Comfort Food

It is no secret that my Dad is a great cook. He has great skills in prepping really hard and laborous foods; and yet one of his favorite dishes is gravy over white bread. Easy and real comfort food - real cheap too.

I was reminded of this in the last two meals I made.

Last night - I made the following lentil barley soup from Healthy Online Recipes.

3/4 cup dry pearl barley
4 cups hot water
6 cups Veal Stock or Beef Stock
1/2 cup dry lentil beans
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 ripe tomato, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound extra-lean ground round or ground veal, browned and drained

Method:

Soak barley in 4 cups hot water for 1 hour. Ina stock pot, heat stock just to boiling (do not boil), reduce heat to simmer. Add barley with soaking liquid to stock. Add lentils, onion and celery, simmer 2 - 2.5 hours, or until barley is tender and lentils are cooked. Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, salt, pepper and ground round or veal, simmer 10-15 minutes.

It rocked. Jim noticed it, he liked the smell. We both thought it was good etc.
But tonight, I didn't get home in time to make the meal I had planned so I just made tuna salad melt for Jim and oven fries and I had just a tuna sandwich and oven fries. Jim loved the tuna salad - I used olives instead of relish - because we were out of relish. Easy to please he is.

New Recipe for Tuna Salad:

1 can of tuna, drained
mayo until I feel like stopping squeezing (Jim likes squeeze mayo)
the rest of the chopped olives from the jar
about 1 tbsp diced celery

Using Pam like substance, spray oil on wheat bread (and place in hot skillet), place cheese slice (Jim likes Kraft singles) and then place half of the tuna salad on top of cheese. Then place the other piece of bread on top then spray the top of the bread with Pam. Flip when needed and enjoy!