Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

It's finally autumn here in our state, after a long, wet end to summer.  Cool weather always makes us want to have some of our favorite soups that were out of the menu rotation as we enjoyed fresh NJ produce, salads and anything grilled.  My first fall soup will be this one.  The recipe is a combination of two I found on Taste of Home and it instantly became a family favorite the first time I made it. This is a hearty soup and can easily stand as the main course with some fresh bread or muffins as a side.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

10 Servings

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

1 celery rib, chopped

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

8 cups Chicken Broth

3 cups cooked wild rice

1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

1/4 cup minced chives

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, carrot and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add broth. Stir in the rice, chicken, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. stir in milk; cook 3-5 minutes longer. Garnish with chives. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Cooking for Two

Before our house fills up again in September Dave and I will experience a season practicing for an empty nest. Jack has his own apartment, Elisa, Scott, Meg and Tim will all be at camp and we will be home alone! It has its good points as well as the bad.

One drawback I have discovered is that after feeding a family for 28 years I don't know how to cook for two. Nor do I have any casseroles or baking dishes that are right for two portions. I tried to make a casserole today and it looks like we will be having wild rice and chicken at lunch for a while! I was wanting something warm and creamy for dinner since here on the 4th of June it is 62 degrees F! So with the ingredients I had on hand, this is what I came up with.


Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

• 1 package of wild rice mix
• 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1-2 cups cooked chicken
• 1 package steamer vegetables
• 1 8 oz. package grated Swiss cheese
• 1/4 tsp. dill

Microwave rice mix, seasoning and rice 12 minutes on high power, then 20 minutes on 50% power.

Microwave one package of Steamer veggies of your choice. I used a broccoli, carrot, edamame mix.

Mix the hot rice and vegetables with some cooked chicken, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup chicken broth, dill and 8 oz. grated Swiss cheese. Top with buttered bread crumbs if you like them. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes until the sauce us bubbly.

This makes enough food for 4-6 people... definitely overestimated on that one! But it is a filling dish that stretches a little bit of chicken.