Last week we were on a soup fix. This recipe comes from Ben’s family. It is our favorite and it doesn’t take long to cook.

6 cups beef stock

2 cups water

1/3 cup Barley

1 diced carrot

1 T. dried green peppers (or ¼ fresh green pepper diced)

1-2 med potatoes diced (too many potatoes make the soup starchy)

1 finely chopped onion or 2 T. dried onions

1 ½ stalks celery finely chopped

1 T. dried parsley

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic finely diced

¼ tsp thyme

1 ½ tsp salt

Bring beef stock and water to a boil, add barley and cook 15 minutes.  Next add carrots and cook 5 more minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for approximately 15-20 additional minutes.  Check vegetables (as soon as they are tender the soup is done).  For extra flavor, add a Tablespoon or so of butter.  This soup actually tastes better after standing in fridge overnight.