Everyday Mom's Meals: Chilly Spring Days
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Monday, March 9, 2015

Chilly Spring Days

According to the weather man, we have a warm up headed our way this week. No offense to him, but I will believe it when I feel it. Don't get me wrong, I will be incredibly thankful if it is indeed true, but after this loooonnngggg, cold frigid winter, I refuse to get my hopes up. But I'm telling you right now, if the thermometer reaches 50 or above, I'm busting out the flip flops!

Regardless of a warm up, we all know even after that first official day of Spring,  (Which is March 20th by the way...not that I'm keeping track or anything) we will still have some chilly days in our future. I wish it could just magically be warm and sunny every day, but I'm told we need rain too. So there will be those days when it's wet, and windy, and there is a chill in the air. And those are the ones that call out for soup on the dinner table.

This is a soup that truly eats like a meal. To me, when you have to chew a soup, it is a extra filling. I served this with just some crusty bread on the side, and we were all so full we could barely move. I love the creamy texture with the big chunks of chicken and bite of the wild rice. (Be sure to read my note below so you get the correct wild rice!) It's got amazing, rich flavor that tastes like you had to put much more effort into it than you actually did.

I'm glad to see winter on its way out, but I'm not naive enough to think we are totally out of the woods. I realize sunny and hot every single day is still very far off. So in the meantime, I will be thankful for any day above freezing, and enjoy a few more weeks of soup weather!

Crock Pot 
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of potato soup
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 c. chicken broth
1 c. wild rice, uncooked*
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
2 c. half and half
1/2 c. frozen chopped onions
5 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 TBS dried parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in Crock Pot, except half and half. Stir very well. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours until rice is tender. Stir in half and half. Cook additional 30 minutes until warmed through. *NOTE* This wild rice is not a boxed mix. This is plain, uncooked wild rice. It can usually be found in a small box with the other bags/boxes of  long cooking rice.





Shared on The Country Cook Mar. 13, 2015

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