Yummy, yummy in my...oh, you know the rest.

This is the BEST soup I've ever had. The BEST!


Savory mushroom and barley soup

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 ½ lbs sliced fresh mushrooms
6 cups beef broth
½ cup quick cooking barley
2 cups sliced carrots
1 6oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
½ cup finely chopped parsley

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat
Add onion and celery and cook until tender, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes
Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently
Stir in broth
Bring mixture to a boil
Add barley, carrots and tomato paste
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
Remove from heat
Stir in salt and parsley and let stand 30 minutes to thicken slightly and allow flavors to blend
Re-warm before serving

I served this with green beans & baking powder biscuits. I usually want another biscuit at the end of a meal but this time I wanted more soup. Mmmmm, mmmmm, good baby!
Did I mention this soup was the BEST?
Instead of measuring the veggies I just used 2 medium onions, 3 small stalks celery & 4 small carrots. I used dried parsley instead of fresh cos I had a big jar of it. Oh, and I used 2 lbs of mushrooms. I always add extra mushrooms cos well, mushrooms are just the bomb!

The BEST, I'm telling you...

The seat and some dishes

Why is it that boys cannot hit the bowl?
I mean, it's not that small a target is it? But every time I forget to check I end up with a wet bum. It's funny when Chris complains about it. "Why do I always have to sit on a wet seat?" he says. HA - you hardly ever have to sit so I don't want to hear it. I either get a wet butt or go ker-Plunk in the night, girrr. Who taught them how to aim anyway...gee could it be their daddy? Oh goody I get to blame him again mwahahahaha!

~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of the man of the house...
While I was sick over the weekend, he assured me that he would do all the dishes. This was, of course, after they had all been piled in the sink & all over the counter. To eat my Campbell's chicken soup (THE ultimate sick food), I had to use a Pyrex measuring bowl.
Anyway, Saturday night he clears them all out & starts a load. Still have dishes everywhere but it's a start. Sunday AM he does another load. Okay we're getting somewhere now...we'll see if he finishes.
Nope! Sunday evening he proudly announces to me "see babe, I got all the dishes done. All that's left are the big pots, I even unloaded the dishwasher for you!" Hold it there buster, all that are left? Wouldn't that mean that you are not, in fact done?
Like the good passive aggressive wife that I am I smiled sweetly and thanked him. Then went into the kitchen to do the rest of his dishes with much loud banging & growling.
This is something that happens every time I'm sick. I'm a perfectionist. It drives me nuts when someone declares a job done when it is not actually done. I know, I need to loosen up & be thankful that he helps me at all but I just haven't been able to get my brain around that yet.
In my heart of hearts I would love to be the wonderful homemaker who just sails through everything with a smile & smothers her husband with respect bla bla bla. But I'm not. I'm the grumpy, say nothing is wrong then seethe & make nasty comments when he's not listening kind of wife. Pray for the poor guy will ya?