Is it weird to be a fan of barley? Is it more weird to post about barley and unintelligible song lyrics at the same time?
This is not and never will be a food blog, but holy cow! I have to tell y’all about this salad, Hearty Barley and Cauliflower Salad, a recipe from Real Simple magazine. I made it last night and polished it off this afternoon for an early Friday dinner after sending two of the menfolk off on a weekend Scout camping trip. (On a side note, when you finish dinner at 4:45 Friday afternoon, the evening stretches out in front of you like a glorious mini-weekend in itself. The old folks in line at Denny’s might just be on to something.)
Anyhoo, this salad is SO GOOD. The inclusion of salami raised its family sample rate, and it was surprisingly well-received across the board. I used the fancy manchego cheese, substituted spinach instead of radicchio so I didn’t have to make an extra trip to the store, and added pine nuts – brilliant. But for me, it’s all about the barley. So chewy and substantial and yummy. I am a new and enthusiastic fan of barley.
credit to Real Simple magazine, Hearty Barley and Cauliflower Salad With Manchego and Salami
Wait, too much barley excitement for you? I can slow down……
OK, just one more thing before I leave you overwhelmed with the PARTY that is me on a Friday night. You know those songs that contain lyrics you just cannot understand, so you are left to make up your own? Well, my kids and I love to listen to this song by the Christian band Unspoken, called “Lift My Life Up.” Beautiful song, cool vocals, great lyrics, respect.*
HOWEVER, even though we KNOW the lyrics are in part “I lift my life up, my life up…” it totally sounds like “I live my life in Maliva.” Makes us laugh every time. Every. Time.
I live my life in Maliva. Ha!
Wonder if they like barley in Maliva?
What about you? Any fabulous new dinner finds, or hysterically misunderstood song lyrics you’d like to share with the class?
*(Hey, hey you! Don’t you go running off or rolling your eyes just because I referenced Christian music. The genre is WAY better than it used to be, and is now often nearly indistinguishable in quality and style from other pop and alternative music forms. Don’t believe me? Check out groups like alt-folk-rock-ish Rend Collective or the pop-y Francesca Battistelli. Even if you aren’t a Christian, misunderstood lyrics are cross-faith funny!)
Tara Talks Too Much 
I have never tried barley, but you make me want to branch out. Also, I misunderstand lyrics all the time, as do my kiddos. I wish I had an example, but my mind is blank. Maybe I should eat more barley.
You SHOULD eat more barley! It’s yummy! Thanks for the comment, and good luck with the barley.