White Bean and Barley Soup With Kale and Rosemary

I know, it's summer, so soup isn't really on everyone's top ten list.  But my neighbor gave me a bunch of kale and I always have beans, so I thought this would be an easy weeknight dinner.  And it was.  And it was really good.

I used two separate recipes as a starting point and combined the things I liked about each one.  One recipe was from Real Simple and the other was from our newspaper.  This was my first time using barley and I'm a fan.  I'll definitely cook with it again.

Here's my version:

White Bean and Barley Soup with Kale and Rosemary

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
8 C liquid (I used 2 C veggie broth, 2 C chicken broth and 4 C water)
1 C pearl barley
2 15-oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch kale, chopped, about 8 cups
1 to 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper
Fresh squeezed lemon
Shaved Parmesan, plus 1 piece of rind
Extra-virgin olive oil

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, celery and garlic and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Adds the broth, beans, rosemary, kale, Parmesan rind, and barley.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer until barley is tender but still toothsome, about 30 minutes.  Ladle into bowls, squeeze with fresh lemon, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan.

We had ours with a yummy loaf of bread with olive oil and vinegar for dunking.

Here's dinner in my bowl:

End Of July In The Front Yard

Okay, it's not July anymore, but it was when these pictures were taken.  I ran outside after dinner the other night so I could get pictures without the sun blinding me and washing out all the flowers.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have no idea what I'm doing when I'm taking pictures.  It takes me 10 shots of the same thing to get one I like.  With that being said, the lighting in some of these turned out so cool.  The sun was setting and everything was glowing, which, amazingly, comes across in the photos.  Total fluke.

I've finally got a dahlia blooming!  

Actually, I must have gotten two different bulbs planted in the same spot.  

One's a solid lavender and the other has white on it.

Either way, it's always the first clump to bloom.

Two more phlox are goin' now.

A hot pink and a purple.

Crocosmia.

Echinacea.

Gerbera Daisy.

Roses.

Some sort of mini sunflower that comes back every year, multiplied by 100.

It's at least a foot taller than me, the roots go to China and the bees love it.

Feel free to leave a comment if you know what it is.

Plumbago.

Geranium.

The mallow tree in the parking strip.

And the kids climbing it with the neighbor girl.

 This begonia and the fuchsias came back from last year.

And no, I still haven't painted that door or installed the new window that's been sitting in the driveway for three years.

Thanks for noticing.

Okay, before I go, here are some full shots of the front yard, starting with the view from the porch.

And into August we go...