Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup

You all are going to love this easy and tasty recipe by my Aunt Marge. She is beautiful inside and out and I absolutely love her cooking! She literally has the best smile in the world! I love eating this with a slice of fresh homemade bread!!! I literally forgot the barley at the grocery store so I recently made it without the barley and it’s amazing as well! I don’t know about you, but warm stew or soup is so comforting on a cold fall or winter night! I advise making it while listening to Christmas music!

Ingredients:

-1lb of boneless chuck, tip or round cut into 1/2 inch cubes. I purchase already cut stewed beef cubes from my local farm and then took kitchen scissors and cut them even smaller for bite size pieces.

-1tablespoon of vegetable oil (I used olive oil) so either work!

-1 cup of water

-2 organic beef bullion cubes

1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of thyme and marjoram

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

1 bay leaf

-1/2 cup of uncooked barley

-cups of water

-3 medium carrots sliced (about 1 cup)

-1 long stalk of celery sliced (you can do 2 if. you like !)

-1 medium onion chopped (1/2 cup)

-One 16 ounce can of whole tomatoes

Instructions:

- Heat the oil to a 4 quart dutch oven using medium heat and brown the meat.

-Stir one cup of water, the bouillon, salt, thyme, marjoram, pepper, and the bay leaf then cover and simmer until the beef is tender. The recipe says up to 1.5 hr. I didn’t plan enough time and simmered for about 15 minutes and I feel the meat was so tender and flavorful.

-Stir in water, carrots, celery, onion and tomatoes (with the liquid) and add the barley. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes.

- Enjoy with fresh baked bread! Feel free to add salt and pepper as desired!

I hope you love this as much as I did!!!! Enjoy!!!!