Today was cold and dreary, which is horrible weather to be having in June when I want to be out in the garden, but what can you do?
This is simply a variation on Beef Barley Soup. I don’t usually add tomato paste but it was an interesting change of pace.Here is the "recipe":
- About 2 cups of diced BBQ’s steak
- Two large baked potatoes, the pulp scooped out, and the peeling saved
- One Corn on the cob kernelled
- ¾ cup of BBQ’d mushroom and onion medley
- One 156mL/5.5 Fl oz can on Tomato Paste
- 6 Cups of beef broth
- ½ Cup of Pot Barley
- 2 Tbsp each of Fresh Parsley and fresh thyme
- Black Pepper to taste
All the above ingredients were placed in a slowcooker and turned on high for 30 minutes and then tuned to low for 6 or more hours. I served it with freshly baked bread, of course!
*Bonus: Remember those empty potato skins I saved? Sprinkled with bacon, green onions and cheese, then broiled for a couple of minutes = YUMMMMMY!
Shepherd’s Pie
I still had two ears of corn and one steak to do something with. I could have froze them and created something with them later, but I had the time today to do something with them. So that’s what I did, then I froze the Shepherd’s Pie to use at a later date.
I had used all of my potatoes in the soup, so I had to boil and mash some more. I also used all of the BBQ’s mushroom and onion medley in the soup, so I slice an onion as well.
I diced the last large BBQ’d steak and mixed it and the sliced onion with a package of mushroom gravy mix. I layered the kernelled corn on top of the meat mixture and then the freshly boiled and mashed potatoes on top of the corn.
I let everything cool in the fridge and then packaged it with saran wrap and tin foil. I marked clearly what it was, when it was assembled, when it should be used by, and in the freezer it went. Ready for a hectic day in the future!
Until next time ... eat your leftovers!
