August, 2016

Here’s a place to share your favorite recipes with the thousands of daily visitors that come here from all over  the world.

I made lemon brownies today and decided to experiment with a larger pan, using a 9 x 9-inch square instead of the 8-inch square. Well, this recipe is indestructible. The brownies turned out great, even a little fudgier than the original. Even an amateur baker can’t mess this up. I’ve made these easy lemon brownies with all purpose flour, with whole wheat pastry flour, once when I was out of yogurt I used sour cream instead and no matter what, they always turn out. And it’s one bowl!

It’s one of my most popular recipes because they are so easy to make. There is no mixer, almost no cleanup, and they are so darn delicious. If you haven’t tried it yet, or even if you have, you can now make it in an 8 by 8 or 9 by 9 pan. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Every meal I have starts with a salad. And this is a typical salad that I make every day, full of health-building antioxidants. It’s probably part of the reason I simply never get sick. I have not had a cold or flu in over half a century. Anyone can make a salad, I thought, but I’m sharing a photo of my typical salad to motivate more people to include salads with every meal. It doesn’t have to be this one but eat those vegetables if you want a long and healthy life.

People always ask me why I never get sick. How do I get such glowing skin? Am I really seventy years old? It’s because I cook every day and the meal always includes a salad and at least one cooked vegetable. Certain vegetables, like spinach or carrots, have more health benefits when cooked so have both raw and cooked veggies every day.

Romaine lettuce is considered the healthiest choice for salads with more nutrients than iceberg, but I sometimes use red leaf or butter lettuce. I always add some cabbage for its many health benefits and colored peppers. A mix of colors will provide the biggest variety of antioxidants so if I use red tomatoes, I use yellow or orange peppers. If I use yellow tomatoes, then red peppers. Red onions add a nice kick but that’s not why I add them. Onions and garlic a loaded with immune-boosting elements. Garbanzo beans add fiber and calcium but I sometimes use red kidney beans.

If I haven’t convinced you yet,  just look at why I make this particular salad the most – and these are only some of the health benefits since there are too many to mention:

Romaine Lettuce contains lutein for protect against vision loss, fiber, vitamins A, C, K, and folic acid.

Green Cabbage can protect against cancer & heart disease and boost your immune system.

Bell Peppers have more vitamin C than oranges and they support eye and lung health. Red peppers have more vitamins A and C than green.

Tomatoes can protect against heart disease as well as breast and prostate cancer.

Garbanzo beans are full of protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium, and iron.

Red onions help strengthen collagen, support bone health, prevents cell damage, and supports a strong immune system.

Oh… one more thing: No bottled dressing! Just look at the ingredients. Olive oil is the best and only choice for a healthy salad. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Light and fluffy tapioca pudding was my favorite dessert growing up. I still make it today and it’s so easy to make.  Classic old fashioned tapioca pudding is plain, flavored only with vanilla but I have also made a butterscotch version as well as chocolate and coconut. But plain old vanilla childhood tapioca is still the best. Thank goodness they still sell Minute Tapioca in the red box.

It’s easy to forget but you should shake the box before measuring. I actually keep my tapioca in a jar so I just stir it before measuring. Tapioca is naturally fat free and sodium free. I make my pudding with low fat 1% milk and it’s a very light dessert. I hope this takes you back to your childhood too. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

There’s always something to snack on over the weekend in this house. Sometimes it’s my skinless chicken drumsticks but today it’s my Italian sub pinwheel sandwiches. Today I skipped the cheese and made them with sliced roasted turkey breast, nitrate-free ham, and light salami. The salami is what give them an Italian sub flavor. So here’s what’s inside my lavash bread…. mayo, mustard, Italian seasoning, diced peperoncinis, turkey, ham, salami, and lots of lettuce.

I rolled them up, wrapped them tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerated them for about 3-4 hours. Then I sliced them, covered the plate tightly with plastic wrap, and now they are in the fridge, ready for the weekend.  Some people add cream cheese or other different meats so you can make them your own. It’s the perfect TV snack if you’re watching the Olympics this weekend. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Blueberries are on sale so it’s the perfect time to make my blueberry coffee cake. I have simplified my recipe so it’s pretty easy and if you like baking without butter, I’m your girl. This lovely and delicious cake has no butter, not even in the streusel topping. It’s an easy buttermilk cake and I use a heaping cup of blueberries. The streusel is crispy from the toasted pecans. You can use walnuts but I think pecans, especially when they are toasted first, are much more fragrant.

My streusel can be made with softened butter or a trans fat-free spread, but it’s perfect the way I make it, just using oil. I used to make this easy cake in a 9-inch pan but I like using the 8-inch round pan because the cake is taller. Inspect your blueberries and remove any bad ones and make sure they are not wet when adding to the batter. I toss the berries with a little flour before adding so they don’t sink to the bottom.

This blueberry coffee cake, like all coffee cakes, is best served warm. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

If you’ve ever wondered which one of my recipes I make the most, it’s granola bars. I make them almost every week. Granola bars were never my favorite thing to eat but I would occasionally buy one when I was away from home and getting hungry because it’s a healthy choice but the ones from the store never left me wanting more. These days I crave granola bars because homemade bars are infinitely better… and easy to make.

I make sure we always have these delicious bars at home and as soon as we run out, I make more. They are full of protein and fiber and they are incredibly easy to make. Everything mixes in one bowl and you bake it.

How To Line a Pan for Granola Bars (with Parchment Paper).

The hardest part is lining the pan with parchment paper because it won’t always stay in place, but I found an easier way to do it… with binder clips. You can get them at a stationery store and since they’re metal, they can go right in the oven.

Cut two parchment paper pieces a little bit wider than your 9-inch pan and lay them in, criss-crossing each other, clipping the ends down as you go. It will keep the paper in place, like this…

Now that you know how  easy it is to make your own granola bars, try them and see if you don’t wind up like me, making them every week.  Every time I go out the door, I take one with me. You will too. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I love seeing how people all over the world are making my recipes. What did you make? Where are you from? Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com 

RYAN MADE MY SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS
“Your spaghetti & meatballs recipe is absolutely delicious! Thx Jenny!”

ANISH MADE MY DINNER SALAD
“Thanks Jenny!! Made your wonderful salad tonight for a perfect meal on a hot sunny day!! Loved it!!”

MOHAMMED MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“Thank you very much Jenny. I made this bread by following your instructions. It was great! Thanks!”

ARLA MADE MY FALL-OFF-THE-BONE RIBS
“Your rib recipe is exactly as advertised!  They are fall off the bone delicious. I rubbed the ribs and spiced them. They relaxed and rested after their spice massage in a cool refrigerator overnight.  These were grilled on a gas grill at 300 degrees F, then given a saucing and heated about 20 minutes longer. They were moist, tender and bone sucking great. One rib my husband picked up actually had the meat rolling off of it, they were that tender.

This is my first experience with you and your recipes.  I’m not a TV watcher and must have been too busy working to know you are a big celebrity! My first intro to you was the rib youtube video. There I found a charming, playful host with an immaculate, cheerful, colorful kitchen, hygienic discipline and lots of good ideas, with an obvious knowledge of food.   My husband wanted to grill ribs. We never had before, it seemed too intimidating.  We were confused that our favorite BBQ place had tough ribs one time and tender another time.  They became so inconsistent we decided to put on our aprons and take matters into our own BBQ mitts.  I love cooking, heck I’ve been doing it for over 40 years, so your you tube seemed just right to my style.

Here is a plate of your ribs with some baked beans on the side. Thank you very much!”

NIKITA MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS
“Hi Jenny, Made your cinnamon rolls today and was super yum! My family loved it! Thank you so much for your lovely recipes ?”

KAITLIN MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“Hi Jenny! I made your whole wheat bread today ! I’m from Wading River on Long Island, NY! I was really surprised how easy it really was! The bread is so delicious ! Thank you! – Kaitlin.”

KATIE MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“Saturday morning breakfast!  Thanks again for this recipe. It has never failed me. 🙂 – Katie, Fair Oaks, CA”

ERIC MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“I have made this many time and it always comes out fantastic.”

SUSANA MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD
“Hi Jenny. My first attempt at your no-knead bread … it was so crusty on the outside and soft in the middle … just perfect!  I made a couple of cuts in the top with scissors.  It was delicious buttered, with a bowl of chicken soup.  I plan to make it again very soon.  Thanks so much for the recipe.  Regards, Susana, Tasmania, Australia.”

MIDGE MADE MY NO KNEAD RYE BREAD
“Hooray! My first attempt at Polish Jenny’s “No Knead Rye Bread” for my Ukrainian husband! Wonderful result. Thank you, Jenny! – Midge Mudrowsky”

RONALD MADE MY PACZKI
“Hi jenny I finally made your donut,so yummy I used powdered sugar for the coating.Thanks ?”

SABINE MADE MY GRANOLA
“Dear Mrs. Jones, I made this granola now the third time -it is simply the best!!! ? Heartly regards. Sabine.”

KATHLEENA MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS
“Hi Jenny! I first made your cinnamon rolls last year and i hv been making them ever since then. I love them and so does everyone else. Using your recipe i tried cutting them into smaller size n made it into the muffin pans. I hv some photos to share with you here. Thank you so so so much…! ? – Kath, Malaysia.”

HARITHA MADE MY WHOLE WHEAT DINNER ROLLS
“Hi Jenny, Today I tried whole wheat dinner rolls.Thanks to u for sharing this healthy recipe.They turned out really good.I am from India. – Haritha Reddy.”

BOBBIE MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS
“The dough was very light and airy and truly was a wonderful treat!”

MIAO MIAO MADE MY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
“Hi Jenny, These are my first buttermilk biscuits. Thanks to your recipe demonstration, they turned out to be very crunchy and delicious. I made them today and by now they were all gone! Thank you very much, Jenny! – Miao Miao from CA”