Most people know that my favorite place to be is in the kitchen and to show you how much I enjoy “playing” there, I thought I would share what I cooked all this month. On the days I didn’t cook, we usually had leftovers as I prefer to eat at home than go to a restaurant. I hope my joy of cooking and baking will spark a similar passion in others to cook more at home. And now, here’s what I cooked this month…
I love this chocolate cake! Today I made baked ziti for dinner, along with a beautiful salad with two kinds of lettuce, orange pepper, cucumber, garbanzo beans, fresh peas, and red endive tossed with my Greek Salad Dressing. Before starting dinner, I had such a craving for chocolate cake and needed one I could make quickly because it was dessert for today’s dinner so I made my Easy One Bowl Chocolate Cake.
If you haven’t tried it yet, it is really fast and easy to make, uses no eggs, no mixer, and it’s super moist and delicious. You only need one bowl and it’s probably less work than using a mix. I promise you if you try this cake, you will never buy a mix again. I made it and it cooled down just in time to frost after dinner. Whenever I have a piece of this cake I never feel weighed down and always feel like I could have seconds but I don’t. It keeps really well so we will have dessert for days. At the end if there’s only one slice left, I always suggest that we arm wrestle for it!
If you want to make the best and easiest one bowl chocolate cake click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I ran out of breadsticks again so it was time to make more. They keep disappearing because I have a breadstick with every salad and I have a salad every day. This time I made them using 100% all purpose flour and they are super crunchy. I make them so often I even bought a breadstick pan that’s perforated to help them bake up crispy with grooves so the sticks stay round.
This is one of the recipes I make the most because no one sells breadsticks that even come close to this good. The ones that come in a package are a waste of time and the occasional bakery that sells them – well they just don’t measure up. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
It’s been a long time since I bought bread. My favorite no knead bread is multi-grain and I decided to try it with some added ground flaxseed meal to see if it turned out. I love it! This was a high fiber bread to begin with and now, with added flaxseed, it has heart-healthy benefits because flax is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
I used my original recipe and simply added 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed meal and increased the water to 1 1/2 cups. Everyone is making no knead breads because they are so easy and the variations you can make are endless. If you want to try it, just make the two changes above and follow this original recipe. – Jenny Jones
This is a variation of my chocolate almond clusters and I love it. Instead of using whole almonds, I chopped them into pieces and added some chopped dried cherries and raisins. The result is a wonderfully chewy, dark chocolate, healthy sweet treat full of protein, heart-healthy fats, antioxidants and fiber. I used a dark chocolate bar (72% cacao) from World Market and followed the same process as my original recipe but instead of using tiny paper cups, I just dropped the clusters onto wax paper, let them cool, and then refrigerate.
The easiest way to refrigerate them is to slide a cutting board under the wax paper and place the whole thing in the fridge until the clusters are cold and set. Then you can put them all into a covered container but always keep them refrigerated; otherwise, the chocolate will melt in your hands. Next time you’re craving a chocolate bar or some m&m’s, try this healthier homemade fruit & nut dark chocolate cluster. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
These are not raisins – they’re melted chunks of dark chocolate. I wanted an easy dessert and he wanted chocolate. So I made my easy peanut butter cookie recipe with added dark chocolate… oh and some extra added peanuts too. This recipe is so flexible and they turned out fantastic. I chopped up about 1/3 of a 72% dark chocolate bar from World Market but you could use Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips, and then I chopped up some roasted peanuts. I stirred them all into the simple cookie dough and wow, they were good.
Even if you make the original peanut butter cookie recipe, you will love that they have no flour and there is no butter or oil. So they are gluten free, healthy, and super easy to make. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I found some beautiful fresh Persian cucumbers yesterday and made a full jar of my 3-hour bread & butter pickles. Today, there’s only half a jar left. You can make pickles using the traditional small Kirby cuces but Persians work just fine too, and they are available all year round. Mediterranean markets usually have the best ones. So today’s lunch will be a salmon sandwich on my multi-grain no knead bread with a bowl of these refrigerator pickles on the side, and a whole wheat double chocolate chip cookie for dessert. I should have just enough homemade pickles left for tomorrow. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
If you ever need fast comfort food, this is it. Today I made my quick and easy mac & cheese and it was ready in 20 minutes. With only four ingredients, it’s pretty hard to mess up, and I use low fat milk and cheese so I don’t feel guilty about enjoying this American classic. Plus I always serve it with a green vegetable on the side. Sometimes this simple mac & cheese becomes a side dish to some chicken and salad. Even though it’s a quick stovetop recipe, you can also bake it in the oven for a crispy top. Here’s how I do it:
While I prepare the recipe on the stove I preheat the oven to 375. Once the stovetop version is done I stir in some chopped & drained fresh tomato (this is optional) and I transfer it all to a greased 3-quart casserole dish. I top it with a cup of fresh breadcrumbs and bake for 20-25 minutes for a golden, crispy top. You make fresh breadcrumbs by processing a couple of slices of white or soft whole wheat bread in a food processor.
Whether you need a quick 20 minute recipe or you prefer a creamy mac & cheese with a crispy top, either way you’ll get a much healthier version of almost everyone’s favorite comfort food… macaroni and cheese. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I made bran muffins today and was going to have one for breakfast. I had two. I’ve never been able to eat just one even thought they have a lot of fiber. There’s something so tasty about the combination of molasses, cinnamon, and vanilla, especially with a glass of cold milk. There are a lot of reasons to eat fiber. It can reduce blood pressure and inflammation, as well as the risk of type 2 diabetes. Fiber protects your heart, prevents constipation, and it keeps you feeling full so it helps with weight loss too.
But the best reason to eat these muffins is they are really delicious and easy to make. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
My mother used to slice up leftover potato pancakes and scramble them with eggs for breakfast. It’s still one of my favorite things to eat so I made it today. I had made the potato pancakes (placki in Polish) on Monday and had plenty left over so I treated myself to this delicious breakfast. I have actually made the pancakes just to use for this breakfast – that’s how much I love this dish.
Oct. 30 – Asian salad, vegetable chicken soup
Oct. 18 – Tortillas, chicken noodle soup, chocolate loaf cake
Oct. 5 – Whole wheat french toast, chicken soup, spicy cabbage salad, turkey chili, double chocolate biscotti
Oct. 3 – Simple whole wheat bread (photo below), whole wheat french toast, croutons, salad, leftover chicken pot pie, crispy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Oct. 2 – No knead bread, salad, baked ziti, chocolate loaf cake
