Crock Pot Chicken Barley Soup

Can't wait for dinner time

crock pot chicken barley soup from marc piane on Vimeo.

beef stew

I put this stew together from a few different recipes and a few personal twists. Enjoy.

It's good.

here's a little grill adventure. enjoy.

hearty up your sauce

So when I make any kind of pasta sauce that I intend to freeze I intentionally keep it simple so I can hearty it up later. This is just one variation of that. There are millions. You can even use a premade jarred sauce. Keep it simple and natural though. The thing I aim for is favors that go together and also to cut everything into fork friendly pieces. Quick and easy. Enjoy.

name change

So I changed the name of this blog. Originally I had named it "It(cooking) Is Not That Hard". I got comments from many friends in the food industry and I felt the name was being taken the wrong way. I was not trying to imply that the ACT of cooking was 'not hard' but rather the WILLINGNESS to cook. In my observation there are lots of people that don't cook because they are either overwhelmed or uninspired. They are sick of cooking the 5 rotating meals they make. They then resort to either premade meals or take out. Certainly there can be a time and place for these but it is easy (and expensive) to fall into a pattern of doing that more nights than not.

So really my goal with this blog was to share my love of cooking and eating by passing along some easy recipes that I like to make. These are not fancy or complicated. They are just good, healthy, hearty, inexpensive meals that my family likes to eat.

I hope this gives you some ideas for things to make in your house.

lentil soup

My little twist on a classic recipe. The recipe made a BIG pot of soup but I wanted to freeze some for future meals. It freezes very well. Enjoy.





olive oil
2 onions chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
mushrooms sliced
8 cups veggie broth
red wine
2 cups lentils
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup arborio rice
1 bag fresh spinach chopped
rosemary
2 bay leaves
pepper
salt

sautee garlic and onion until onion is translucent
add mushroom and cook for a few more minutes
add broth
red wine
and lentils
simmer 30 min
add can of tomatoes and spices
remove 2 cups of broth and it. return to soup.
add arborio rice and simmer 20 min
remove from heat and add spinach
top with parmesan and eat

chicken barley soup

Who doesn't love chicken soup.



1 lb chicken

1/2 cup sliced almonds

olive oil
2 onions
6 cloves garlic
celery
mushrooms
red potatoes
carrots
6 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
pepper
fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine
1 cup pearled barley
1 bag chopped spinach

sautee onions and garlic
add celery and mushrooms, cook 10 min
add potatoes and carrots
add broth, pepper, rosemary, bay leaves, wine, and cooked chopped chicken
bring to a boil
add barley
simmer 20 min

toast almonds for about 10 min in the overn at 400 degrees

remove soup from heat
add spinach and toasted almonds

puttanesca sauce

Here is an easy and quick sauce recipe. The ingredients are all ones that you can keep in your pantry indefinitely and have at the ready for this recipe. You can serve it over pasta or polenta. You can also add crushed red pepper flakes if you want a little kick.



olive oil
1 onion chopped
6 cloves garlic
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup Kalamata olives sliced
2 tablespoons drained/rinsed capers
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1/2 cup red wine
fresh basil
fresh rosemary
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt

saute onion and garlic
add everything else
simmer for 1 hour

breakfast

Here's a quick and easy breakfast I threw together with stuff around my kitchen. There are so many variations of this. Enjoy.

fried rice

Here's my recipe for fried rice as imaged by an Italian/Irish guy from Chicago. It is easy and quick, feeds an army, and my kids love it. I think the whole recipe cost maybe $10 and took about 20 min to cook. Enjoy.



recipe

serves 4

1 cup rice (I prefer brown)
olive oil
assorted veggies
3 cloves garlic
ginger
meat of choice (or not)
2 eggs
rosemary
basil
pepper
soy sauce

-cook rice per package. set aside.
-if you choose to do meat cook it in a separate pan or on the grill and set aside.
-in a wok or frying pan add olive oil, garlic, and ginger. Heat until sizzling.
-add veggies of choice. You can either choose your favorite fresh veggies or you can even choose a frozen bag of mixed veggies.
-stir fry over high heat until veggies are about done.
-add herbs and spices except soy sauce
-add two eggs to veggies and toss until egg is cooked.
-add cooked meat
-add cooked rice and toss
-add soy sauce to taste and toss thoroughly.

chili

Since this spring weather is upon us I thought I should post this chili video before things get too warm.  There are so many variations of chili.  This one pretty much struck me as I was walking around in the market.  Enjoy and feel free to share your variations.

frittata

So I think the frittata should really be the go to recipe in any kitchen.  My kids love it.  It's pretty healthy.  It is also easy and quick.   Enjoy.

clarification

I should clarify.  Cooking can be hard.  What's not hard is the willingness to try.  You will mess up.  Stuff you cook will be too spicy, too bland, too salty, too thick, too thin.  Take note.  Learn from your mistakes.  Adjust.  I started cooking when I was a kid.  I am 37 now.  I have and still do cook some awful things sometimes.  The fun is in the process.

It (cooking) Is Not That Hard

I am a musician.  I was recently at a gig talking amongst a group of friends and was amazed by the FEAR of cooking.  I'm here to say IT'S NOT THAT HARD.  I was also appalled by the gender divide.  Far and away women were the chefs and guys knew one or two signature dishes that usually involved something pre-made and a bbq grill.  Well, unfortunately it's not healthy to eat brats on the grill everyday.

My goal with this blog is to show my love of cooking and eating and hopefully a little will rub off.

Oh, and guys.  Chicks dig guys that can cook.  'Nuff said.

One of the trends that I find truly horrifying in America is the idea that eating is an inconvenience.  Something we have to do to stay alive.  This leads to unhealthy bodies and minds.  The most fun I've had eating is in Spain.  Italian and France have it right too.  Eating is a social event that is never rushed and always savored and enjoyed.

My food manifesto:

I believe that truly yummy food has to have love and care from the moment it is in the ground through harvest, prep, cooking, and eating.  I also believe that planting, harvest, prep, cooking, and eating are social events.  There is so much evidence that having dinner together is part of a strong and healthy family.  I'll go one further and extend it all the way back to putting the seed in the ground.  Gardening with your family is really fun... but that is for another post.

First let's consider the source of our food.  Of course not everyone has the land or even the desire to grow their own food.  That's fine.  It takes time and work.  But consider this.  The food we get in the grocery store, particularly produce, is shipped from all around the globe.  The upside to this is we can get most anything anytime.  The downside is far worse in my opinion.  In order to get it to your grocery store there is a huge carbon footprint.  I live in Illinois and if I am getting a tomato from Florida or even South America in has to come thousands of miles on a truck.  Lots of pollution.  Also consider that when that tomato is loaded on the truck it is green.  Unripe.  It is ripened upon arrival with ethylene gas.  The ripening process is not harmful but in the end we get a pretty tasteless tomato.  So the first step is to try to get as much as you can locally.  Grow it yourself, go to a farmers market, check out one of the Community Supported Agriculture programs in you area, and some of the farmers markets and things even have meat.  You'll be amazed.

I have LOTS more to rant about but lets get to some cooking here and I'll rant more later.