Potato, Leek, & Bacon soup

Another easy soup. Pretty tasty.

Ingredients

~6 streaky bacon rashers

~2 leeks, dark green parts removed

~3 potatoes

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

pepper

To Make

1. Cut the bacon rashers into 2 inch pieces using kitchen shears.

2. In a medium-sized stock pot, fry the bacon pieces to somewhat under desired doneness.

3. While bacon is cooking, prepare the vegetables:

Peel the potatoes and cut them up into 1 inch cubes.

Thinly slice the white parts of the leeks.

4. Add the leeks and potatoes to the pot. Cook for a few minutes until they have softened a bit, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the broth, stir, cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

6. Use a potato masher to mush up the potatoes, if they haven't mostly disintegrated on their own.

7. Stir in the milk.

8. Ladle into bowl, add pepper to taste. Enjoy with crusty bread.

Easy Hearty Chicken & Leek Soup

Born from the need to consume some chicken that was about to meet its use-by date. Chunky 'n' hearty but also light 'n' brothy.

Ingredients
~ 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chicken cutlets, cut into small (~1 inch) bits
2 leeks
2 or 3 carrots
6 cups water
1 cup brown rice
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 bay leaf

To make
1. Heat olive oil in a medium stock pot over medium heat. Add chicken bits, spread evenly over bottom of pot. Cook for ~5 minutes, stirring/turning every so often.
2. While the chicken cooks, prepare veggies:
Slice the leeks lengthwise, then chop the halves. Rinse chopped bits to get rid of grit. Dice the carrots. Add the veggies to the chicken in the pot, stir and then let cook for another few minutes.
3. When the veggies have begun to soften, add the 6 cups water, 1 cup brown rice, bouillon cube and bay leaf. Stir. Cover and simmer for about ~20 minutes.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste (I didn't add any) and enjoy!