Cheesy Wild Rice Soup

If you follow me, you know that for the past 4 years my husband and I were living in sunny San Diego. 300 days out of the year it was sunny and warm, I could start laying out at the pool in March, sometimes February. I wore flip flops all year long, it hardly ever rained and you never had need for anything more than a light hoodie and jeans on the coldest days. It was amazing when we first moved there, so warm, no winter, we didn't even have central heating in any of the apartments we inhabited. There was simply no need for it. Air conditioning bills ran high in the summer months though, those were routinely $130 or higher for 3 or 4 months as 120 degree heat had us staying inside our apartment with the shades drawn. There was no need to make warm, comforting soups or stews, there were no rainy days to make them on. Well, actually the "rain" was never more than a few drops so it never lasted long enough to whip up a chili or soup.

When my husband told me where we were PCSing, I rejoiced. Not only would I finally see snow again, there would be a definitive beginning and end to all 4 seasons. Our girls would get to play in the snow, we'd see rain and thunderstorms, and I'd actually get to make some of my favorite soups for those cold nights. We've been here for a little over 8 weeks and there certainly have been many cold nights, there's no spring in sight yet but after 4 years of sunshine I'm enjoying the lingering winter.

When I first got married, my former step-father (long story, him and my mom got divorced a few years ago for the last time but he's the man who has been the father figure in my life...my biological father is...lame, I'll just leave it at that) sent me a Taste of Home cookbook. When I was able to move in with my husband after his first deployment, almost a year after we got married, this was the cookbook I used the most. And this soup is now one of my husband's favorites. Yes, it does have condensed cream of soup in it. Oh well, I don't care, you can adapt it however you want. I like meals that are easy and fast to make, and since my husband likes it I'm happy with it.

Cheesy Wild Rice Soup

(original recipe credit: Taste of Home)

What you'll need:

4 cups milk

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 box Uncle Ben's Fast Cooking Long & Grain Wild Rice

8oz Velveeta, cubed

Bacon, cooked and crumbled*

Preparation:

1. Prepare rice according to package directions in a large pot (I do this so the soup only requires one dish to make).

2. When rice is done, add all other ingredients to pot.

3. Cook on medium heat until cheese is melted and ingredients are well combined, about 15-20 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid scalding as the rice settles on the bottom.

4. Add crumbled bacon on top and serve!

*New way to make bacon:

Making bacon on the stovetop has always been hit or miss for me. I hate getting splattered with grease, I hate how it smokes sometimes, and it's time consuming. So I looked for a new way to make bacon, and found this one through Pinterest. I tried it for this recipe and it worked like a charm!

1. Line a large baking sheet with foil, making sure to leave a couple inches hanging over the sides to catch grease.

2. Place cooling rack on baking sheet and lay bacon on cooling rack, about 1/2 inch apart.

3. Place baking sheet in a cold oven and turn up to 375. Bake for 15-20 minutes, the time depends on how crispy you want your bacon. I did mine for about 20 minutes and it was perfect.

4. When bacon is done, place on plate lined with paper towels and pat off excess grease.