Well, till mating season is over...here's a similar one from the Washington Post. Mushroom and Barley Soup 6 to 8 servings There's absolutely nothing fancy about this thick, homey, brown soup . . . except for its flavor. Mushrooms have a natural affinity for barley; I prefer to use a mixture of shiitake and cremini mushrooms or rehydrated dried mushrooms. (The strained soaking liquid may be used to replace some of the beef stock.) For a vegetarian version, use vegetable stock rather than beef. 4 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, peeled and diced small 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small 1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced small 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste 1 pound assorted mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, caps sliced into bite-size pieces Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 quarts (8 cups) beef stock (or vegetable stock), plus additional 1/2 cup pearled barley 1/4 cup dry sherry (optional) Chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish In a large heavy pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrots, parsnip and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring only occasionally, until all the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes more, adding more butter if necessary. Season with pepper and thyme and stir to combine. Add the stock, sherry if desired, and barley, increase the heat to medium-high and bring almost to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially and simmer gently until the barley is completely cooked and tender, about 1 hour. Check the liquid level during simmering; if a thinner consistency is desired, add additional stock. (May keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, for up to a couple of hours, or you may cover and refrigerate overnight and rewarm over low heat.) To serve, garnish with parsley. Per serving (based on 8): 189 calories, 7 gm protein, 23 gm carbohydrates, 9 gm fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 5 gm saturated fat, 589 mg sodium, 5 gm dietary fiber

Okay - you asked for it! Here are my "dirty little secrets" LOLOLOL! Easy Creamy Peppercorn Chicken Rated: 4 out of 5 by 22 members Yields: 6 servings "A quick mushroom gravy, courtesy of soup and a packet of peppercorn gravy mix, smothers chicken and onions. Rice is a must-have side dish." INGREDIENTS: 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 packet peppercorn gravy mix 1 onion, sliced into thin rings 1 cup water DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). 2. Place cleaned chicken breasts in a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish or casserole dish. Arrange the sliced onion pieces evenly on top of the chicken pieces. Scoop the mushroom soup onto the chicken and onions. Mix the peppercorn gravy with water and pour it over the soup, onions and chicken. 3. Cover the dish and bake for 1 hour, stirring the chicken and mixture after 30 minutes. If desired, serve over rice or with mashed potatoes ********************************************************* Mushroom Pie Crusts for a 9"pie (top & bottom) 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional) 1 tbsp butter 14 16 oz fresh button mushrooms, sliced 1 stalk celery ½ cup onion chopped 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup ½ cup chopped walnuts S&P Saute the celery, onions and mushrooms in butter until they give off the liquid and it evaporates. Remove from heat and stir in soup and walnuts. Place bottom crust in a pie dish. Line the bottom with sliced eggs if you are using them, otherwise pour mushroom filling into pie crust. Place top crust on. Crimp edges and cut steam vents. Bake 350 for 45 50 min. ******************************************************* Golden Chicken Curry 1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces 1 tablespoon garam masala 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 onions, chopped 1 cup chicken broth 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 tablespoons curry powder salt and pepper to taste 2 ounces golden raisins Directions 1 Rub the chicken with garam masala and garlic powder. In a large saute pan, over medium heat brown chicken in olive oil in a large pot. 2 Remove chicken and saute onions in the same oil, until golden. Return the chicken to the pan and cover with the broth. Simmer until the meat is tender and can be easily picked off of the bone. Remove the chicken to cool. 3 Mix the soup into the broth in the pan, then add the potatoes and the curry. Simmer until tender. As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the skin and bones and, if necessary, cut into bite size pieces. When the potatoes are done, add the meat to the potato mixture and heat through. You may add golden raisins at this point if desired, adjust seasonings and serve!

Funny - my "original" recipe for the Green Bean & COM soup calls for Worcestershire instead of Soy Sauce LOL! I wonder which original is original! LOLOLOL! As an alternative, I had this at a friends house last year and it was really REALLY good... maybe it might work for you? Best Ever Green Bean Casserole Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007 .Prep Time:25 minInactive Prep Time:-- Cook Time:45 minLevel: EasyServes: 4 to 6 servings.Ingredients For the topping: 2 medium onions, thinly sliced 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs 1 teaspoon kosher salt Nonstick cooking spray For beans and sauce: 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup half-and-half Directions Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F. While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

To over simplify, when a recipe calls for canned cream of whatever soup, it's calling for thick gravy (or white sauce as people who aren't southern call it ;) Linda, I had never thought of including some cream cheese. This sounds quite tasty! Don't forget cream of celery and cream of asparagus, these can be made just as easily by adding maybe 1/4 cup of either during the saute process. In a pinch, one could make cream of mushroom soup by using canned mushrooms, including the broth and reducing the amount of chicken broth accordingly. I noticed last time at the grocery store that these little cans of condensed soup have inched up to a dollar a can. That's outrageous to me considering it's little more than canned milk, broth and thickeners.