Mushroom and Barley Soup

I was inspired by this Hungry and Frozen post to make mushroom soup the other night. It was very easy to make and ended up being so delicious I thought I'd share.

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic (I like things super garlicy, you might want to only use one clove, up to you!)
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 2 slices chopped bacon (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• a generous splash of white wine
• grated parmesan and chopped parsley to serve (also optional)

To cook:

• Heat olive oil in a heavy pot and add garlic, then mushrooms, bacon and sage. Get it all nice and sizzling, then once it's starting to get a bit sticky deglaze the pot by splashing in your wine. Lower heat and leave for a few minutes to reduce and cook.

• Add stock and barley and bring to the boil. Simmer for around 20 minutes until the barley is cooked through and softened.

• Once it was cooked I used a stick mix straight in the pot to blend it up slightly to create a half smooth, half chunky texture. Now you're ready to serve it up, with plenty of parmesan on top, and some chopped fresh parsley.

I managed to prepare all this while Ray was having his dinner. Then I left it simmering while doing his bath, I put him to bed, then I jumped in the bath, then it was ready to eat! Not that I ate it in the bath. I got out and ate at the table, then spent the rest of the evening on the couch. A most peaceful and relaxing Saturday evening!

Easy Eats: Busy People's Bread

Although I love cooking (and eating!) I never really attempt anything too complicated, or that will have me stuck in the kitchen all day. So when I heard about Annabel Langbein's 'Busy People's Bread' I thought it couldn't be more perfect. I have made bread before, and I love it, but what with all the rising and kneading, you need to be at it all day to accomplish such deliciousness. With this recipe you can have homemade bread on your table in around an hour!

The recipe says to use seeds but you can modify this to taste, or just use whatever you have on hand. I've made it before when I had no bread at home and I was too lazy to go out and buy any, and I threw in fresh basil, and grated up the hard end bit of a block of parmesan that had been lying around the fridge for months. The result was pretty bloody good. With this latest loaf I used sunflower seeds and poppy seeds, and ate it with lashings of butter and Melbourne Rooftop Honey.