Blog

Blog

Jul 30, 2020

Photo of the Month (July)

Jenny Can Bake CakeWhat are the odds that two people baked their own birthday cakes in July? I chose both their photos to feature this month and get this: One baker is only 10 years old and the other is 74! Lucci from the Philipines, who turned 10 on July 16th,  made her own chocolate cake. She said, “It was soo easy. I did one layer, my sister did another layer, my mom frosted the cake, and I piped the borders!!” What a beautiful job she did piping the border, just like a pro.”

The vanilla cake on the right was made by Janice from Michigan, celebrating her 74th birthday on July 8th. “The cake was delicious and I have enjoyed it everyday since making it,” she said. “Every morsel I ate was DELICIOUS.” Janice, I just celebrated my own 74th birthday in June and yes, I baked my own cake too! ? Birthday blessing to you both. ❤️

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: General
4 Comments
Jul 19, 2020

Cracked Wheat No Knead Bread

Cracked Wheat No Knead BreadHere’s another no knead bread that I love. It’s crunchy on the outside and on the inside too! I make it with two kinds of flour (whole wheat and white) and then I add a half cup of cracked wheat to the dough. The result is a fabulous high-fiber bread with a golden crust and a delicious nutty interior with lots of crunch.

Cracked wheat is made by milling raw wheat berries into smaller pieces, preserving the nutrient and fiber rich bran and germ layers. So this delicious loaf has extra fiber and protein, and cracked wheat is also a good source of iron.

If you like hearty, farm-style bread with extra crunch, you will love this recipe. I have never been able to find cracked wheat at the  store so I order it online, solely to make this recipe. Cracked wheat is a series of uncooked, hard, dry pieces and looks like this:

Cracked WheatI have also made the same recipe with steel-cut oats but it does not have the flavor or texture that this one does.  I use the overnight version to allow the uncooked cracked wheat time to soften. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Breads/Muffins
9 Comments
Jul 5, 2020

Quick & Easy Vanilla Cake

Easy Vanilla Wacky CakeBy popular demand, here is the vanilla version of my hugely popular quick & easy chocolate cake. As simple as the recipe is, it was not easy to get it right. I finally came up with a version that always turns out for me. I know it has a lot of sugar but every time I tried to use less, it did not turn out. With this “wacky” style cake, the sugar is needed for structure.

I also tried different pans, a square 8 x 8 pan and a round 8-inch pan, and was disappointed in both results. A 9-inch pan was the perfect size for a consistent cake. I suggest sticking with the recipe as written and you won’t be disappointed. It’s a light and delicious homemade cake that anyone can make, even amateur cooks. During the coronavirus quarantine, it’s good to have a dessert that does not use eggs, or even butter except for the frosting.

2 Minute Vanilla FrostingI’ve also just posted my new 2-minute vanilla frosting, made with just 2 tablespoons of butter, although this cake is really good with chocolate frosting too. I usually cool the cake in the pan and only frost the top.

If you plan to remove the cake to a platter, I suggest greasing the pan and lining the bottom with parchment paper. You can buy packages of parchment paper rounds or cut our own. I hope everybody likes this simple yet delicious cake and I’ll be waiting for the first photo! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Easy Recipes For Beginners, Sweets
30 Comments
Jun 27, 2020

How To Store Cut Fruit (& Vegetables)

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL MY HOW-TO TIPS Click here.

How To Store Cut Fruit & VegetablesMost of us are not grocery shopping as often as we used to and that includes me. I go once a week during the “geezer hour” when they open early for us seniors. So I had to figure out the best way to store my cut fruit and veggies so they would last all week. I always have some crudité on hand as well as cut papaya or melon. I store them in those Glad plastic containers and I noticed that moisture always accumulated inside but on the underside of the lid and moisture is not a friend to cut fruit or vegetables.

I tried lining the container with a paper towel but the moisture still did its damage. Then I tried putting a piece of paper towel or a napkin on top of the fruit to keep the moisture from dripping down on the fruit. Guess what? It works! The paper on top of the cut fruit keeps the excess moisture away and now my cut papaya keeps all week and my crudité of carrot & cucumber slices and cabbage wedges stays fresh twice as long as before. I just wanted to share this tip for everyone else who is eating lots of fruits and veggies. You ARE eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, right? What was that?  “I try…???”  Don’t get me started! ?

Fresh fruit and vegetables are the lifeline to good health. ???? So here’s a new rule: You can’t make any of my breads until you’ve had some fruit and veggies. Don’t make me come over there! ?

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL MY HOW-TO TIPS Click here.

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Helpful Hints, How To . . .
4 Comments
Jun 16, 2020

Photo of the Week

Best Recipe Hot Dog BunsI was so happy to see this photo of my hot dog buns the day after I posted the recipe. Terri from Nevada made them because she said her husband was grilling up some brats. I could almost smell them over here! ? Terri said she needed to work on the shaping but I say, “who cares?” They look perfect to me! I chose this photo to remind everyone that cooking and baking from the heart is what matters. If you put these beautiful buns next to a package of store bought buns, which ones do you think everyone would take? I know, right? ?

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: General
3 Comments
Jun 13, 2020

One Hour Hot Dog Buns

One Hour Hot Dog Buns There’s something about summer and hot dogs. ☀️ Summer officially starts a week from today but the sun’s shining so it’s hot dog time in my house. You haven’t lived until you have a hot dog in a fresh, homemade bun. You’ll spoil yourself forever and never have to suffer through those homemade ones where the ingredient list is longer that your quarantined bangs.

I make these soft buns using my white bread recipe, the one with the egg – it’s an easy one-rise recipe that you can make in an hour. The sheen comes from brushing the buns with a beaten egg wash just before baking. Freshness makes all the difference so if you don’t eat these yummy buns right away, I suggest slicing and freezing them for the next time. They freeze really well.

We don’t eat hot dogs very often but when we do, they are always on a homemade bun. My husband likes to add only spicy brown mustard but I like yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, and sauteed onions. 🌭 What ever way you like your hot dog, it will be so much better on a homemade bun. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Breads/Muffins
4 Comments
Jun 8, 2020

Photo of the Week

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! ❤️

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: General
1 Comment
Jun 7, 2020

A Birthday Gift From YouTube

Jenny Can Cook Youtube SuccessI 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. ❤️

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: General
22 Comments
Jun 1, 2020

Photo of the Week

How To Make Pizza DoughWhen 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.

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: General
2 Comments