I was trying to throw something together with what I had around. (Probably didn't quite use what the instructions say either...) The result surprised me. My mom was really excited about it, the rest of us not quite as much but it was good.

Really not very good. Needs some extra seasonings of some kind.

Along with the other reviewers my potatoes were not done after 5 hours of cooking. I added some more water and cooked it on high for an hour so the potatoes would be done. This is a good base but needs more spice and more veggies. It was a little bland for my taste.

I am making this for tonight's supper. I started it before 7, but by noon, the potatoes still weren't done. I also added sliced carrots, which were also not done after 4 hours. I wasn't worried about it, though, since I didn't plan to serve it until dinner. I didn't brown the meat first and did add some beef base for additional flavor along with the salt and pepper and a bit of Adobo seasoning and paprika. I sampled it at lunch (minus the uncooked carrots and potatoes) and it really was good. Oh, and I didn't have barley, so I substituted rice in the same quantity, and I used diced white onions instead of green onions. Next time I might use pasta. It's totally worth trying and using as a canvas for other ideas!

Okay, I am not one for giving bad reviews, but after I made this, I went back and re-read the whole recipe, and I didn't leave anything out. Just a bad combination of good ingredients. AND, when I cooked it on low for 4 hours as directed, the potatoes were not done and the barley was still crunchy. NOT a keeper.

This is pretty good and really hearty. I did make a couple changes. First, I used 4-6 oz sirloin steaks, cut up, instead of ground beef. I used 3 large potatoes and I added a 6 oz. can of V8 and a bay leaf. I think it could have used a couple more of the steaks but my crock pot wouldn't hold that much.