butternut and barley soup

It's Fall (Fest), y'all! Perfect time of year for butternut squash AND barley! Mixing up the grains has no season, so this recipe is good for that too! Hubs had class last night, so he'll be tasting his for the first time at lunch today. We shall see what he thinks. Methinks it's fab-o, so here's how it's done:

4 cups of mushrooms, sliced
one whole onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced

Sautee them in a big pot in 2 tablespoons of evoo.

4 cups of chicken broth (I always make my own, more on that below)
1/2 of a cubed, peeled butternut squash (If I had the time, I would have chopped the whole thing)
1 chopped sweet bell pepper (I used an orange one)
1/2 cup pearled barley (if you want to add more ingredients, but especially the barley, this recipe calls for a 1:8 ratio, barley : stock)
1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed (this really adds a fun flavor!)

When the onion, garlic & mushrooms have cooked off most of their moisture, add the above ingredients. Bring to a boil, set to low, and let it sautee for about 25 minutes.

About the stock: I've mentioned before that I love to buy a whole chicken and cut it up myself, as it saves lots of money. Not time, but money. So when I've deboned the breasts and have neck and back leftover, I'll make my stock out of them. I fill my stock pot, drop in the "leftovers", salt & pepper it, cook it on low for about 12 hours, usually overnight. Mine makes about 8-10 cups of broth. This will save you about $8! Work it, work it!