A Variety of Yumminess

Hey everyone. After a long awaited 2 days or so, I am back with more delicious recipes for you all! I've been thinking very long about what I am going to share with you and I have decided to bring in some special recipes from my sister's mind. She, like myself, is an avid cooker. She loves sharing the kitchen with me and we have the best times together there. She's my best friend and a wonderful cook!
Let's kick this off with a recipe that she got from her mom, my mother-in-law:

Beef and Barley Casserole

NOTE: This is a slower recipe, you will need about 4 hours of total time (No... laugh now because you won't be cooking for the entire 4 hours. Only about 1 hour of time is required. The other amount of time is for soaking the barley ahead of time. ^_^)

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 2/3 cup barley, uncooked
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1.5 (1 in a half) cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

NOTE: All items can be found at your local market or grocery store

1. Soak the barley in water for 3 hours, then drain and set aside
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
3. Toss the beef and the onion together in a large skillet. Brown the meat until it is no longer pink and the meat is completely crumbled, not stuck together.
4. Drain the grease from the skillet and toss in the carrots, soy sauce, molasses, drained barley, and water and place back on stove on low/medium heat.
5. Stir the molasses in until it is dissolved and the mixture has begun to simmer
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper then place the mixture in a lidded 2-qt (quart) casserole dish
7. Bake covered until the barley is tender and has absorbed the water, about 1 hour total.

This dish is a delicious and easy route to any casserole lovers heart! Now, onto our second dish:

Taco Pie

You will need the following items:

• An 8 ounce package of crescent rolls
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 ounce package of taco seasoning
• 16 ounce container of sour cream
• 8 ounces Mexican-style cheese, shredded
• 14.5 ounce bag of tortilla chips, crushed

Let's get the ball rolling...

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Lay out your crescent rolls on a baking sheet (flatten them out, please don't bake as crescents...) and bake accordingly as stated by directions on their packages.
3. Meanwhile, brown your meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat
4. Add taco seasoning and stir well
5. When dough is done baking, take it out of the oven and allow to cool slightly
6. Place your meat and taco mixture on top of the crescents
7. Layer with sour cream and cheese
8. Pour your crumbled tortilla chips on top of it all
9. Return to the oven, still at 350 degrees, and bake for about 10 minutes or until your cheese is nice and melted

NOTE: This makes about 8 servings. Please feel free to tweak the recipe and have a blast layering more layers to this dish!

There you have it: 2 great dishes that anyone can make in their free time. I, personally, enjoy the Taco Pie the best. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, I would give this dish a 13. Then again, I am biased because this has been made numerous times before. Anyway, enjoy both of these and I will return tomorrow to fuel your hunger. Good night everyone!

Pictured above: 1.) Beef and Barley Casserole

2.) A layered version of Taco Pie