Our Slow Braised Beef & Barley Soup began by slow roasting some short ribs that were taking up space in the freezer.  Yes, I have once again vowed to stay out of the grocery store for at least a week. You could easily use leftover steak or roast beef or stew beef and achieve the same tender beefy goodness.  The trick is to not be in a hurry.  We brown our beef in a little oil before adding braising liquid to the soup pot, in this case we used beef broth.  Throw in a bay leaf, thyme sprig, and fresh cracked pepper and let her go low and slow until the meat…