The devastation of Hurricane Sandy is unprecedented. The other night I had Shabbat dinner with a friend who lost much of his home from the storm. To see his pain, broke my heart. Most of us lost power and have slept in the cold ~ some longer than others. What I can't take is the complaining. You have your life, a roof over your head, your belongings, etc. It's not comfortable, but it's not tragic either. Put it in perspective ...don't overthink what you can't control, let people help you, if you can help others ~ do it! and spread as much love as you can. You don't know how bad it can be until G-d forbid it happens to you. Let's not forget the people working day and night to restore power, feed the homeless, bury the dead, etc. People have seen things no one should ever see or experience. We need to come together and help each other at a time like this. People need love and kindness now more than ever.
Waking up on this Election Day to bitter cold weather and all I could think about are the people that still don't have electricity, heat and hot water. None of us thought Sandy would be as bad as it was, but now with a Nor’easter threatening tomorrow, more power outages and downed trees are in the forecast. It's almost too much to comprehend. When will this end?
It's the perfect weather for soup. After I returned from voting, I headed to the kitchen to cook up a pot of Mushroom Barley Soup and hope that some of my friends who are still without electricity, will either find their way here or I will go to them.
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1 cup barley
1 onion chopped
2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
2 lbs. mushrooms diced
2 1/2 32 oz.containers of Kitchen Basics Low Sodium Chicken Stock
1 or 2 cloves chopped garlic (optional)
1 tbs kosher salt
1/2 tbs pepper (to taste)
directions:
Clean and dice mushrooms. In a large non stick pan on medium to high heat add mushrooms constantly stirring (approx. 7 min.) Set on the side.
In your soup pot add over medium heat the oil, onoin, carrots, celery and garlic constantly stirring until the onions are translucent.
Add your two containers of chicken stock, mushrooms (with mushroom juice), barley, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and reduce to low. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface with a metal spoon into a bowl. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until barley is tender. If the soup is too thick, add more chicken stock. Make it to your liking. Check for seasoning and serve with a piece of delicious bread and you're good to go.
G-d Bless everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy. Remain strong!
Enjoy and Bon Appetit!
** the secret ingredient is always lots of love ღ
