Beef Barley Soup and Pumpkin Crescent Rolls

We've had some really cold weather which always puts me in a soup making mood.  I made some beef and barley soup which is perfect for a damp, cold day.

Since I don't have much time to cook, I made it in my slow cooker and did not sear the beef in advance.  I honestly could not tell the difference.  I cubed a chuck roast into 3/4 inch squares after I trimmed off most of the fat.

I added 3 sliced celery stalks, 1 large yellow onion sliced in thin stripes, about 8 sliced button mushrooms, 3 sliced carrots, 1 head of garlic whole, 2 sprigs of rosemary and a sprinkling of thyme, lots of ground black pepper, 3 T. tomato paste, 1 T. Worcestershire sauce, 4 T. beef demi glace, 1 T. smoked paprika, 8 cups of beef stock, 1 cup red wine, and I think that's it.  Turn the cooker on high for 3 hours and then add 1 cup of barley. Cook on high for 1 more hour or until the barley is cooked through and then turn it to low for another hour. Take the head of garlic out and squeeze the cooked garlic out of the skin and into a small bowl.  Mash it and then stir it back into the soup. Taste the soup and add salt if needed, I added 2 beef bouillon cubes instead of salt.

 This is seriously delicious soup.

I served it with pumpkin crescent rolls:

http://octoberfarm.blogspot.com/2014/10/pumpkin-crescent-rolls.html