Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup

1 cup slivered almonds

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped carrots

5 cups diced red potatoes

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 1/2 quarts chicken broth

1 cup quick-cooking barley

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt and black pepper to taste

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spread slivered almonds evenly over a baking sheet. Toast in preheated oven until golden brown and fragrant.
2.	Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Cook onions, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in oil until onions are tender.
3.	Stir in carrots, potatoes, chicken, and broth. Bring to a boil, then stir in barley. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Leave covered while simmering so liquid isn't lost.
4.	Remove from heat, and stir in butter, parsley, and toasted almonds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Leave covered while cooling.

 From:  allrecipes.com 

I made this today & enjoyed it for dinner.  It was easy & delicious.  Not so quick, but when is making soup quick?   I'm currently letting it cool off & marinate.  I think I will need to add more salt/pepper.  Plus, it seems like the barley is soaking up a lot of liquid, so I will have to add more broth.  I didn't add the almonds, just didn't feel like it.  And I used a roaster chicken all ready cooked from the supermarket - lots of flavor & easy to pull apart into chunks.  I made plenty; so I will have some for lunches this week, some for a few work friends, and some to freeze for another time.