Christmas Memories-Bud's Pheasant Wild Rice Cream Soup

One of my Christmas Memories was cooking my soup specialty for Christmas Day.  I have been making this soup for our Christmas for a number of years and even though I did not go hunting the last few years, someone always has been able to bring me a pheasant.  The last two years a friend in our Lincoln SCORE Chapter has brought me birds from South Dakota, and so I have been able to continue this tradition.  This years bird was a big one and my batch below was enough to feed 14 for Christmas with some left over for our evening leftover snacks (supper, as they used to say).  I did change my recipe this year slightly by using a full quart of Half & Half, which made it nice and rice - the spoon just about stood up it was so nice and thick. The soup was yummy if I say so myself.  Also, the dry mix this year consisted of one Potato Soup mix and one Wild Rice Cream Soup mix - both were dry soup packages.

If anyone reading this blog makes the soup from this recipe - please let me know how it came out for you.

Bud’s Pheasant Wild Rice Cream Soup

5 Cups    Cooked Wild Rice

6 TblSp   Butter

4 TblSp   Chopped Onions

1 Cup     Chopped Celery

4 TblSp   Minced Green Pepper

2 Cans    Mushrooms (small cans)

2 Cups    Half & Half

1 Pkg     Shredded Cheese

2 Cans    Potato Soup (large cans) or – Dry Potato Soup Pkgs

1 Bird    Pheasant

Step 1 – Prepare Pheasant

Wash Pheasant to insure the bird is ready for cooking.  Put the Pheasant in a large pot and cover completely with Chicken Broth.  Boil the bird until the meat will come off of the bones completely.  Strip the meat off of the bones and set aside.  Strain the Chicken Broth and hold for use in the soup.

Step 2 – Prepare the Wild Rice

Wash wild rice by running water through the rice in a wire strainer until the water runs clear. Cover one cup of wild rice with 2 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and barely simmer for 20-25 minutes.  When rice is tender, but not mushy, pour into a wire strainer and place back in the kettle with one inch of water.  Cover and steam for 5-10 minutes.

Step 3 – Melt butter in pan and sauté onion, celery, green               

Pepper and place in large pot.  Pour Potato Soup in pot, adding the strained chicken broth – the cooked wild rice, and the Pheasant meat that has been set aside.  Simmer this mixture for 30 minutes after bringing it to a slight boil.  Have the cheese available for individuals to add as they wish.  

Gibbon's Secrets - Christmas 1941

The Christmas of 1941 came during a time of mourning for the many service men and women lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Dale Pitke's ship the "USS Arizona" sustained a loss of 1,100 lives.  Dale lost many friends that tragic day.  He also lost all of his personal belongings that were left on the ship when he came home on leave.  He was very fortunate to have been home at that time, and the Gibbon townspeople all adopted him as their personal hero.  Bud started writing Dale soon after he returned to active duty.  He pledged that a weekly letter would be sent to Dale, until the day he came home again.  The 'Five Friends Forever' helped Bud with the letters, and a strong bond was developed between this sailor and these five boys.

You can relive the history of the 40's by purchasing "Gibbon's Secrets" at your local GROW Nebraska store, on the GROW Nebraska's EBay site, the GROW Nebraska's online store, or at Amazon.

Gibbon's Secrets:A Boy's Memories of the 40's [Kindle Edition] $3.99

http://www.amazon.com/Gibbons-Secrets-Boys-Memories-ebook/dp/B005X8BABC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324117040&sr=8-2

Gibbon's Secrets: A Boy's Memories of the 40's [Paperback] $14.95

http://www.amazon.com/Gibbons-Secrets-Boys-Memories-40s/dp/1466473592/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1324117040&sr=8-5

The GROW Nebraska Holiday store in the Lincoln Gateway has at least 2 "Gibbon's Secrets" left in stock.

Relive Christmas 1941 - "Gibbon's Secrets"

I have shared how it is to relive Christmas 1941 in my book "Gibbon's Secrets" which is available on Amazon either in paperback or as a Kindle eBook.

I am bringing you factual World War II history as well as fictional stories developed from my adjusted memories of how it could have been in the small town of Gibbon in the middle of Nebraska.  My dad left me three scrapbooks of newspaper clippings from World War II which I have turned into a timeline of battles at the end of each year in the book (1940-1945).

Gibbon's Secrets:A Boy's Memories of the 40's [Kindle Edition] $3.99

http://www.amazon.com/Gibbons-Secrets-Boys-Memories-ebook/dp/B005X8BABC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324117040&sr=8-2

Gibbon's Secrets: A Boy's Memories of the 40's [Paperback] $14.95

http://www.amazon.com/Gibbons-Secrets-Boys-Memories-40s/dp/1466473592/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1324117040&sr=8-5

Gibbon's Secrets is a delightful way to share World War II Home Front history through the eyes of someone that actually lived through the experiences.  This book will be a Christmas present that you will be able to share with family and friends and as shown above can be ordered and received in time from Amazon.

December 7th 1941 - Chapter 19 "Gibbon's Secrets"

On this special day (December 7th) when we remember Pearl Harbor - I would like to share a chapter from my book "Gibbon's Secrets". 

On December 7th 1941 - Reg, Addie, Jean and Bud were visiting next door at their neighbors, George and Cecil Pitke's.  The Pitke's had invited them over for Sunday dinner after church.  When everyone was seated around the table, Cecil said, "I wanted to share this special treat of having our son Dale home on leave from the Navy."  Dale quickly responded, "Mom and Dad, you are such a blessing to me and being home with you is really something special.  Dad, would you say grace before our meal?"

George said, "It is with pleasure today, that I thank Thee Lord for the joy of spending this Sunday with our son Dale, and our special friends the Phelps'.  Lord, we ask Thee to continue protecting our loved ones, and to bless this food that is seat before us.  In Jesus' name we pray - Amen."

Bud was so proud that he got to sit next to Dale, and would be able to learn all about ship-board duty.  "Dale, what is is like being stationed on the USS Arizona?"  Dale smiled, and said, "Well Bud, it's pretty exciting.  The Arizona crew's total ship's company is more than the total population of Gibbon, and she also has many of the same conveniences found in any small town."  Bud could not even imagine a ship that would hold that many people, and have stores, places to eat, places to sleep, and even a hospital.  "Do they even have movies aboard ship?"  "Yes, they do, and we get to see all of the latest releases."  "Wow!  You probably see movies before we do in Gibbon."  "I'm sure that sometimes we do.  Did you see 'Aloma of the South Seas', staring Dorothy Lamour?"

"Yes I did, I took Marilyn Kirk to that movie on a Saturday, and Dad gave me a quarter to take her.  Since the tickets were nine cents each, I had enough left over to buy a bag of popcorn to share with her!"  Dale laughed, and said, "You are one big spender, Bud.  It's amazing that you could do so much with a quarter.

The radio was on, with a low pleasant sound of music in the background, when the song was interrupted with a news flash.  "It was just reported that Japan has delivered simultaneous bombing attacks on Pear Harbor, the Philippines, Wake Island, and Guam.  Japanese forces have invaded Malaya and Thailand, seizing Shanghai, and declaring war on the United States and Great Britain."


Everyone was in shock!  Dale immediately contacted the Naval Headquarters in California, and was ordered to return at once.  Bud said to Dale, "I want you to know that your are my hero, and I will think of you every day.  I promise that when I'm old enough I'm going to join the Navy, too."  "Thanks Bud, I'd like you to do me a favor while I'm gone.  I want you to be my pen-pal, and keep me posted on what's happening here at home.  Will you do that for me?"

"You bet!  I promise to write you every week, and probably my buddies will add little notes too.

On December 8th - President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced to the nation by radio that the United States had declared war on Japan.  Several days following our declaration of war against Japan - Germany declared war on the United States.


These events were blows felt by the entire country.  and it could quickly be seen that his small town of Gibbon was showing its own effects of these blows.  Its young men were quickly heading to the recruitment centers in Kearney and Grand Island.  The Five Friends Forever banded together to pledge a patriotic bond supporting the United States until World War II ends in victory.