Beef barley mushroom stew!

I love this stuff. This is comfort food for me. It's yummy; it's hearty; and it warms your soul. 

Sometimes I make it with ground beef. It's just as heavenly. 

My mommy bought me a cookbook for Valentine's Day last year. (Isn't she awesome? Who buys their kids cookbooks - or anything for that matter - for V-Day?) I had received a 6.5-qt. slow cooker as a housewarming gift from one of my best friends (I live by myself... Are we starting to see where the nickname Miss Piggy came from?), and had never made anything in it but pot roast. Then I get an awesome care pack from Mom, with the Taste of Home: Casseroles, Slow Cooker, and Soups cookbook. So perfect!

Anyway. It has a recipe for an awesome stew. Basically beef barley stew with a ton of mushrooms. So I put my own spin on it, and now I make it once every two or three weeks or so. Feeling down? Make beef barley mushroom stew. Finals are over? Celebrate with beef barley mushroom stew. It's cold outside? Eat lots of beef barley mushroom stew. You get the picture. So without further ado...

Beef Barley Mushroom Stew!

Adapted from Taste of Home

1 lb. stew meat

evoo, for browning

thyme, to taste

1 yellow or white onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
12 - 16 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 can (14.5-oz) fat-free beef broth

1 can (14.5-oz) reduced fat, low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 c. barley

2 c. water

cracked black pepper, to taste

If your stew meat isn't already in bite-sized chunks, chop it up a little. Brown it on all sides with a little olive oil. I like to toss my thyme in here, so the meat has nice flavor. Remove your beef with a slotted spoon and set it aside. 

Toss in your onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook them all in the meat drippings until softened and the onion is translucent - about 5 - 8 minutes. Add in some more thyme if you'd like. (I always like.)

Dump your beef back in, and add your liquids and barley! Top it all off with a healthy dose of cracked pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and let it simmer for about an hour and a half. 

Don't eat it all at once!