Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Wild rice is Minnesota’s state grain, and folks take chicken wild rice soup VERY seriously in these parts.

While I truly adore Minnesota Chicken Wild Rice Soup™, thick and full of cream, this week I wanted to follow up my recent cheesploitation with something a little lighter.

So I began with a recipe from Cooking Light, and made a couple of tiny tweaks.

Next time I prepare this soup, I’ll make one more change: replace the long grain and wild rice mix with plain wild rice. The flavor of the soup was wonderful, but the texture was a bit too soft. I thought it could use a little bite from more wild rice.

I used the seasoning packet that came with the rice mix, and it seemed to be about a tablespoon of seasoning. Next time I’ll use straight wild rice and add a combination of garlic salt, onion powder, and dried parsley instead.

Recipe below the fold

Smoky Mac and Cheese

So, you made it through the holidays, and enjoyed enough mashed potatoes and gravy to safely hibernate until the snow melts for good. Perhaps you’d like something a little lighter to begin the New Year?

Not today, friend. I made this Smoky Mac and Cheese weeks ago, and resolutions be damned, I just can’t keep it to myself any longer.

It’s perfectly creamy and rich, with a crunchy, golden top and just a hint of smokiness.

I served this with a simple romaine salad tossed in lemon vinaigrette, and it was the perfect, crunchy foil to the creamy, rich mac and cheese.

So don’t fret over a silly bowl of pasta. It’s difficult to eat when you’re hanging your head in shame. Safety first!

Recipe below the fold