Cheesey Wild Rice Soup

I love living 'Up North'. In the summer we see wild rice growing in our local lakes. Then in the fall when the weather changes I get to make one of my families favorite recipes. This year I changed up my recipe a bit, in order to incorporate my DIY challenge for 2012. I used ** in my ingredient list so that you could still be successful with store bought substitutions.

Cheesey Wild Rice Soup:
1/2 lb of Bacon cut into small pieces (Freeze remainder for another day)
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1/2 cup Wild Rice
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 Chicken bullion cubes
6 1/2 cups of water**
1 celery stalk chopped**
1 can of mushrooms**
1 medium potato chopped**
1 cup Cream of ... Soup Mix**
12 oz of American Cheese cubed or shredded
5 cups of milk

In a large stock pot, fry bacon pieces until almost done. Saute onion, wild rice, brown rice, oats, and celery in bacon juices until celery and onion are translucent. Add water, bullion, potatoes, mushrooms, and soup mix., bring to a low boil. Reduce heat, add milk and cheese. Heat thoroughly, while stirring. DO NOT BURN. Serve. (I often make this in the crockpot, as it is even yummier the longer it simmers.)

** Reduce water to 2 1/2 Cups, eliminate other ** items and replace with 1 can each of cream of mushroom, cream of potato, and cream of celery soups