Stewsday: A new monthly tradition / Chicken soup for the soul

A friend of mine and I are lovers of the underrated dish that is soup. We decided to celebrate this dish as well as our friendship by creating a recurring monthly get-together that we call "Stewsday." We meet once a month on a Tuesday and we drink wine and cook a new soup recipe. It's very therapeutic! While we create a new souptastic masterpiece, we share a bottle of wine and enjoy each others company in a comfortable and intimate setting, setting the hustle and bustle of everyday life aside to enjoy the simple things in life.

This month we made chicken and wild rice soup, and it turned out amazing! Here's our version of the recipe (10 servings)

1 rotisserie chicken (remove all skin, fat, and bones, pull into chunks)
4 carrots peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery chopped
1 large yellow onion chopped
1.5 tbsp minced garlic
1.5 cups wild rice (unseasoned)
3 quarts chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup chopped fresh italian parsley
salt & pepper
lemon juice (optional)

Cook the rice separately so it doesn't soak up too much of the broth. Put olive oil in a large soup pot and stir onions, carrots, celery, & garlic on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Season with salt & pepper, perhaps a little lemon juice. When the rice is cooked, add the rice and chicken and simmer covered for about 20min. Remove from heat, add parsley, and serve.
Between the 2 of us, we jar the rest and enjoy it throughout the rest of the month.