The weather here in Michigan feels more like Fall than August. I planned to sit on the porch as I reread Abigail one last time. This is the final galley edit before it goes to page proofs. So I’m reading with care to make sure I’ve fixed anything my editor caught and some things I caught as well.

But my stay on the front porch was short lived. The air was chilly with that hint of Fall in the air. Strange how the same temperature can feel differently in various parts of the country. In the Los Angeles suburbs where we stayed the weather remained in the 60s and 70s during our entire week and a half visit. Today was in the 60s, supposed to hit 71 here, but it felt colder. The difference, of course, was the sun. In LA, the sun never stopped shining. In MI, we see a LOT of clouds. Not the cheeriest of days, but at least it wasn’t hot and humid.

Still, the weather made me reach for hot tea over the iced version and instead of leftovers, I tried another new recipe from The Good Book Cookbook published by Revell. It turned out to be quite tasty – I would make it again. Here’s the recipe:

Bible Barley Stew With Lentils

1/3 cup chopped onions or scallions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
5 tablespoons butter
5 cups water or stock (I used 4 cups chicken stock and 1 cup water)
1 cup dried lentils, picked over and washed
1/2 cup barley
1/8 tsp rosemary (I used fresh)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 pound beet greens or spinach (I forgot to add the spinach! But it tasted good anyway.)

In a large soup pot, saute the chopped onion, celery, and carrots in the butter. Add the water or stock, lentils, barley, rosemary, salt, and cumin. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and cook until lentils and barley are tender, about 1 hour. Remove scum as it forms. (I forgot to do this too, but I honestly didn’t see any scum.) Add greens for the last 15 minutes of cooking. (I had the spinach too! Bummer. It would have added more vitamins.) Oh well…

In case anyone wonders why I’m putting recipes on this page instead of the recipe page of this website, it’s because I can’t update that page on my own. A new website is in the works, when things should make more sense and be in their right order. Then again…considering my life these days, you never know! :)

Enjoy~