Saturday cooks!

Saturday I cooked potato and leek soup, with the addition of bacon.

The original recipe is from The Enchanted Broccoli Forrest, one of my oldest/original cookbooks. They of course made it without bacon, but I thought after last week, I deserved it. The recipe makes about 4-6 servings, depending on the size of your bowl and your hunger. It is also pretty thick, so you can thin it with more milk, and it will go farther.

I changed the receip a little from the book's printed version after last week, mostly to make the cooking process easier.

Cut 2 medium russet potatoes (or any good baking kind) into chunks. I don't even peel, just clean and chop. Clean and slice three medium or two large leeks. (I forego the celery and carrot, but they suggest one of each, chopped.)

While you're slicing, melt 3-4 tablespoons of butter or butter-like stuff (whatever you use, I use 1/2 butter and 1/2 Smart Spread, that works) in a large saucepan (I use 3-qt.). When the butter is melted, add the vegetables, stir to coat, and cook for 5 minutes until all veg are coated and slightly softened.

Add 8 oz. stock (I use organic chicken stock for better flavor, but vegetable stock is fine. Water, too). Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 20 minutes, until all veg are soft.

Using 1 c. milk at a time, add 1/3 veg from stove and 1 c. milk to blender. Puree. Return to pan on stove and keep on low, until all is pureed (3 c. total, so three blender trips).

While this is happening, cook 2 strips of bacon however you please; I use pan on burner and cook until crispy. Your preference. Drain and crumble bacon into soup. Stir. It's just enough bacon to enjoy the flavor but not be overwhelming.

You can also flavor with salt and black pepper, caraway, thyme, and sage, as you prefer. Store in fridge for a week, heat in microwave. This is a thick and hearty enough soup that it can stand on its own. but also great with sandwiches.

I also made pumpkin bread--without nuts--but that didn't turn out so well, so I'm going to fine-tune the recipe before sharing. The flavor was good, but I got a squat little loaf without enough spicy snap.