aunt barb's wild rice soup

1 pound diced, cooked chicken or turkey
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/4 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-n-half
2 grated carrots, or as much as you like (we put in a bunch)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 drops Tobasco sauce
Chopped parsely or chives as garnish, optional

1. Saute onion, celery, and mushrooms in butter until tender. Sprinkle with flour; cook for a minute to remove floury taste.
2. Slowly add chicken broth, stirring (may want to use a wire whip). Bring to a boil for a minute.
3. Add chicken, rice, carrots, and seasonings.
4. If you have time, chill the soup at this point. Once chilled and separated, skim any fat from the top.
5. Just before serving, add half-n-half. Heat; do not boil. Dish up, and garnish with parsely or chives (perhaps more salt and pepper) and serve with garlic toast!

* Serves 8+ heartily * Total time: 30 min (+optional chilling time) * Difficulty: Easy
We have roasted turkeys for the sole purpose of making this soup! If we do have turkey leftovers, we assemble the soup up to the point of adding the cream, and save in several containers to freeze. When ready, we thaw the soup, add the cream and serve. We add much more veggies than the recipe calls for for a nice, hearty soup.