Easy Beef and Barley Soup/Stew

Today we had a soup that would be just right for one of those very cold , dreary winter days. That we were having a nice warm spell in Texas and the temperature was over 70 degrees , didn't deter us.It still tasted good.

Also as a change in cooking preparation this soup was made in a crockpot and allowed to cook for 4 hours before eating. This entailed Mike making all the preparations for it whilst still in his pjs before even eating breakfast. He is a very diligent cook and he wanted it to be done in time for lunch. It was very easy to prepare.

It was a mixture of bite-sized stewing beef, carrots, onions, celery, tomatoes, beef broth and pearl barley with seasoning which simmered away all morning making the kitchen smell really good.

I can see why it is called a soup/stew as it looks very thick when served out . The taste was just fine and it indeed was very aromatic.We ate it with nice crusty bread and it was very hearty meal.We both agreed we probably would like it a little less thick and would add more broth next time.

We had a red Barefoot Merlot with it, supposedly with the alluring flavors of chocolate and boysenberry, not that I actually could taste any , but it was a very nice smooth wine and certainly improved this soup day.

If you want to try this recipe just go online and look for it there are a great many to choose from. I am sure they are all basically the same.