em + the kitchen - wild rice chicken bacon soup.

Brrrrrrr...
I saiiiid brrrrrr!
Ya'll, it's cold! It was a gorgeous 71* on Monday and now it's 19-wind-chill-of-10-degrees! Texas is giving me whiplash with all of this flip-flopping.

Because of the cold, I've decided I'm going to do everything possible from the comfort of my own bed today. That includes making your mouth water with this soup that is perfectly meant for the cold weather.

If Dallas is determined to freeze my bones outside, maybe I can at least warm them up with this creamy and savory soup. Not to mention, it takes at least an hour and a half (or longer, if you'd like the flavors to have more time to marry), so your kitchen will be nice and warm and your house will smell divine. Mmm.

Wild Rice Chicken Bacon Soup
(recipe from here)

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (I was out of green, so used sweet yellow and it tasted great)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cups half & half
1 & 1/2 cup shredded chicken
8 slices crisply cooked bacon, chopped

Pour broth and water in a large pot. Add rice and onions and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until rice is fully cooked - 30 to 45 minutes.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and seasonings and stir constantly until combined and smooth - about 1 minute.
Gradually pour the half & half into your flour mixture until all is combined. It will be very thick.
Pour this entire mixture back into the broth with rice and stir to mix together. Add the shredded chicken and chopped bacon.
Heat soup on low, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. I kept mine covered with a lid, but that's not necessary. Continue this low heat for at least 30 minutes, but more if you'd like. I heated mine for at least an additional hour. The longer it simmers, the more the flavors develop.

Okay, so I didn't claim that this soup was healthy by any means, but it will certainly warm you to your toes. Sometimes it's worth the indulgence and this is definitely one of those times.

How are you staying warm today?
-e.