Big ol' container of mushrooms from Costco:

Bought this 'barrel' of gourmet dehydrated mushrooms from Costco a year or so ago, and it has pretty much sat there undisturbed in my pantry this whole time. Today that all changed, as I decided to find a dehydrated mushroom recipe. And, am I ever glad I did. This soup was ridiculously good and only cost a couple bucks to make. I found an interesting recipe for a mushroom bisque, and I modified it for my use. I also used an excellent product from Costco for the beef broth called, "Better Than Bouillon Beef Broth". It's SUPER flavourful and is way cheaper than pre-made broth (3 tsp added to 3 cups of water is all I used for my meal). For your tastebud and pocketbook pleasure, here's what I made:

Wild Mushroom Soup:

4 tbsp. Butter
2 tbsp. Flour
1 Onion (small), finely chopped
1/2 - 1 oz. of Dehyrdated Mushroom Mix
3 cups Beef Broth
2 cups Milk (or cream)
2 tbsp. Sherry (or Apera as its now called in Canada)
2 tbsp. Chives (freeze-dried or fresh)
1/4 cup reserved filtered Mushroom Broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Rehydrate mushrooms
Grab a handful of dehydrated mushrooms and rinse them briefly in a strainer. Transfer them to a small bowl and pour hot water over the mushrooms until they are saturated, then wait 15 minutes. Drain mushroom water (broth) and pour into a glass or plastic measuring cup. Now pour boiling water into the bowl with the mushrooms until saturated, and wait another 5 minutes. Once again, pour the mushroom water (broth) into the existing measuring cup of reserved liquid. Then filter the mushroom broth through a paper coffee filter using your existing coffee basket, plastic funnel, or metal strainer (paper filter is essential to filter out the gritty, sandy bits). Lastly, chop the rehydrated mushrooms into smaller bite-size pieces.

Step 2: Making the soup
Saute onions and mushrooms in butter over a low to medium heat for 10 minutes in a large sauce pan or dutch oven (do not let it burn). Add flour and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes (once again try not to burn). Add 1/4 cup filtered mushroom broth to deglaze the pan. Add beef broth and stir until mixed thoroughly, then add the milk. Turn up the heat to medium-high, stirring frequently and bring the soup to a simmer (do not boil). The soup is now done, now stir in the sherry and chives and season with sea salt (not much needed at all) and pepper.