{what's for dinner?} Potato & Leek Soup.

My sister in law Jennie recenty started a food/life/baby blog and she has posted some amazing looking recipies {one of which I'm try later this week}.

As for tonight: Potato & Leek Soup {adapted from America's Test Kitchen}Have you ever smelled them? Being pregnant and having an amazing sense of smell... the smell was strong, but they smell really great. {ps, see how mine are wilted at top...not as fresh as I'd like but it was my fault as I had them for about 5 days before I used them...still good though!}

need:
5- 6 lbs. leeks { they call for white/light green parts but I used some of the green too}
1/2 stick butter
2 {minced} garlic cloves
6 cups {low-sodium} chicken broth
1.5 lbs. red potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 teas. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Begin by melting butter and garlic in large stock pot {or even better a dutch oven if you have it}.
meanwhile, dice up your leeks. The recipe called for the whites/light green parts of the leeks but I decided to add some of the healthy looking green root in.

{make sure you really clean your leeks well. It is amazing the amount of dirt you will clean out of those suckers}

Dump your leeks into the pot and mix with butter and garlic. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

While those simmer, cut up your potatoes.

Dump in your potatoes and the chick broth.

{And then...my camera died. Woopsie. So the rest are taken with my cell}

Let potatoes simmer for aout 20 minutes {until tender} take out the bay leaf, and smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken soup ...or just take the easy way out and use an immersion blender. {LOVE the thing}

salt and pepper to taste and....wallah!

And here is the finished product just before I served it.

It was VERY tasty with some garlic bread { I bought frozen}, of which I recommend ALEXIA brand {it is in our organic section at our grocery store, and Whole Foods sells it}.

It was a great meal for a colder, overcast day!