I had chicken veggie soup and a burger.

On Monday, I made a hearty soup for dinner using ¾ cup Bob’s Red Mill hull-less barley, which I initially cooked in chicken broth for 80 minutes, then allowed to rest. I sautéed onion, celery, and carrot in olive oil, then added ground turkey to brown. I added mushrooms, then the barley, turkey broth, and about 1 ¼ cup of the BRM “vegi-soup mix” (a bit of barley, lentils, green and yellow split peas). I brought it to a boil, then simmered for an hour. I added torn kale leaves and 2 tsp. cider vinegar along with freshly grated black pepper, then covered and allowed to stand for 10 minutes. I added the cider vinegar because another recipe I have (Pork Tenderloin with Butternut Squash and Barley) brightens up in flavor with just that little bit, and it works for this recipe as well. I'm sure there is cooking science behind it, but I'm not sure what it is.

We had the soup with leftover cornbread.

I made Chicken Thigh Fricassee and had it with rice and peas.

For lunch on Wednesday—and it will last into the rest of the week--I made New England Clam Chowder, using the recipe from my 1978 Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (p. 83). I sauté the onion in olive oil rather than bacon grease and forego the bacon. I note that instead of 8 oz. cans, the cans in the store are now 6 oz. I use more potato, and I use 1% milk. What really sets it apart, however, is an innovation from my college roommate, Marianne, of adding ½ tsp. celery seed.

We had spaghetti and meat sauce with lettuce and tomato salad stirred with mayonnaise and garlic toast.

Good luck with the internet issues, Joan.

Dinner on Thursday was stir-fry, using the leftover pork and the pan drippings, as well as carrots, celery, red bell pepper, mushrooms, and some kale, along with soba noodles.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.