This week, I went back to my hometown to stay with my family. This gave me the perfect opportunity to learn a family recipe from my mom. Growing up, my mother and grandmother made this beef and barley soup I really liked, so my mom thought now was the perfect time to make it. The recipe goes as follows:

We made the one at the bottom of the page. The recipe itself is quite easy to make, however it is quite time consuming. Preparation time is probably about 15 minutes, plus 2 hours of cooking time. As well, we used ingredients that I normally would not have lying around the house, meaning this could be a more expensive meal. On the positive side, this recipe makes quite a bit of soup, and I’ve found leftovers to be great for college students.

Our final product turned out more like a stew, but it was still very tasty. It is a great dish for when it starts to get cold out and it reminds me of my family. For the overall dish I would give this a 8/10, but when considering college students, I would give it a 6/10. It is relatively easy, it only requires a microwave, and it provides lots of leftovers. However, it is quite time consuming and can be a bit pricey. I don’t see this being something I make myself unless I have lots of time, which as a college student, I usually do not. I am really happy I got to make it with my mom and it is something I hope to make for my future family as well!