Baked Potato with Mushrooms & Barley

One of my favorite things to eat is a baked potato.

They don't even have to be filled with butter and sour cream, which makes them very tasty, but not so healthy.

A baked potato stuffed with vegetables makes them a lot healthier.

My latest favorite stuffing is made with onions, mushrooms and barley.

The chewiness of the barley, along with the smooth texture of the mushrooms, combine nicely with the hot fluffiness of the baked potato.

Bacon bits (for your omnivores), sour cream and shredded cheese can be served as condiments on the side.

A spinach salad rounds out your meal.

This recipe serves a generous portion for about 6 large baked potatoes.

Make the baked potatoes as in the recipe for Twice Baked Potatoes.

Ingredients for the mushroom & barley filling:

2 large onions

1 lb. mushrooms

2 cups cooked barley

4 cloves garlic

butter

olive oil

1/4 cup sake or white wine

The sweet onions I like to use aren't readily available at this time of year, so I'm using Spanish onions.

Halve the onions and slice them.

Peel and mince 4 cloves of garlic.

Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Add the minced garlic and saute for a minute or so, being careful not to brown the garlic.

Add the onions.

Cook the onions over medium heat until they begin to caramelize.

The more the onions caramelize, the better the flavor.

While the onions are cooking, clean and slice the mushrooms.

Add the mushrooms to the skillet with the onions.

Add about a 1/4 cup sake or white wine.

When the mushrooms are wilted, add the cooked barley.

Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until heated through.

This is one of my favorite meals--it's very hearty--a good one to try if you have Meatless Mondays.

You can substitute any vegetables you like to go with the barley.

Itadakimasu!




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Easter Bunny Update


For those of you that have been following along, I gave my mother a chocolate Easter bunny for Easter.

My grandfather, her father, gave us chocolate bunnies every year for Easter, so I thought it fitting to get one for her.

Actually, I gave her two.


The first one I got melted in the car.

It was still in the box, and I put it under her pillow.

She got a kick out of that!

She said she hasn't gotten a surprise in a long time, and it was sooooo nice!

She said she felt special--the bunny I thought was a good one--turned out to be "a special needs bunny, because someone ran over his ears," my mom said.

She said she felt special to be chosen to care for it.

She asked, "Guess which one we ate first?"

"You're right. The flat bunny. We put him out of his misery."

Love you, Mom and Dad!

No printable recipe for this one yet.