Creamy Chicken Soup with Mushrooms, Barley, and Bacon

I am officially back from my three week leave of absence from blogging.  I have been so stressed with work and trying to sell our house that I have let my personal life slip away from me. To give you an idea, the other night I got home from work at 10 pm and Moe asked what we were having for dinner.   I nicely said we are having cereal, proud that I had some sort of plan.  He looked at me and just laughed.  Annoyed, I starting flipping out about that fact that cereal was not an acceptable dinner to him.  He quickly responded, "Cereal is not the problem.  We haven't had milk for over three weeks."  In conclusion, this weekend was me trying to patch my life back together.  Cooking is always a step in the right direction to creating some normalcy in my life.

One of my good friends started a cooking blog this fall, No Peanuts. No Cilantro.  I love the selection of dishes she blogs about because they are gourmet but for the everyday cook.  I have been dying to make several of the recipes but since I know this will be a busy week, I decided to go for a soup so that I could pack the leftovers for lunches. 

(Jaime's picture is better on her blog so check it out!)

Creamy Chicken Soup with Mushrooms, Barley, and Bacon
Source: Modified (only slightly) from No Peanuts. No Cilantro.
Serves:  8 servings

1 cup of quick cook barley
2 cups of water
dash of salt
6 ounces bacon, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces shitaki mushrooms, sliced (original recipe called for crimini)
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup chopped shallots
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all purpose flour
10 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
2 to 4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup light sour cream

In a large stockpot, cook bacon over medium heat until browned.  Remove with a fork and place on a Scott towel lined plate to cool.  In remaining oil in pan, add mushrooms and stir.  Add wine and cook for approximately 8 minutes while mushrooms soften and alcohol in wine burns out.  Remove mushrooms from stock pot and place in a bowl to the side. 
 
In the same stockpot, add carrots and celery and butter.  Cook until vegetables are tender 5-10 minutes depending on thickness of carrot slices.  Add shallots and garlic to the pan.  Be sure to stay close to pan while these saute to avoid burning the garlic.  Once onions are soft, sprinkle flour into the pan and stir well.
 
Add mushrooms back to the pain as well as the chicken stock and rosemary. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to a low and let simmer for 15 minutes. 
 
While soup is simmering, boil two cups of water in a pan.  Once water is boiling, add barley and salt.  Stir and cover for 10-12 minutes or until water is absorbed and barley is light and fluffy. 
 
Add barley, bacon, corn, and chicken to the stock pot.  Simmer for 10 more minutes.  Add in the cream and sour cream mixing well to avoid clumps.  Season to taste and serve!
 
Note:  I had so much leftovers that I ended up freezing half of it.  If I made this again, I would use less bacon as I thought the bacon flavor was a bit overbearing (this could be avoided by using turkey bacon instead).  However, Moe said the bacon was his favorite part so everyone to their own :)

Ratings
Moe, 8 out of 10
Miss J, 8 out of 10 

 Fresh mushrooms, celery, and carrots.

Fresh garlic.

Chopped shallots.