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.

Slow cooker Orange Chicken with Butternut Squash and Potatoes

This is adapted from an old Real Simple recipe. Requires some veggie prep (especially with the butternut squash), but is otherwise not very labor-intensive, and smells lovely as it cooks. Makes ~4 servings

Ingredients
8 skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, cut into quarters and layers separated
~ 1 lb small red potatoes
1 small butternut squash*, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch pieces
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 orange, cut into 1/4 inch rings
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
8 sprigs fresh thyme

To make
1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Put everything into the slow cooker. I put the potatoes and squash in first, then the onion, then the chicken, then the broth (poured over chicken), then scattered the garlic, oranges, and thyme over the chicken.

*My 4 qt slow cooker would not fit all the squash with everything else, so a handful of pieces got put away for another day

3. Cook on high for ~ 4 hours (this probably takes less time, I was just busy and so let it cook longer. Check the chicken after say 3 hours for doneness)