Wild Rice Soup IV

2 pounds bacon

1 cup uncooked wild rice

2 cups water

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

3 ½ cups water

In a small sauce pan, cook rice with two cups of water until tender; set aside. Fry the bacon until crisp. Drain, but reserve 5 tablespoons of the grease. Crumble bacon and set aside.

Fry the onions, celery and green peppers in the bacon grease until the onions are translucent. Transfer the vegetables, rice and crumbled bacon to a 5 quart pan. Stir in the mushroom and chicken soups, chicken broth and remaining 3 1/2 cups of water. Simmer over medium heat for one hour to blend all of the flavors.