This is what I made today. The amounts for the soup are approximate.

Beef Barley Soup

Chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 diced onion
1 - 2 sliced mushrooms (I used frozen)
About 1/4 tsp salt
Water
Beef bouillon (I found a really good powder)

1/4 tsp ground thyme
1/4 cup barley
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp sherry
Cornstarch and water to thicken
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the meat, onion, mushroom, 1/4 tsp salt, beef bouillon, and water into the slow cooker and cook until the onion and barley are tender. Stir in the thyme, bay leaf and sherry. Simmer 30 minutes more. Thicken with cornstarch dissolved in water, taste and add salt and pepper.

It was really good!

I got this rice pudding recipe from Gourmet magazine. The instructions aren't theirs - it's how I made it this morning, mostly because I needed to use up some half and half.

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup rice
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup half and half
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp vanilla
Raisins or dried cranberries as desired

Combine in a good-sized baking dish with a lid. Bake at 325 degrees as long as it takes for the rice to be tender, stirring once in awhile. It probably took 30 minutes. Beat the egg yolks together with the 1/4 cup half and half and the vanilla. Put a little bit of the hot rice mixture into it, and then then stir back into the rest of the rice along with the raisins or cranberries if desired. Turn off the oven and return the dish to it uncovered for maybe 10 minutes to set up.