Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup

Mushrooms are still growing here on the Sunshine Coast. I was very fortunate to pick enough Shaggy Manes while on my daily walk to make a nice pot of soup. My Mother made the most amazing Mushroom Soup and today  I made this soup in her memory. So fragrant, silky and creamy. No waste as the cooking liquid is strained and saved as mushroom stock to make this amazing soup.

Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup

Shaggy Mane mushrooms picked along my walk.

Shaggy Manes cleaned, sliced and blanched

Mushroom stock after blanching/cooking the shaggy manes

strained and ready to use.

onions, celery and garlic are sautéed

potatoes diced and waiting to be added

Flour is baked to a nice light golden brown

Brown flour slurry will thicken the soup

All ingredients have been added and the soup is ready to serve.

  

 Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup served with cheese toast

(we had leftover 'fondue cheese' - perfect for cheese toasts)

CREAMY MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP RECIPE

1 Tbsp. butter
 1 Tbsp. oil
1 small onion, diced
8 cups broth ( from blanching Shaggy manes) or water
1 tsp. granulated garlic (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
1/3 cup barley
1 potato, small dice
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup browned flour*(see below)
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar ( or to taste)

1-2 tsp. granulated garlic
4-6 brown mushrooms diced
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot add oil and butter, heat until melted then add onion and chopped mushrooms. Sauté until onion is translucent. Add stock/water and bring to a boil. Stir in barley, granulated garlic ( if using fresh garlic add to the onions and sauté. Simmer for 15 minutes then add diced potato, cream and browned flour slurry. Simmer another 10 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and stir In white wine vinegar to taste. 
*Browned flour
Put 1 cup flour on a baking sheet, place in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Stir once after 10 minutes.
(When adding to soup, stew or sauce, mix with water, milk or broth and then add)
This will thicken the soup and give it a beautiful roasted flavour.

"Though we all have the fear & the seeds of anger within us, we must learn not to water those seeds and instead nourish our positive qualities--those of compassion, understanding, and loving kindness."

~ Thich Nhat Hahn

Dutch Apple Pie Bites

'An apple a day keeps the Doctor away'

I love apples. They are so juicy, crispy, sweet and so good for you. I grew up on a hobby farm, my Father planted many different varieties of fruit, apples were prolific in the garden.

My Mother would make apple pies, applesauce, dried apples and fruit leather for us to enjoy throughout the fall and winter and always enough to share with family and friends.
Today I cooked with apples that were grown by my cousin Walter and his wife Vera who live beside the farm where we grew up. Thank you to Walter and Vera for sharing your beautiful apples, thank you to my sister Wendy for picking them up and for my sister Holly for bringing them all the way from Ootischenia to Gibsons. The apples are a 'common delicious' sweet and juicy. Today I made these Dutch Apple Pie Bites. Perfect for tea/coffee with family or friends.

They freeze well and will be great to serve for any festive holiday too.

Enjoy

DUTCH APPLE PIE BITES

Apples diced and cooked

Streusel topping is ready

Pie dough is rolled, cut and fitted into muffin tins

Apple filling is added

Streusel topping added before baking.

Dutch Apple Pie Bites right out of the oven

Perfect for tea, coffee or a light snack

Serve with Greek Yogurt, whipped cream or ice cream

DUTCH APPLE PIE BITES RECIPE

Ingredients:

1batch of double crust pie dough (add cinnamon )

5 small  apples, peeled, cored, and diced finely

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cups old fashioned oats

pinch of salt

3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (14 tablespoons total) butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the wells of a standard size muffin tin with nonstick spray. Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and cut out circles about 2 inches in diameter. Gather and re-roll unused dough and cut additional circles. I used the rim of a small plastic cup.. Place the circles in the bottom of each muffin well.
• Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 5-10 minutes until the apples have softened slightly and the juices begin to thicken. Remove from heat.
• Add about one tablespoon of the apple filling on top of each circle of pie dough.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oats, and salt. Add melted butter and mix until well incorporated.
• Add a heaping tablespoon of the streusel topping to each muffin well, and gently pat it down over the apples.
• Bake for 17-19 minutes. **Allow the apple pie cookies to cool in the muffin tin for at least 10-15 minutes before removing. Cool on a wire rack.
• "Though we all have the fear & the seeds of anger within us, we must learn not to water those seeds and instead nourish our positive qualities--those of compassion, understanding, and loving kindness."
  ~ Thich Nhat Hahn

Pumpkin Cobbler

Pumpkin a beautiful vegetable to grow, so many different varieties too. If you are a fan of pumpkin pie but not a fan of making a pie crust, this is the recipe for you. Simple to put together, makes a generous amount and so very delicious! My son Rick loves pumpkin pie, my daughter Anastasia as well but she is not a fan of pie crust, this dessert is perfect for her and my son says it is just as good as pumpkin pie! Today I used butternut squash but any pumpkin will do.

Enjoy.

PUMPKIN COBBLER

Butter is in the pan ready to melt in the preheating oven

Pumpkin mixture

Batter ingredients are mixed together

Butter is melted, batter is added on top

The pumpkin mixture is spooned over the batter

Pumpkin Cobbler is baked and sampled

 Served with some cream or whipped cream

PUMPKIN COBBLER RECIPE

Filling: 2 eggs, beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
3 cups cooked mashed pumpkin or butternut squash
3/4 cup white sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt

Crust:
½ cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F
In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk and pumpkin; add the rest of the filling ingredients,

mix well and set aside.
Prepare the crust:

Melt the butter in a 9x11-inch baking pan.

In another bowl, mix the remaining crust ingredients until just combined

and pour into baking pan on top of the melted butter.

Spoon or slowly pour the filling evenly over the crust batter in the pan.

Do not stir. 

Bake 1 hour.   Serves 8-10

 "Always keep the magic of 'belief ' alive in your heart."💖