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Mar 14, 2015

Chinese Stir-fry

Best Homemade Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe

Sweet & Sour Chicken is one of my favorite Chinese dishes but I never order it in restaurants because the chicken is always battered and deep fried so I learned to make it myself. And I made some today. There’s just one rule with my sweet & sour chicken… fresh pineapple!

A lot of stores sell pre-cut pineapple so I just bought a small container for my pineapple chicken. I tried making it with canned pineapple but I’d rather make something else than use canned pineapple for this dish. Fresh makes a huge difference.

For the juice, I didn’t want to buy a big bottle of juice so I got a 6-pack of tiny  6-ounce cans and just used one can for the recipe. I needed 1/3 of a cup and I drank the rest. Sweet & sour chicken cooks fast and I served it over sushi rice, which is a sticky rice. In my opinion, this sweet and sour chicken is as good or better than any I’ve had from a restaurant. I also like this meal because it’s delicious and it has lots of antioxidant-rich vegetables and lean protein. The last time I tried sweet & sour chicken at a restaurant, there was literally ONE piece of red pepper (the picture showed lots of red & green peppers). That was the day I decided to make my own, having no idea how easy it really would be. Click here for the recipe.

I also made a loaf of no-knead bread… again. It seems like I make at least one loaf a week.

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I switch around between the original, which I made today, then whole wheat, then fruit & nut or olive. This bread never disappoints and as many loaves as I have made, I’m still amazed every time at this easy, nothing-to-do method for baking bread. Click here for the recipe.

I love bread. If I ever had to be gluten-free I’d be one sad human being! So that’s what I made today. …just sharing… – Jenny Jones

p.s. I am loving all the positive comments and especially the photos I’ve received of my own recipes made by you (wanna see?). I never expected so many people would try my recipes since they are not fancy, and I just want to say thank you for your confidence in me and for taking time to write. – Jenny Jones

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Mar 7, 2015

Weekend bread

Jenny's Simple Whole Wheat BreadThis morning I baked my simple whole wheat bread and I forgot just how easy it is. It’s only one rise and the whole thing, start-to-finish, takes just an hour and a half. It’s a soft loaf, perfect for French toast. That’s what I plan to make with it tomorrow. Today I just sliced it while it was still warm and put a little butter on it and had it with scrambled eggs.

I love homemade bread… the smell… and the taste… you just can’t buy it anywhere. I also made homemade tortillas (they disappear quickly around here) and I also worked on my Polish bigos recipe. … just sharing… – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Breads/Muffins, What I Cooked Today
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Mar 6, 2015

Brownies for the weekend

Whole Wheat Brownies Recipe

It’s always good to have something sweet for the weekend (besides my sweet-heart!). He loves my easy chocolate brownies so I made some for the weekend. At the same time, I improved the recipe with a few minor changes, which I have noted on the printable recipe. I followed Lisa’s comment below my recipe and reduced the baking soda for a fudgier brownie. I also doubled the vanilla and reduced the baking time.

I also adjusted some amounts for easier measuring. I realized that 1/3 of a cup is 5 1/3 tablespoons so I changed both the 5 tablespoons of oil and the 6 tablespoons of yogurt to 1/3 of a cup each. It’s much easier to measure and makes no difference in the batter. We both like the new brownie better but the old version is still available too.

This morning I also made my giant breakfast cookies.  Just like my brownies they are 100% whole grain and made without butter.

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I love these breakfast cookies so much I just added them to “My Favorites” category. A lot of times, I also have them for dessert. For dinner I made vegetable fried rice with edamame. So that’s what I cooked today. …just sharing… – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Baking Without Butter, What I Cooked Today
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Mar 3, 2015

Soup for the week

Homemade Vegetable Soup

This is my vitamin pill. I made a big pot of vegetable soup for the week. I used my own chicken stock,  which I had frozen, and added a mountain of vegetables – a total of twelve, I think. The fresh vegetables I used were: carrot, potato, red pepper, zucchini, kale, spinach, napa cabbage, green beans, celery, and broccoli, and I also added frozen peas and corn. Do you see anything in there I missed? The soup is for the week but it will never last that long.

This morning I also made English muffins for breakfast and for dinner, my skinless chicken drumsticks. Oh, I also marinated some beets (my beet salad) for dinner but I’ve been snacking on them all day. My favorite thing to do is spend all day in the kitchen. …just sharing… – Jenny Jones

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Feb 27, 2015

Crispy Apple Tart

Crispy Apple Tart Recipe

This apple tart is pretty easy to make and it’s delicious! Not to mention it looks amazing. If you like things not too sweet you will love this crispy fruit tart. I make it with my easy oil crust, no butter, and very little sugar. I’ve tried it with different apples but granny smiths work the best. They are firm and easy to slice thinly. It takes three or four really big apples, about 1/2 pound each (I prefer four), and the glaze is just some apricot jam that’s warmed up a bit. I use St. Dalfour brand.

Most tarts use a crust with shortening or butter but mine is a much easier oil crust made with avocado oil but you can any flavorless vegetable oil of your choice.  You could actually press the entire crust into your pan but it’s hard to get an even thickness so I roll it between wax paper. Then it almost fits the pan and you can press it a little towards the edges and basically “cut & paste” the crust together. Try not to have any holes or cracks and also keep it inside the rim or it can burn. As it is, the edge of the crust gets really dark but it’s super crispy and delicious.

I make this tart in a 12-inch pizza pan and I have also used a pizza pan with holes and that works well too. Here it is right before baking:

Best Apple Tart RecipeI love this healthy dessert. Make it for a party and call it apple pizza. One thing about serving: The apples are cooked and soft so the best way to slice the tart is with a long knife using a rolling motion. The soft apples will try to stick to the knife so keep an eye on them. I tried using a pizza cutter (the wheel thingy?) – bad idea. It took some of the apples with it.

Be sure to slice the apples nice and thin – 1/8-inch thick. As for how to place the slices, be creative. I always do the perimeter first but you can do your own thing. I also tried making the crust using whole wheat flour but it would not come out crisp so all-purpose is the flour to use. Hey, the apples have fiber! ? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Baking Without Butter, Sweets
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Feb 26, 2015

I updated my breakfast brownies

Breakfast Brownies600_9497

I made my breakfast brownies today and decided they could be better. So I made a second batch with a little more sugar, a little less cereal, and I added another egg and liked it better.  I adjusted the printable recipe accordingly but you can always get the old version at the bottom of the recipe. If you need extra fiber, there’s a ton in these chewy breakfast brownies.

Like most cooks, I’m always trying new things with my recipes, looking to see if I can make something better or easier or healthier. I also made potato soup today and I plan to post the recipe soon.

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It’s cold here in California – down into the 60s! 😉 I know. It’s into the zeros in other places! I’m sorry. That’s why I made soup today, getting ready to post my recipe for everyone in the Boston area, where they’re getting record snow this week. So that’s what I cooked today. … just sharing… – Jenny Jones

Filed Under: Baking Without Butter, What I Cooked Today
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Feb 24, 2015

Tuesday snacking

IMG_1092 copy 2Breakfast today was my buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup… yummy yum yum! In the afternoon I made a big pot of chicken soup. Cooked it for 3 hours! Then I strained it, pulled the good chicken off the bones, and refrigerated the stock so all the fat will rise to the top by tomorrow. Then… chicken-rice soup, chicken-noodle, and one I really love – Greek avgolemono.

My stepmom is Greek so I’ve grown to love Greek food. I’m thinking of posting my recipe for spanakopita sometime soon. After dinner (leftovers) I made a batch of granola bars. I took this picture to show how pretty the bottom of the bars get when they’re done, all glossy and sticky. Now we have these delicious bars around for snacking. Having something healthy to snack on keeps us from snacking on the wrong things. So that’s what I cooked today. ...just sharing… – Jenny Jones

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Feb 22, 2015

Sunday Baking

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Today is Sunday and it’s raining. I’m staying inside so I can play… in the kitchen. Actually, I do that every Sunday, and almost every other day, too. This morning I made tortillas for the week and for breakfast I made my turkey breakfast patties with scrambled eggs and my no-knead whole wheat fruit & nut bread on the side. I love this bread! When it was fresh out of the oven I ate the heel and two more slices. Think what you want – I don’t care! 🙂 It was delicious and I loved it.

The times I can’t seem to stop eating something is when it’s fresh out of the oven. Now tomorrow, I will be able to eat just one slice (at a time) – just kidding – I WILL have some self control tomorrow. I baked the bread using the overnight method with cold water and the mixture of whole wheat flour and bread flour was perfect. The crust was fabulously crunchy and the inside, with 2 kinds of raisins and walnuts, was soft and chewy.

So that was breakfast. Then for dinner my skinless chicken thighs (thighs & fries) with asparagus are already in the oven, oh and I’m making a salad. We have a salad just about every day and there is no meal around here without a cooked vegetable as well. Then we’re having everyday cookies for dessert (the cookies were already made).

If I get bored watching the Academy Awards tonight, I’ll probably go in the kitchen and make breadsticks. …just sharing… – Jenny Jones

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Feb 18, 2015

Fresh Tomato Salsa – Pico de Gallo

How To Make Fresh Tomato Salsa

When I was growing up in Canada, there was no Mexican food. No Mexican restaurants, no Taco Bell… not even corn chips. All we knew was salmon sandwiches and cabbage rolls… and that weird jellied thing my dad used to make with pigs feet. The first time I went to a Mexican restaurant I was 20 years old and living in California. (there are a LOT of Mexican restaurants in Southern California!) And they always have salsa. You don’t even have to ask for it. Sit down — there it is. Salsa on the table. And a bowl of tortilla chips usually arrives at the same time. It’s supposed to be an appetizer, chips & salsa, but I can’t stop eating it until someone takes it away.

It turns out that it’s really easy to make fresh tomato salsa. They call it Pico de Gallo but I don’t know why. It translates to “rooster’s beak.” You hardly need a recipe because even if you just eyeball the amounts, it will still be great. It’s a simple recipe using only fresh ingredients (tomatoes, onions, jalapeño pepper & cilantro) In fact, feel free to use more or less of any ingredient or customize it with some fresh garlic or a spicier pepper like serrano.

It just takes a few minutes to make. Some people use the whole tomato including the seeds and juice but for me the result is a salsa with too much liquid. I prefer a more chunky salsa to I remove the seeds from the tomato first, then I dice tomato and drain it in a collander or strainer while I work on the other ingredients. And a word about tomatoes. They should not be refrigerated so if you want an amazing salsa, use fresh tomatoes that have not been refrigerated and serve the salsa right away. Oh, one more thing:  the seeds and insides of  jalapeño peppers are very spicy so don’t handle them and then touch your eyes. In fact, it’s good to use gloves to seed and chop them if you can. 

In case you have some left (I rarely do) you can refrigerate it for 2-3 days and it will still be good, but more like the kind you buy in a jar. If you like Mexican food, try my salsa. If you don’t like Mexican food, try my salsa anyway. Es muy buena! Click here for the recipe. Haga aqui para la receta. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Easy Recipes For Beginners, Snacks/Misc
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Feb 16, 2015

Happy Pączki Day – Fat Tuesday

Polish Jelly Doughnuts

Tuesday, February 17th is Pączki Day!  It’s a day celebrated by most Poles by eating as many pączki as you can in preparation for the following day, Ash Wednesday, the traditional start of Lent, when many Catholics start fasting until Good Friday. So if you’re going to binge on pączki today, why not keep it healthy and bake them? My recipe is easy and you can fill them with custard or jam… I even fill some with my chocolate pudding recipe. (a single pączki is called a pączek.)

Best Oven Baked Paczki

So Happy Pączki Day, everyone. And Szczęśliwa Pączki Dziennie to my Polish friends!  Oh, and Happy Fat Tuesday to everyone in New Orleans. That’s about the happiest place to be today. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Polish Cooking
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