She is happily married and is the mother of two beautiful baby girls.
Some of Kayla’s interests include camping, gardening, aviation, agriculture, and self-sufficiency. Kayla has worked in commercial agriculture- spraying crops, driving trucks, and loading aerial applicators.
When she’s not writing, she’s either serving her community as a law enforcement officer or behind the camera for her business, Western Eclectic Imagery.
- Blackberry Muffins with Crumble Toppings Recipe - November 13, 2023
- Easy Peasy Brussel Sprouts - July 21, 2023
- Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup - July 21, 2023
I’ve been ready for cold weather since around Mid-May. Call me the Summertime Scrooge, if you will. Not much makes me happier than a big bowl of soup, a warm cup of cider, and turning on Practical Magic. The leaves are slowly changing, a brisk breeze floats through the air, and everything looks like a pumpkin threw up. I love it.
But no, the heat index was 110°. So, I’m going to just daydream of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman running an apothecary till it’s my reality. Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
Soup. Soup. Soup. That’s the good stuff. I stumbled across a long lost recipe on Pinterest a couple of years ago and added my own zest to it. It can easily be made vegan by using vegetable broth, olive oil, taking out the steak, and maybe the happiness. All jokes. I could easily be vegetarian.
I like to split the onion and cook part of it with the steak and the rest when preparing my roux. I enjoy the flavor it adds to the meat. I sliced the cubed steak into small pieces and season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; then I add a big dollop of butter to my pan, add the steak, let it cook a bit, and add the chopped mushrooms and onion.
Once that’s all cooked, I set it aside and add the rest of the onions. Maybe a little more butter if it needs it. Then I add the veggies; celery, fresh garlic, and carrots. I cook them till they’ve softened up, maybe 5 minutes. Now you’ll add about three tablespoons of flour. Mix it up and get the vegetables covered. Let it cook for a minute but not burn. Add the broth after and mix it around, making sure you get everything off the bottom of the pan and there are no lumps. Then add the sherry (or extra broth), white wine vinegar, the box of rice AND the seasoning packet (trust me), bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
Time to “turnip” the heat. Bring it to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer, cover, and let it cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. After 20 minutes, add back the meat and mushrooms. Let it cook till the rice is done. Maybe another 20? Take out the bay leaves and enjoy! It also saves very well.
Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup Recipe Ingredients
- One pound cubed beef, sliced
- Butter/Olive Oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced (1 ½ cups)
- 1 tbsp garlic, finely minced
- Garlic Powder, to taste
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup celery, sliced thinly
- 16 oz baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour (gluten free or regular)
- 1 ½ tsp fine grain kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- Box of Zatarain’s Wild Rice (add the spices)
- 6-7 cups beef broth (more for a thinner soup)
- ⅓ cup sherry*
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup Recipe Instructions
Split the onion in half and cook with the steak. Season steak with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add mushrooms about halfway through and stir occasionally till mushrooms and steak are completely cooked. Remove from the pan.
Add more butter/olive oil to the pan; cook the onions till translucent. Then, add garlic, celery, and carrots – cook for another 5 minutes.
Add 3 tbsp of flour and stir until all of the vegetables are coated; then, stir in rice, beef broth, Sherry (optional, could just add more broth), vinegar, zatarain’s spice packet, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Stir out clumps.
Bring the soup to a boil, reduce to simmer, and allow to cook for about 20 minutes. Add back meat and mushroom mixture then allow to cook for another 20 minutes or until rice has cooked through. Remove bay leaves.
Looking for a quick, easy, healthy, AND delicious go-to recipe? Try my Easy Peasy Brussel Sprouts!
Happy Homesteading!