up at 6:30 am to get my 8 year old son off to school. The last thing I usually feel like doing is making a meal but I want my son to have a good breakfast. This is where freezing ahead helps me out a lot. One of Ky's favorites is Whole Wheat Pancakes. But these aren't your ordinary heavy whole wheat pancakes, these pancakes are light and fluffy. I've also made a dry mix up ahead of time substituting 2/3 cup powdered milk and 2 cups of water for the milk.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup oil (which I usually omit or substitute unsweetened applesauce for)
1 teaspoon maple or vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
Add wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Combine all ingredients. Cook on hot griddle until done.

Top with your favorite toppings. We love peanut butter with a touch of syrup or homemade strawberry sauce! Yield: 8 medium sized pancakes

For freezing: Let pancakes cool completely. Place on a cookie sheet and flash freeze. Place into freezer bag. Freeze. For serving: Microwave until hot, 1-2 minutes depends on your microwave.

Fruit Filled Oatmeal Bars

I'm always on the lookout for some simple treats to keep around the house for snacks and lunches. I found this recipe in the Better Homes and Garden cookbook a long time ago. I like to cut them up after they are cooled and wrap in plastic wrap for my son's lunch. The original recipe calls for 25 servings. But I cut them into 12 bars. They come out to about 225 calories and 8 grams of fat when prepared with regular strawberry preserves. Not the greatest nutritionally.I plan on reworking this recipe in the future to cut back on the fat and sugar and increase the fiber content to make it healthier. I'll also post a picture of my results. Well, that's all for now! It's Saturday and I've got some housecleaning to do.

Fruit Filled Oatmeal Bars

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup margarine or butter
fruit filling (or one of the options listed below)
10 ounces preserves (I prefer strawberry preserves

In mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and baking soda.

Cut in margarine/butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour mixture.

Press remaining flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9x2 baking pan.

Spread with desired filling.

Sprinkle with reserved flour mixture.

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden.

Cool in pan on wire rack.

Cut into bars.

FILLING OPTIONS:

RAISIN FILLING:.

In medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Add 1 cup raisins. Cook & stir until thickened & bubbly.

APPLE-CINNAMON FILLING:.

Peel/core/chop 2 medium apples. In medium saucepan, combine apples, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a dash of ground cloves. Bring apple mixture to a boil; reduce heat & simmer 8-10 minutes or until apples are very tender.

APRICOT-COCONUT FILLING:.

In medium saucepan, combine 1 cup diced dried apricots and 3/4 cup water. Bring apricot mixture to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon all purpose flour. Stir into apricot mixture. Cook and stir 1 minute more or until mixture is very thick. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut.

Homemade Egg Noodles

I guess the first post of a blog should set a tone for the rest of the posts. First off, I am a bit of a "Jack of all trades, master of none" when it comes to the kitchen, garden, and other household areas. I love to cook and I am constantly developing i.e. "experimenting" in the kitchen. I like to do OAMC (Once a Month Cooking) in addition to baking, quick recipes, crock pot, pressure cooking, canning, candy making, and just about everything in between. Not all of my experiments turn out, unfortunately, like the time I left out the white sugar in an oatmeal cookie recipe and they turned out like dog biscuits. But that is one of the fun things about cooking, it often times has a learning curve. It takes some patience, creativity, and some basic science to create some of your best creations in the kitchen.

I also figured that this would be a great place to keep myself accountable and start organizing my recipes better. With that said, I'll start out with some homemade noodles. My grandma made wonderful homemade homemade egg noodles. She would roll them out "penny" thick and make up a large pot with tender beef or chicken. They were delicious and I loved them. I'm grown up now and I'm still love homemade noodles. I've bought egg noodles at the supermarket but they are just not the same. I make my own using my bread machine to mix up the dough and my Atlas 150 pasta maker to make them. Note: Semolina is a hard durum wheat which has been ground into flour. Bob's Red Mill is a well known brand. It's best to store it in the freezer since it tends to go rancid.

Now for the recipe:

Homemade Egg Noodles

1 cup white flour
1 cup semolina flour
pinch of salt, to taste
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine flours and salt. Beat eggs and stir in olive oil. Add egg and oil mixture to dough and combine thoroughly. I use my bread machine "dough" setting. After mixing, if the mixture is too dry add a tiny bit of water. If too wet, add a little bit of flour. I have used this recipe many times and have never had to add any addition water or flour. It's always turns out to be the right consistency. Wrap dough in some plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes before using.

After it sits for the 30 minutes. I divide the dough into 6 smaller balls to prepare for putting through the pasta maker. When I first started using it, I had a tendency to try to use too much dough at one time.


Take the small ball and flatten it with your hands. Start your pasta machine at the 1 setting on the knob. Run it through steadily and watch your fingers. I like to dust it with a little flour at this point. This is a great project for 2 people. My 8 year old son likes to turn the handle for me. Then turn the knob setting to 2. Run through again. Repeat this process until the pasta is the thickness you like. I usually make mine up to the number 5. It is then time to run it through your attachment.

And you should end up with...


A tray full of fresh noodles. You can dry them or cook them up fresh. I even make them up ahead of the time since I'm already making a mess and got the pasta machine out. I dry them out and store in a freezer bag for a later date. I love homemade egg noodles. They are worth the time it takes to make them. Reames Egg Noodles in the freezer section aren't too bad but mine are better IMHO. Mrs. Weiss' Kluski noodles are another option that tastes more like homemade.

Fresh or dried pasta? Which do you think is better?