Homemade Cream Of Mushroom Soup With Wild Rice Recipe

This has been one of the warmest winters on record in Pennsylvania, but just a few days ago the temperature finally dipped down below 10°F, just in time to make some hot comforting soup for winter! This recipe comes from my mother, who got it from her mother, and its another one of those family recipes that is not written down anywhere. We all know it by memory, but today I thought I would share it with you! Not a fan of rice? The wild rice is optional - omit it and you will have regular, rich & delicious cream of mushroom soup!

Ingredients 

4 cups of sliced, fresh raw mushrooms

1/2 stick butter

3 heaping tablespoons of flour

1 can (or 1 cup) of beef broth 

1 container sour cream

1/4 to 1/2 cup wild rice, uncooked

1 clove of garlic, crushed (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)

Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash and slice mushrooms, and then place mushrooms in a large soup pot and cover with water and a little extra water (I use about 6 cups of water; if I am using more mushrooms I will increase the water a bit). Sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook on medium high heat.

Simmer mushrooms on medium high heat until mushrooms reach a rolling boil, then turn down and simmer over medium heat.

Add 1/4 cup (or more if you like) of wild rice to the simmering mushrooms. I usually add between 1/4 to 1/2 cup of rice.

Add one cup (or one can) of beef or chicken broth to the mushrooms. I use beef broth.

Continue to simmer the mushrooms, water, rice, and broth on medium heat. 

While the mushrooms are cooking, in a separate medium bowl add 3/4 container to one whole container of sour cream. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of flour and two tablespoons of water. Whisk the sour cream, flour, and water together well and then set aside. 

In a separate, medium sized pot, melt 1/2 stick of butter over medium heat. 

Once melted and just beginning to bubble, add 2 tablespoons of flour, and whisk in quickly with a wire whisk, continuing to whisk, making a roux, while the flour/butter mixture begins to lightly brown. Whisk constantly and be careful not to burn the mixture! You will see it beginning to brown as you stir it on the heat. (see below)

Once it is a nice golden brown as in the photo above, remove from heat and carefully mix the roux into the pot with the mushrooms. It will usually bubble up when you pour the roux in with the mushrooms, so pour slowly! 

Now add the sour cream mixture to the mushrooms, whisking it together well. Add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Simmer, covered, for another 3o minutes or until mushrooms and rice are completely cooked and tender. 

Serve with a crisp salad and crusty bread. Enjoy! 

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Enjoy your day!

Love, 

Laura

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!


My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

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R is for Rolling Console

Gearing up for summer?  I know I am and last summer we desperately needed some additional counter space outdoors for serving food and drinks so I built this outdoor rolling console.

Not only does it have tons of counter and shelf space but it's totally portable!  That means I can move it anywhere with ease, so convenient.

This console appeared over at Ryobi Nation and today I have the plans here for you.

The complete plans including materials and cut lists are down below.

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Camp Care Package

It's summer and that means summer camp.  I truly love everything about summer camp and have tons of fond memories as a kid away at summer camp.  But perhaps one of the best parts about summer camp is receiving care packages!

This summer my girls and their cousin will be going to sleepaway summer camp for two weeks and they are over the moon excited.  Naturally I had to prepare a camp care package and I'm sharing my list of ideas with you.  I will ship the package ahead of their departure because I know after a few days of settling in at camp they will be eagerly awaiting a care package.

First up, the small things.  Think of small sized items that would be useful at camp like a travel tissue pack, hair binders and a flashlight and pack it all in a small container.  Of course they will have packed a flashlight and hair binders already but it can't hurt to have a back up (ever leave your flashlight on all night?) and girls are notorious for loosing hair binders.  I had to throw in some candy but individually wrapped pieces means hopefully they are more likely to share with bunk mates.

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T is for Three Legged Stool

My little desk stool is complete and you're in luck because my buildy friend Ana White has the plans for us!  I feel extremely blessed and fortunate to have Ana in my life because when you design a three legged stool with multiple angles she kindly agrees to make the plans!  Hurray!

(link to plans for desk above)

Typically when we're doing a furniture piece Ana will make the plans first and then I build it. However, in this case it was the reverse.  Here's my inspiration:

image source

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B is for Build Besties Part Two

Build Besties: Part Two

Buildy friends it's another installment of Build Besties and these are the people you want to follow for tons of DIY building inspiration.  We all build furniture and share a love for making pieces out of wood for our homes and the people we love.  Please know this is not a finished list, I'm always on the lookout for more buildy bloggers.

Below are brief snippets of these build besties which I guarantee does not do them justice - please go visit their blogs to see much more! (Click on the image to go directly to their site.)

Click here to continue reading »

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B is for Build Besties Part 1

 Build Besties: Part One

A warm woody hello to all my buildy readers.  Im feeling the need to share and acknowledge my DIY blogger community so today I present some of my build besties.  We all build furniture and share a love for making pieces out of wood for our homes and the people we love.  This is definitely not a complete list, there will be more to come I promise!

Below are brief snippets of these build besties which I guarantee does not do them justice - please go visit their blogs to see much more!

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My Style Forecast for 2016 Part Two More Elephants

AAhh! These elephants are SO cool! I got so excited when I found these jewelry components, and I cant wait to make some new jewelry with them. They would look great on a brass chain, black cord, or even on some lengths of different colored silk ribbon...hmmm...already the wheels are turning. And I think they definitely would look fabulous with some stone beads. I cant wait to get started on them, but I have so much else I have to do! It seems there is never enough time to sit and actually fabricate many of the ideas that are in my head. Thats why its so important to keep a notebook or jewelry artists sketchbook as a place where you can jot down ideas and make quick sketches of designs when they pop into your head. More on that in another post, lets get back to those elephants. 

Theyre everywhere! Yes, theyve been hot early into and throughout 2015, but they are still going strong and I am confident you will be seeing lots more brightly colored & patterned tribal elephants all through 2016.

Be prepared to see more elephants in home decor, clothing, and crafts -and of course, jewelry. I think Ill turn my elephant necklace into a DIY tutorial to share on my blog with all of you...stay tuned! 

Have a great New Year!
Love,
Laura

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Read More..

Mailbox Debate Post or Wall

Secretly I really love a big mailbox on a post at the end of the driveway.  Perhaps because thats how I grew up, running to the end of the driveway to see what that big black box would deliver.  However, in our current neighborhood all the mailboxes are right at the house (which I must say makes it so easy especially in bad weather thank you US Postal!) but let me show you the before:

Yes theres the beautiful copper mailbox on a post right by the back door.  As convenient as it may be it was also an eye sore and a problem for a few reasons.

1. The garbage men need access to that gate right behind the mailbox and it was sort of blocking the pathway.

2. The door on the mailbox was ripped and hard to close.

3. Size - its super big.  Were a family of five and never ever did we come close to filling that mailbox.  Granted it is good space for small packages but those can be left just inside the storm door.

So I removed the mailbox cutting down the post and hung a wall mounted version.  Its streamlined now and I can guarantee I wont have any of the garbage men telling me they cut themselves on the ripped metal of the old mailbox.

I placed my diy planter in the corner with a fern and Im loving the new look already.  Im still a little bit sad about not having a mailbox on a post but this back door refresh is working just swell. 

Im linking up to:

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