a long time coming

So, I promised these a long time ago, and here they finally are:

White Chocolate Strawberry Pie

8 oz. white chocolate, chopped (I like to just use Guittard vanilla chips)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. powdered sugar
1 cup cream, whipped
1 small container fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 9-inch graham cracker crust

Microwave 4 oz. of the white chocolate for 1 minute. Stir, and then continue to heat and stir at 15-second intervals until the chocolate is smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the melted chocolate, then fold in the whipped cream. Spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of the pie crust. Place the berries on top.

Melt the remaining chocolate, same as before. Drizzle over the berries. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Graham Cracker Crust
1 ½ c. graham cracker crumbs (1 pack + 2 sheets)
6 T. butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 T. sugar
Heat oven to 375. Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar in a medium bowl; mix well. Press into a 9-inch pie plate and bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.


Wild Rice Soup

½ c. wild rice
1 c. instant or ½ c. regular brown rice
1 carrot
2 stalks celery
1 onion
½ c. butter
2/3 c. flour
5 c. water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
2 c. milk
¾ c. chopped ham
¼ t. white pepper
1 c. sliced almonds

Cook the rices according to the package directions. Chop vegetables into small cubes and saute in the butter until the onion is clear. Add the flour and cook a few minutes more. Meanwhile, bring the water and bouillon cubes to a boil, and heat the milk in the microwave. Add broth a little at a time to the vegetable mixture. When well blended, add the milk, pepper, and ham. Simmer 20 min., stirring frequently, until warm and thick. Add the almonds near the end of the cooking time.

That's about it. Enjoy!