I give her credit for asking how to can it safely. Has she indicated what she hopes to gain by canning this recipe or the nature of her allergies? Entirely aside from the safety issues, I'm not sure this would be very appealing canned. The dried cilantro may not come through very well and this seems a little bland fresh, so canned it will be even flatter. If she has the room, cooking and freezing a triple or quadruple batch at intervals might be a more suitable option. If she really wants to can this, the closest she can come to this recipe (sans the barley, as you mentioned) would be the beef and vegetable soup. The main issue would be making sure that the solids (meats, beans and veggies) are no more than 50% of the contents with the remainder being broth. In other words, this would need to be a real soup, not a stew or braise. Another option, though less of a "quick meal" is to can meat cubes in a homemade stock. That has more versatility and provides a base to which the other ingredients can be added. Then there are no concerns about barley or any other ingredients. Kidney beans could also be prepped and canned separately. Again, she has a base item ready for that recipe or others she may wish to use them in. I hope she understands pressure canners. I'm a little concerned about that issue as well. Canner manuals are not always up-to-date in their recommendations for vent time and wait time, so again, the NCHFP pressure canner operation instructions are worthwhile for her to study. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: How to Can Soups

Are you looking for a nice rustic looking serving dish? If it doesn't matter the white corning glass bowls with the little tab handle and plastic top would probably hold up pretty well. But then if you are looking for personal experience - I won't risk my two old ones with glass tops - they are my most precious kitchen possession:) I have been using them in the microwave for years - I don't like the new plastic tops. You can usually buy these at Wal-Mart etc. Actually the don't look that different from the LeCreuset ones except they only come in white. If you want the rustic look - check a restaurant supply house for the brown ones you see in restaurants - or ask a restaurant if you can buy some of theirs. Here is a link that might be useful: corning bowls on amazon

I have great results with this tart (from "Once Upon a Tart") - I cheat and use the pre-made Pilsbury pie dough. Provencal Tart with Gruyere Herbs de Provence In preparation for a picnic, make this tart the day before. After the completed tart cools on the counter, cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to pack your basket. The tart crust recipe yields two 9-inch crusts. I par-bake (see below) the extra shell, let it cool, pop it in a heavy-duty plastic bag and freeze it. The next time you go to make a tart, your pulse will jump with excitement when you realize you have a homemade shell ready to be filled - on the next sunny day your second tart will come together in a flash. For the Tart: 12-15 plum tomatoes (2 1/2 pounds), cored and cut into 1/4- inch-thick rounds 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 par-baked 9-inch Crunchy Savory Tart Crust 1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence 2 large eggs 1/4 cup light cream 1 teaspoon salt A few turns of freshly ground black pepper For the Crust: 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons semolina flour 1 teaspoon salt 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes 3 tablespoons cold solid vegetable shortening A glass of ice water 9" tart pan with removable bottom. To Prepare the Crust: 1. Position oven racks so that one is in the center and preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Put the flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse a couple of times just to integrate the flours and salt. 3. Add the butter and shortening all at once and pulse quite a few times, until the mixture forms little balls, like moist crumbs, and no chunks of butter or shortening remain. You have to pulse, not run, the food processor. The worst thing that can happen at this stage of the crust-making game is for the flours and fats to come together into a paste. 4. Remove the blade from the food processor and dump the dough crumbs into a big bowl. Fill a tablespoon with ice water and sprinkle over the surface of the dough. Repeat with 3 more tablespoons. 5. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to bring the dough together into a ball, adding more water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough should be just past crumbly, but holding together. You don't want it to be so wet that it sticks together or turns white in color. 6. Cut the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Press each half with the palm of your hand to form a disk. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out. 7. Roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/4 inch thick. Fit it into your tart pan and chill for 30 minutes. Then use the tines of a fork to prick holes over the bottom of the tart. Line the dough with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and weigh down with pie weights or dried beans. 8. Place the tart shell on the center rack in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and weights from the pan. Return it to the oven, and bake until the crust is golden brown and toasted all over, 5-10 more minutes for a par-baked tart shell. For a fully baked tart shell, bake for another 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until it's golden brown all over. 9. Remove the tart shell from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool. Can be prepared a day in advance. Cover and keep at room temperature. To prepare the tart: 1. Position your oven racks so that one is in the center, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. Put the tomato slices in a colander, and place it in the sink. Let the tomatoes sit for 15 minutes to drain off any excess liquid. 3. Spread the mustard evenly over the tart shell with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the cheese over the mustard, and sprinkle the herbes de Provence over the cheese. 4. Working from the outside in, lay the drained tomato slices in overlapping concentric circles, making sure the crust is covered entirely. 5. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl, or a large measuring cup with a spout, to break up the egg yolks. Whisk in the cream, salt, and pepper. This is your custard. Pour the custard evenly over the tomatoes until it comes to about 1/4 inch from the top edge of the crust. (If you have extra, don't worry about it; if you don't have enough, pour a little cream on top.) 6. Place the tart on the center rack in the oven, and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the custard is set. Set custard won't jiggle when you shake the pan and will be firm when you touch it. (The custard will also be hot, so touch it lightly.) The tomatoes in this tart may give off a lot of liquid; don't confuse this with uncooked eggs and accidentally overcook your tart. The liquid will evaporate as the tart cools. 7. Remove the tart from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Allow the tart to cool slightly. 8. To remove the tart from the pan, rest it on a big can. Make sure the tart is steady and balanced. Slide the outside ring of the pan down off the tart. Then place the tart on your work surface, and slide it off the bottom of the pan and onto a rim- less serving dish or a cutting board. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes one 9-inch tart.

This is our current favorite recipe - undoubtedly it would be better if made with homemade stock, but that's one of those things I just never seem to get around to. We don't bother with the large bread croutons - we just sprinkle regular croutons over the top of the soup (Musso's Cheese and Garlic are great!), then lay a couple of slices of Jack cheese and some Parmesan on top before broiling. Becky * Exported from MasterCook * French Onion Soup Gratinee Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon salt 2 large red onions -- thinly sliced 2 large sweet onions -- thinly sliced 1 can chicken broth -- (48 fluid ounce) 1 can beef broth -- (14 ounce) 1/2 cup red wine 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 sprigs fresh parsley 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar salt and freshly ground black pepper -- to taste 4 thick slices French or Italian bread 8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese -- at room temperature 1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese -- at room temperature 4 pinches paprika 1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy. 2. Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread. 3. Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler. 4. Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one. 5. Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately! Source: "www.allrecipes.com" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : 11-26-07 Made using croutons instead of bread, with Jack and Parmesan cheese. Used 1 teaspoon dried thyme.