I chose this photo of Charmaine from Australia, who made my easy baked ziti with black beans. She is the first person to send their own photo where they are ready to eat the food and it appears to be a selfie, which I know from experience is not easy. She got herself, the pan of ziti, the fork with the food still on it ? and managed to smile on top of that. This was my favorite photo of the week, plus I love love my baked ziti. Thank you, Charmaine! ❤️
Blog
A Birthday Gift From YouTube
I never expected anything like this! When I made my cooking videos, it was just a hobby. I love to cook and just wanted to share my recipes in case some of my fans might be interested. I knew a lot of people didn’t even cook but it was still fun. I watched as the number of views continued to grow and my videos were soon discovered by the entire world. It was international! Comments and questions came in from 200 countries (where they use the metric system – I never planned for that).
Then the corona virus came and the whole world was quarantined at home and had to cook, and bake bread. My recipes are simple so people who have never cooked before and needed to learn started watching and they had questions. A lot of questions. I want to help and I try to answer as many as I can but it’s impossible to keep up. I’m doing the best I can so please understand if I don’t answer your question.
As timing would have it, the millionth subscriber signed up on my birthday today. Now that is a birthday gift I could never have predicted but it makes me so happy because it means that my simple home videos are helping people eat healthy home cooked meals and knowing I’m making a difference is the best gift I could have received. ❤️
Photo of the Week
When I saw this photo from Terri in Oklahoma City, I wanted to reach through my screen and take a bite. Terri said she loves black and green olive pizza but hardly any pizza franchise makes them so she decided to make her own using my 20-minute pizza dough. She didn’t have a pizza pan but says her non-stick 8 inch cake pan worked perfectly. And I learned something too, that a cake pan works for pizza. Thank you, Terri, for this delicious photo and for the cake pan tip.
I Made Apple Pie
It’s just so good! I wanted something special for the holiday weekend and decided on my homemade apple pie. I bought six large Granny Smith apples and this time I cut the slices a little smaller, about 3/4-inch thick. Someone had mentioned that the apples weren’t cooked enough so slightly smaller pieces worked out just fine. And of course, I always use my easy oil crust, using avocado oil.
Most of the time I brush the crust with milk but I had whipping cream on hand and used that before sprinkling the top with sugar. I didn’t see much difference from using milk. You can’t buy an apple pie anywhere that even comes close to homemade. Serve an apple pie and you’ll find you have more friends & family than you realized! ? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Photo of the Week
This birthday cake, which was made by Tina in Texas, touched me in many ways. Tina and her husband are both physicians. He is on the front lines daily in the hospital while she is seeing her patients via telemedicine. “I’ve been trying to juggle seeing my patients, oversee distance learning for my kids, and manage my household chores,” she wrote, “and my escape has been trying your recipes in my kitchen (which is my happy place).”
Tina surprised her newly pregnant baby sister on her 33rd birthday with a decorated version of my chocolate cake and 2 minute frosting. She says, “I just topped the cake with a few homemade chocolate covered strawberries and drizzled dark and white chocolate sculptures.” How she found the time and ability to make those beautiful decorations (and the cake) is beyond me! As busy as she is with kids, her own practice, and a husband working in a hospital, she put this wonderful birthday cake together. Tina, the kitchen is my happy place too. ❤️
Better Blondies
I’m always looking for easier ways to cook and bake and now my blondies are even easier to make, and a little healthier. I’ve been replacing chocolate chips with dark chocolate chunks in most of my baking because dark chocolate (70% cacao) has health benefits. I chop up some of a dark chocolate bar and they are now my chocolate chunks for baking. (I like Lindt 70% bars)
My blondies are now super easy to make, using only 3 tablespoons of butter, lots of dark chocolate chunks & toasted nuts, and you can even use some whole wheat pastry flour (if you can find it!)
Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Photo of the Week
Here is my choice for photo of the week. First of all, it’s pierogi! Anyone who’s Polish knows what a treat they are to eat and how much effort they take to make. I haven’t had them myself in months and this photo of the pierogi, browned in a pan with either bacon bits or fried onions, is exactly the way I had them growing up. Diane sent in these pictures along with her own photo and this touching note: “Just a Polish girl fighting cancer during a pandemic with people like you and the grace of God. ? Thank You.”
Diane, I hope my recipe brought you the same comfort it always brings me and I wish you the very best in your journey. ❤️?❤️
I Made Sesame Seed Hamburger Buns
I was craving a good hamburger so I made sesame seed buns from scratch and they were ready in an hour. I can’t find whole wheat flour right now so I used my white bread with egg recipe. Just before baking, I brushed the buns using beaten egg yolk with a little water and sprinkled on the seeds. You can brush with egg white, egg yolk or even a beaten egg. Let me tell you, these were some awesome burgers! I used lean ground beef and I cooked the patties in a hot cast iron skillet. I seared them first so they were beautifully browned and tasted like they just came off the grill. (I should have taken a picture but I was hungry ?)
I had all the trimmings on hand, including lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mustard, mayo, and ketchup. WOW! I may never cook a burger on the grill again. I also made oven fries since I had a russet potato. I peeled and sliced it into fairly thin wedges, tossed them in olive oil, salt & pepper, and roasted them in a 425 oven on a baking sheet for about half an hour. Next time I make this classic American meal (and there will be a next time) I will post it as a recipe so everyone can enjoy delicious hamburgers at home. I never made a burger in a skillet before so I even surprised myself.
Meantime, if you want to make the best and easiest sesame seed hamburger buns, click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Photo of the Week
This picture brought me so much joy last week. Mike here is from Virginia and just baked his first cake ever at 86 years old. His daughter, Carol, sent in the photo saying, ““My dad, first cake he’s EVER EVER made! I baked your single layer chocolate cake last week, then sent your site link to my mom (sharon). they watched the cake video, then my mom walked my 86-year-old dad (mike) through baking this cake. she said it turned out great ? he mixed the cake, baked it, and frosted it all by himself… they cut half and froze the other. we’re from coastal virginia. ? thanks jenny!!!”
This photo is sure to motivate other people who think they can’t bake, How about some of you “youngsters” in your seventies?? You can do this! ?
Make Healthier Sandwich, Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns
I love these soft, whole wheat buns. This is the exact same recipe as my simple whole wheat bread but it’s shaped into buns and it’s faster than the loaf. If you’re a fan of my whole wheat loaf, you must try making these buns. It’s a quick and easy recipe that takes only an hour from start to finish. With summer coming and burgers about to be made on the grill, you can now have a healthier option for hamburger buns. As for sandwiches, it’s always a healthier sandwich when you use whole wheat bread.
These rolls are so soft, you might forget they’re whole wheat but if you’re not a fan of whole wheat… no problem. These turn out just as well using my simple white bread with egg recipe. Either way, these are quick, easy and delicious buns for healthier sandwich and burgers. Click here for the recipe.
And here are my hot dog buns, made from the same recipe, only made into long buns. They are also soft, whole wheat buns for a healthy alternative to store bought buns. I tried store bought whole wheat hot dog buns and they were terrible – dry and heavy. These are light as a feather but again, if you want to make them white, just use my simple white bread with egg recipe. But since my soft whole wheat loaf is so popular, I hope you’ll try these healthier whole wheat hot dog buns. Click here for the recipe, – Jenny Jones