Left Over Power: Barley Risotto Soup

My Barley Risotto-Style makes a lot of food. After making soup the next day, I froze the remaining risotto. Just a few days ago, I ate the risotto from the freezer. I have been so proud of my Pumpkin Barley Risotto-Style that I have been bragging about it for weeks but eating it again inspired a few thoughts (or more likely, in my case, repetitive musings):

• this is one of those recipes that turned out even better than I could imagine when coming up with the idea; of course, squash risotto sounds yummy but this is spectacular;
• there are no fancy ingredients or special techniques at work in this recipe but it tastes expensive and luxurious;
• after having the leftovers, I am 100% convinced this would be a perfect entertaining recipe. I will duly report my results if 
1. I ever have guests over again
2. I have friends that would eat pumpkin (Z. is not interested)
3. Z. lets me cook for guests. Cooking Indian food for friends is either of his favorite pastimes (he does cook like an Indian grandmother, after all) or is so socially awkward that he feels better having a job to do while hanging out. I think the truth lies somewhere between the two
• and finally, no wonder barley is so popular in soup. It's delicious!

To make enough soup for my dinner, in a small pan, I just added enough water to 1 cup of risotto to create the consistency I wanted and heated until just simmering. I threw in a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach in at the end and let it wilt simply because I had it and that sounded good. I wonder what other variations are possible? Enjoy!

A Teaser of Upcoming Recipes

I have been cooking a lot the last couple of months!!! I just wanted to share a few my recipes you can expect to see here at Cheap Not Frugal Eats. I even have a few recipe reviews in the future including Autumn Sweet Potato Soup and persimmon crisp.

Cilantro pistou: Simple and delicious. I have been enjoying this with one of my favorite vegetable soups.

Cauliflower and bacon chowder

Pumpkin cheesecake: This is the result of my first attempt at making pumpkin ravioli. I'll explain what happened...

Tuna cakes: Very plain (okay, they're ugly) but cheap and tasty.

West African-inspired peanut and yam curry: This is one of the best meals I have eaten this fall.

Provençale gratin: A quiche I'm calling a gratin to make me feel special and worldly. Rice and  some of  my favorite veggies combine with eggs for a homey meal. The seasoned breadcrumbs on top took this simple meal to another level.

Pappa al pomodoro: Another fancy name for a simple meal, this time of tomatoes and bread.  I had never made tomato soup myself and finally gave it try. My life hasn't been the same since; it's so much richer. Yes, it is the simple things that make me happy.