biggest. soup. failure. ever.

alright...maybe not the biggest ever, but it was still pretty boring...

the thought alone of potato leek soup makes my mouth water.  so freaking good.  but, i wanted to make it without the heavy cream to up the healthy factor and down the tummy ache factor.  i found a recipe that fit the criteria and gave it a whirl.

although i receive recipes in my email from them daily, this is the first recipe from "parents" that has looked tempting enough to try.  i must say, i'm disappointed in you "parents"! here it is...http://www.parents.com/recipe/soups/chunky-leek-potato-soup/...shallots, leeks, potatoes, some chunky parts, some pureed parts...sounds good right?  well, even with most of the right components, it was a total bore.  tasted like water that i happen to cook some potatoes in.  but, instead of just letting it go, chalking it up to a sub-par dinner and moving on to our dinner plans for tonight (israeli couscous with chicken, zucchini, squash, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and kale), i have made plans to revamp it and try again...to see if i have what it takes to give this recipe some cpr and bring it back to life.  alright, enough with the metaphors.

here is my plan:
-add garlic (well, i actually already did this, but i'll add more...like four cloves)
-substitute the water for chicken broth (again...already did that too...but i only sub-ed half)
-cut liquid by maybe two cups...i'll have to eyeball it
-saute the shallots, garlic and leeks by themselves before adding potatoes
-add perhaps one more potato...i'm still deciding on this one
-puree the whole thing, not just half!  (the watery consistency was definitely not ideal)
-substitute the garnish of parsley for rosemary
-ADD BACON! (totally meant to do this last night and forgot to cook it...doh!)
-garnish with onion crispies (did this with leftovers at lunch today...vast improvement)
-garnish with cheese (already did this too...)

i think that should do it...or i guess i should say, i hope it does. will keep you posted.  give me a couple weeks though.  can't be cycling through the menu that fast.  :)