It's Soup Season - Recipe (and a Friday Foto)

The Friday Foto First...My Babies

Now the recipe:

Here is a recipe for an awesome Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup - very much like the one at Panera's. I found a recipe on AllRecipes and then messed around with it until I got what I wanted. Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut up
½ onion, diced (about ¼ cup or so)
2 celery stalks, diced (about ¼ cup or so)
2 carrots, diced (about ¼ cup or so)
1 package (6 oz, I believe) Uncle Ben’s long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups ½ and ½ (or 1 cup ½ and ½ and 1 cup milk)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large pot sauté onion, celery, and carrots in a small amount of butter or oil for 5 mins.
2. Add broth, water and chicken to pot. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in ½ and ½ , a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.
4. Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. If soup becomes too thick then add milk until it is the desired consistency.