CREAMY POTATO SOUP

6-7 potatoes
1 small onion
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp basil
1 tsp dillweed
1 tsp fresh pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
4 c veggie broth
3 tbsp butter
2 c milk
2 cup shredded cheddar

1. melt the butter in a pan and sautee the onions and spices until translucent. remove from heat before they begin browning.

2. dice the potatoes and place in crockpot. add onions and broth, and cook on high for about 3 hours, or until potatoes are soft.

3. mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher. add 2 cups of milk and cook for another hour.

4. gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of cheddar and continue to simmer until it is completely melted.

5. serve garnished with shredded cheese and fresh ground black pepper.


I got a great deal on potatoes, so decided to make up some soup! You can substitute any type of cheese for this. If you want the traditional white soup, use a clear broth and a white cheese such as parmesan or white cheddar. Make sure you remove the onions from the heat before they brown.

If you have any requests/suggestions for recipes please send me an email at currentlycooking@gmail.com

BANANA SPICE CAKE

Due to my freezer-of-infinite-bananas, I decided that my next cake could really use some fruit!

BANANA SPICE CAKE

2 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2/3 c. shortening
1 1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 2/3 c. mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Beat the eggs, then add to the sugar mix.

3. Add the sugar mix to the large bowl, and mix thoroughly. Stir in the mashed bananas and extracts.

4. Divide the batter into 2 greased 8" round cake pans. Use a lightly greased rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Cool cakes completely before icing.

BUTTERCREAM ICING

(this is a sheetcake-sweet frosting. if you do not want it that sweet, start with 1 1/2 c powdered sugar, then add a tablespoon at a time to taste)

6 Tbsp shortening
4 Tbsp butter
2 c. powdered sugar
4 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Cream together the shortening and butter. Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, mix well, then 1 Tbsp milk. Continue alternating until all of the sugar and milk is incorporated, then add the vanilla.

PINAPPLE SYRUP

1 cup frozen pinapple
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Put all ingrediants in a small pot and simmer on medium until thickened to a thin syrup. (if using canned pinapple, you may substitute the juice for part of the water)

I used a slotted spoon to remove the pinapple chunks from the syrup, then I drizzled the glaze over the cakes while they were cooling and allowed it to soak in. When the cakes were cool I iced the top of one, then layered them, and iced the top and sides of the stacked cakes. Finally, I placed the candied pinapple chunks on top.

And yes, I know that I suck at icing cakes! But hey, if it tastes good it won't last long enough to care how it looks ^^

If you have any requests/suggestions for recipes please send me an email at currentlycooking@gmail.com

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

1 package quick rise yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110-120 degrees)
1 1/2 cup milk (110-120 degrees)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened butter
3 cups white flour
3 cups wheat flour
2 eggs
1 cup of raisins
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, mix together white flour, salt, yeast, cinnamon, and oatmeal. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, butter, and eggs.

2. Mix flour mixture into the sugar mixture, then stir in warm milk and water.

3. Add 1 1/2 cup of wheat flour and raisins, then gradually stir in another cup of wheat flour.

4. Flour a flat surface and knead in the remaining wheat flour, adding more as needed, until dough is smooth and elastic.

5. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

6. Punch down and divide in half. Place dough in greased bread pans, cover, and let rise another 30 minutes.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

8. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Just my luck that the end of the loaf that I sliced seems to be lacking raisins! Made this because I was in the mood for french toast, and store bought breads are too thin for my tastes. Sliced thick, this bread makes a GREAT french toast!
Scored some yeast on sale, so my cost per loaf of bread is really cheap right now. Expect to see lots more breads coming up!

If you have any requests/suggestions for recipes please send me an email at currentlycooking@gmail.com

Welcome to Cabby's Currently Cooking!

As the first post for this blog, I figured I should introduce myself and give a summary of what this blog is.

My name is Jen (a.k.a. Cabby), and I love to cook! This blog will be my pseudo cooking diary. At least once a week (most likely 3-4 times a week) I will be posting recipes and pictures of what I'm cooking! I will try to make a variety of things and not get stuck on any particular type of food, but as I prefer baking, most posts will be bread and desserts. Also, I am a vegetarian, so if you are looking for meat recipes, you won't find them here!

Much of my cooking is done to taste or until the consistency is right, so measurements will be approximate ^^. Would love to hear your ideas, so if you have suggestions on recipe changes, please post them in the comments section. If you have a request for a dish you would like a recipe for (e.g. if you want me to post my cream puffs recipe), or if you have a recipe you would like me to try out and post, send me an email at currentlycooking@gmail.com.