Creamy Potato Leek Soup

This soup is so delicious, it might be my new favorite! And that's saying a lot, because I'm really not a huge potato-soup fan. I got the recipe from the Sister's Cafe blog. The only changes I made were to blend the soup at the end of cooking (because I don't like chunks of potatoes, plus then my kids don't know about the leeks & onions), and then afterwards I added the bacon to the soup instead of putting it on top, so we'd all get an equal amount. Oh, I also cooked it on the stove this time because I forgot it was a crock-pot dish until dinner-time. I simmered it, covered, for about 45 minutes, instead of cooking it all day in the crock-pot. Then I just stirred in the evaporated milk right before blending it. It worked great!

Creamy Potato Leek Soup
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 leeks, washed, sliced, including white and light green parts
1 cup chopped onion
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk of celery, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
1 Tb dried parsley flakes
1 tsp garlic salt
2 Tb butter
12 oz. can evaporated milk
12 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled
sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
chives, chopped - optional

Combine everything except last 4 ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low 7-9 hours or on high 3-4 hours. Stir in the can of evaporated milk the last 45 minutes. Serve hot topped with bacon, cheddar, and chives. (If you have a family that loves bacon, like mine, then you might want to stir in the bacon at the end too... otherwise you might run out fast!)