Chicken Wild Rice Soup

I had the day off yesterday and it felt quite "soupish" outside. It was cool and crisp, with multi-colored leaves swirling around in the wind. I love fall. It's the season of fresh notebooks, sharp pencils with erasers not yet worn down, yellow school buses, and a new teacher. It's the time of year when the weather heralds decay and darkness, but also glowing candle light, cozy quilts. and comfort foods. When I thought about what to make for supper, soup was the first thing that came to my mind. My second thought was "what kind of soup?" I went to my favorite comfort food cookbook: The Lutheran Church of Christ the King Cookbook". It's chock full of recipes submitted by members of the church I attended for 20-plus years when I lived in Moorhead, MN. Memories of those years warmed me as I poured over the recipes and read names of long ago friends. I wondered what they're up to now and how life has fared for them. After reading through several different recipes, I decided to go with a Minnesota favorite, Wild Rice Soup. I added more wild rice and some chicken and it was much enjoyed by Lenny and his co-worker Richard, who is from Mississippi, and shares a meal with us on occasion. I served it with warm multi-grain rolls and a relish tray of carrots, celery, and dill pickles. Yumm...........

WILD RICE SOUP

1/2 cup wild rice

1 lb. bacon

3 Tbsp. bacon drippings

3/4 cup celery

1 cup onion

1/3 cup green pepper

2 cans (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth

4 oz. mushrooms

3 cans cream of mushroom soup

Wash rice, boil 15 minutes, drain and set aside. Fry bacon until crisp, remove bacon reserving 3 tablespoons of drippings. In drippings saute onion, celery, and green pepper until transparent. Combine all ingredients in a large skillet and cook on low heat for 30 minutes or longer. Do not add salt. ---Submitted by Tricia Rudnick

It's soooooo good. (Even better the second night, if it lasts.)