Feb 12, 2020

I’m Always Learning

Jenny Can Cook Best RecipesThese are just some of the recipes that I have either improved or simplified since they were originally posted. I’m always learning and improving my skills so if anyone is using a recipe that was posted a while ago or if you printed it some time ago, please check the “Recipe Changes/Fixes” category in my blog.

So far I have made changes to about 100 recipes but many of the changes are minor, like increasing salt or reducing sugar but others, like my 15-Minute Veggie Pasta, now use an easier, faster, all-in-one-pan method. I’m always looking for ways to make something healthier or faster or to simplify the process so every time I cook, if I try a better way and it works, I adjust the recipe and share the exact changes I made in the blog.

I encourage all of my regular cooks to occasionally check the “Recipe Changes” category here in my blog to make sure you are using the newest and best version of each recipe. As I evolve as a better (& simpler) cook, I will continue to occasionally update my recipes. To see if any changes were made to your favorite recipes, click here.

Feb 1, 2020

Photos from You (February)

It’s always a thrill to see my recipes being made in other kitchens. Please let me know where you are from. Use this link to send your photo: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

KLAUS MADE MY 2-HOUR FASTEST NO KNEAD BREAD

“Jenny, Passing along a few photos from the bread I made this afternoon! Simply fantastic! ….and my ovens didn’t discolor, nor did the parchment burn…lol. Thank you for sharing your recipe! My son and I had a great time making our bread!”

~ Thanks for the great photos and for your support. ❤️ ~ jennyFastest No Knead Bread
2 Hour No Knead BreadQiuck Easy No Kneaed Bread

ALLYN (from Florida) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hi Jenny: I made your no knead bread last weekend for my boyfriend!  It was AMAZING!  I’ve never made bread like this before!   Not only was it Delicious it looked beautiful!   His mom IS a baker , it was a proud moment!   Thank you for your recipes!    On to the pizza dough!  Allyn Curry/Palm Harbor Fl ?.”

~ Thank you so much! I share your excitement every time I make one too.  ~ jennyFast No Knead BreadFaster Dutch Oven Bread

SCARLET (from New Zealand) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Jenny- I did it!! And on my first try ! I was so happy when it came out I was dancing with it!
I thank you thank you! I am a baker now!!!! Bless you, Scarlet.”

~ Wow! This makes me so happy! To see all this joy from my simple recipe, and all the way from New Zealand. I thank you right back! ❤️~ jennyJenny Can Cook No Knead Bread

KARYN (from Arizona) MADE MY COCONUT CAKE

“Hi Jenny, I have to say that I am so very, very happy with every single one of your recipes that I have tried… I am working my way through them. Hubby loves coconut, so I decided to make him your coconut cake today, for Valentine’s Day. I started getting the ingredients out and realized that my neighbor had all of my 8 inch cake pans. Then I discovered that I had only olive oil or grapeseed oil.. So I went with a glass pan and grapeseed oil and assumed it was doomed.

The cake turned out perfect. Took a little bit longer to bake, but I am high elevation in the mountains of Arizona and that happens. (and my oven is old and crabby) I was going to show you a picture of the inside, but hubby and 2 of his friends ate the whole thing. Your recipe was a total success, even surviving my lack of planning. I got a few bites and it was moist and coconutty and so delicious. A definite keeper. I hope you are having a very Happy Valentine’s Day. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes with us. Warmly, Karyn.”
~ I, too, am very familiar with getting only a few bites of something I made. Make another one and hide it! ? ~ jennyJenny Can Cook Coconut Cake

BEATA (from Slovakia) MADE MY CRUSTY ROLLS & FLATBREAD

“Hi Jenny, I love your recipes. Our favourites are no knead crusty rolls and quick and easy flatbread, which I love to serve with good thick tomato soup. Thank you, Beata.”

~ Slovakia! I love it! Thank you so much for sharing your photos. ~ jennyNo Knead Crusty RollsJenny Can Cook Crusty RollsEasy Flatbread Recipe

ANNETTE (from Montana) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Jenny, my last effort to make bread decades ago, resulted in two doorstops!  Never tried again until I found your site two days ago.  I can’t BELIEVE I made this beautiful, delicious bread, which was very easy.  I was so pleased with myself that I sent this photo and your link to all of my friends 🙂   I also bookmarked that recipe so that when I need a laugh I can hear your story about the baseball again, then ROFL…… I look forward to trying many more of your recipes.  Thank you! I’m  originally from Edinburgh, Scotland but live in Montana.”

~ I’m so glad to hear about your success. Thanks for your great photo. ~ jennyJenny Jones No Knead Bread

EDNA (from Canada) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hi Jenny. Made your no knead recipe. So quick and easy and so tasty. Loved it. Thanks for the recipe. Looking for lots of heart healthy recipes. Cheers, Edna – from Vancouver Island Chemainus, BC.”

~ Your crust looks great. Thank you for taking time to share your photo. ~ jennyJenny can cook no knead bread

ANNE MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Brava!  Recipe was great!  Thanks!”

~ Thank you for sending your photo. Others will surely be inspired. ~ jennyFast No Knead Bread Jenny Can Cook

Jan 31, 2020

Healthy Mexican Black Bean Casserole

Healthy Mexican Black Bean CasseroleI love casseroles. Cook once / eat twice /or three times. And casseroles are always flexible: a little more of this, a little less of that, and they still turn out. This is a little like my Spicy Mexican Casserole but made not spicy using an Anaheim pepper, with corn tortillas and added vegetables. I always try to include as many vegetables as possible in every meal, besides the salads I make every day.

Vegetables are the key to good health so besides lots of fresh tomatoes, I include antioxidant-rich bell pepper along with the Anaheim green chili pepper. Anaheim peppers (also called long peppers) are green and measure about 7 inches long.These peppers are great for anyone not liking anything too spicy but who does like a flavorful pepper. Of course you can use Jalapeño peppers instead but the Anaheim pepper is perfect for me.

This recipe is high in fiber from the black beans and corn tortillas. All corn tortillas are not the same, in fact they can be very different. I tried Whole Foods 365 brand and they were dry and disappointing. My preference is Guerrero brand if you can find them.

You can make lots of variations with this recipe, using cheddar cheese instead of monterey jack, pinto beans instead of black beans, and you can add spices if you like, but I do recommend staying with the fresh tomatoes. They add moisture and fresh taste to this easy casserole.

UPDATE June 3, 2020: I found myself using less and less tomatoes in this recipe and I now prefer it that way. It also means less chopping! 👍 I suggest trying it with only about 3/4 pound of tomatoes.

Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Jan 4, 2020

Your Photos/My Recipes (January)

How exciting to see that my recipes are being made all over the world! I appreciate it when someone takes the time to send a photo and I love knowing where you are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

“ANONYMOUS” MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Wholesome goodness from your easiest bread recipe.”

~ That loaf looks great. Thank you for your terrific photo. ~ jennyJenny Can Cook No Knead Bread

KARYN (from Arizona) MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS

 “Hi Jenny, This is not the greatest photo, but I had to get a photo of the rolls right when I took them out of the oven…. just in case I had messed something up and they deflated or exploded or something lol. They are perfect, well they were perfect. They are all gone now and my poor hubby who has to deal with my baking disasters is actually all smiles now. I just wanted to say Hi and Thank you from Prescott, Arizona. We are up in the mountains and are high elevation, but I didn’t make any changes to your recipe and the rolls were perfect. I am going to tackle a few more recipes this week and I am totally confident they will be amazing.  Warmly, Karyn.”

~ Your photo is great. That’s exactly how mine look when they’re done. I’m so glad they were a hit. ~ jennyNo Knead Crusty Rolls Jenny Can Cook

RYAN MADE MY BUTTERMILK BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

 “Hi Jenny, Found you the other day and have made 4 recipes so far: No Knead Bread (stayed a bit dense) Mac & Cheese (burnt the milk a bit) Lemon Brownies (excellent results) and these wonderful pancakes. I did triple the recipe for my big family and they were a huge hit!! I look forward to making many additional meals from your site and channel. Thanks, Ryan.”

~ Thank you for the photo. They look perfect and it’s good to know you can triple the recipe.~ jennyBlueberry Pancakes Jenny Can Cook

MJ MADE MY MARBLE LOAF CAKE

 “Jenny, I just had to let your fans know what an amazing cake this is! I used a 7” angel food cake pan (odd size I know but perfect for loaf cakes!). I made the cake exactly as instructed with the addition of orange zest as you suggested. I covered it with chocolate ganache made with chocolate chips and evaporated milk instead of cream – oh – ONE CHANGE – the chocolate swirl was 1/3 cup melted chocolate chips + batter. The cake rose beautifully and it is so tender and moist with a delicate crumb. THANK YOU!”

~ I agree that orange zest is a great addition to this cake and that ganache topping looks yummy.~ jennyJenny Can Cook Marble Loaf

MICHELLE (from Virginia) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

 “Jenny, Thank you so much for all your recipes on Youtube- I made this bread tonight and it was a hit with me and my husband. Gonna make your cinnamon rolls this weekend. Thank you for making it not so scary to bake! I usually burn rolls – so it was a double celebration when I didn’t burn this bread! PS- you might want to do a quick video on YouTube and just direct everyone to your website, I thought you had stopped doing videos and was so sad- but saw someone else say they wished you would start your channel back up and another commented that you had your website! So glad I re-found you!! ? thank you again- from Virginia- Michelle.”

~ Thanks so much for your photos. I can almost taste that slice with the butter! ?~ jennyFast No Knead Bread Jenny JonesFaster No Knead Bread Jenny Can Cook

LARRY (from Illinois) MADE MY CARROT CAKE

 “Greetings from (K) Larry in Illinois. First cake I’ve ever made and it came out great! I’ve made quite a few of your recipes now and was getting a little over confidant. I tried a few from other sites and failed! Thank You ……..yours are well thought out, clearly explained and proven. This has been a fun journey for an old guy! Yours have only failed because of me having a “senior moment” !!!! ~ Larry.”

~ Your cake looks great. Thank you for the photo. “Senior moment” huh? I know all about those. ?~ jennyJenny Can Cook Carrot Cake

JERI MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD & CINNAMON ROLLS

 “Love your recipes. I made both your No Knead bread and your Cinnamon Roll recipes. They are both wonderful thank you. I love your cheerful videos for them also. So upbeat. Thank you. ~ Jeri.”

~ Thank you so much for you photos. They will surely inspire many more bakers. ~ jennyJenny Can Cook No Knead BreadJenny Can Cook Cinnamon Rolls

KRISTI MADE MY DARK CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIES

 “Jenny another marvelous recipe ‼️ ?Kristi Ham ?”

~ They look really good! Thank you for the photo. ~ jennyJenny Can Cook Fudge Brownies

LOANNE MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

~ Thank you for the great photos. ~ jennyFaster No Knead Bread Recipe

Best No Knead Bread

LARRY (from Illinois) MADE MY APPLE PIE BARS & PACZKI

 “Greetings from Illinois. Made the apple pie bars the other day. Tasted great! and only have 1 piece left. …….used a round pan and mine looked more like a pie.  Thanks for the recipe! and I got 2 thumbs up from 2 really good cooks! ~ Larry”

~ Thank you for your photos and I’m glad you’re having fun. Thumbs up from me, too – I love these bars (aka pie!). ~ jenny

Jenny Can Cook Apple Pie Bars

“Greetings from Illinois! Just finished another batch of PP. Turned out great again. And I am really having FUN! I over filled  one of the doughnut molds (on purpose) with the Pączki dough and it looked almost like a muffin with a small hole on top. Filled a silicone sphere ice cube mold with the dough (just a little too much) and apple butter…….it was almost round. It started to push the 2 molds apart and come out the top. These shot glass molds were frozen/ a mix of oats and ground coffee. Tried to bake them later but they slumped. (but didn’t blow up) Haven’t tried the PP dough in the shot glass molds yet,but I did try the red velvet cup cakes (tasted great!) but couldn’t get them out of the mold in one piece. ~ (K) Larry

Jenny Can Cook Polish Paczki

KRISTI MADE MY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

 “Loved these biscuits… Jenny can I cut them and freeze the dough ? ?Kristi Ham ?”

~ They look perfect. I have only frozen mine after baking but you could look online for a better answer. Thank you for the great photo. ~ jennyJenny Can Cook Buttermilk Biscuits

IAN (from Canada) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

 “Great bread, even better with homemade strawberry jam. Even we older men (76) can make this. Ottawa, Canada.”

~ Now that is a handsome loaf of bread right there. Thanks from a fellow Canuck (73). ??  ~ jennyJenny Can Cook No Knead Bread

JAMIE (from Texas) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

 “No Knead Bread … that I really need. ? Thank you, Jenny, for this recipe! This is my second loaf, and I have the dough for a third one sitting in a bowl on my counter. It seems to be becoming part of my nightly routine to take 5 minutes, if that, to prep the dough for dinner the next day. It’s so easy; I’m almost embarrassed for myself that I was hesitant and uncertain about whether I could make a delicious loaf of bread or not. I don’t have a Dutch oven, so I cook mine in one of my metal pots that can go into the oven as well, and with fantastic results. So yummy!” All the best, Jamie from Texas.”

~ Thanks for the photo and especially for the helpful detail about your pot. ~ jennyFaster No Knead Bread

PATTY MADE MY MEATLOAF

“Absolutely the best ever. Will be making this monthly. So moist and melts in your mouth. Thanks Jenny!”

~ I’m glad you like it and thank you for your terrific photo. ~ jennyJenny Can Cook Meatloaf

LARRY (from Illinois) MADE MY POLISH PACZKI INTO DOUGHNUTS

“Greetings from Illinois! Just finished my second batch of PP. Turned out great again. The dough is very forgiving…..they looked  “rough” going into the oven. I just got my silicone doughnut molds a couple days  ago and put some dough in one to try them out. I only filled it with apple butter on one side. It was a little thick, but I have been using a heat lamp with the fast rise yeast and getting  good results. Just did the deep dish pizza (12 hour)  start to finish in 3 hours. ~ Larry.”

~ It’s great for everyone to know that this dough works in a mold as well. Thank you for sharing this. ~ jennyJenny Can Cook Polish Donuts

LARRY (from Illinois) MADE MY POLISH PACZKI

“Greetings from Il! This was my first attempt at Pączki. Turned out great! Good enough to give away a few. ~ Larry”

~ They look fantastic. Thank you very much for your photo. ~ jenny

Jenny Can Cook Paczki

Digital Camera

TABITHA (from North Carolina) MADE MY GRANOLA

“Happy New Year Jenny, I just made your granola recipe to bag up to take to work for snacking. ❤️ Tabitha from NC.”

~ Happy New Year back to you and thanks so much for starting it of with a great photo. ~ jennyJenny Can Cook Homemade Granola

Dec 24, 2019

🎄 Merry Christmas, Everyone 🎄

Polish Christmas

Dec 21, 2019

Wrapping Christmas Presents

Caramel Corn for Christmas GiftsI’m wrapping Christmas presents today. It’s not Christmas yet but everyone is asking when I’m going to make my caramel corn so today is the day for making homemade caramel corn for Christmas gifts. My first batch is done and cooled.

To keep if fresh I pack it in a zip top plastic bag first and then wrap it with cellophane tied with pretty ribbons. This way it’s easy for people to snack on and save some for later but I hear that it’s mostly gone in the first pass.

Every Christmas I give a variety of gifts to everyone in my life but this caramel corn is the gift that gets the most raves. Sadly, no matter how much I make there never seems to be enough. That could be due to the constant sampling that goes on when my back is turned. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Dec 15, 2019

Easy One Pan Dinner

Easy One Pan DinnerI’m loving my easy one pan meals, especially now around the holidays when there’s lots to do so recipes like this are just what I need. Everything cooks in the pan and it couldn’t be any easier. The marinade is simple… just olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lots of garlic, oregano and salt. Did I mention it’s Greek style? (oregano = Greek!).

There’s no fuss with this easy sheet pan dinner. I marinate the chicken and potatoes while the oven heats up and then when they bake in the marinade, they soak up all those wonderful flavors. It bakes all by itself so you can do other things, like make a salad. You only stir it once when you add the beans.

Speaking of beans, I don’t know what happened to regular green beans lately but they are terrible, usually dry, full of dark spots and sometime even hollow inside. I actually stopped eating green beans until I discovered French ones. French green beans usually come in a bag with no preparation needed and they are smaller, more tender, they cook faster, taste better, and they definitely look better.

If you’re as busy as I am this month, try this easy one pan Greek Lemon Chicken, Potatoes, and Green Beans. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Dec 1, 2019

My Recipes by You (December)

I’m always thrilled to see photos of my recipes being made all over the world! That’s why it’s great to see where you are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

DEBRA MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“No knead bread!..soo crusty yummm.”

~ Thanks so much for the photo and Happy New Year! ~ jenny

MARK MADE MY FASTER NO KNEAD BREAD

“Jenny Jones, we have a problem”……this is WAAAY too good and WAAAY too easy! So much for swearing off bread!! Measured everything by weight using KA’s bread flour. Was probably a bit ‘heavy’ on the yeast, but no issue. Added 1+ tbsp of organic honey as last ingredient before it rested for 3 hours, then patted it out and sprinkled some cinnamon-butter-sugar-flour before the final roll-up. Will make wonderful French toast, but probably won’t last that long! Tomorrow ….another day…..another loaf.”

~ It’s great for all of us to see how many variations can be used and they always turn out. Thanks a lot for your photo. ~ jennyJenny Can Cook No Knead Bread

MICHELE MADE MY HOMEMADE APPLE PIE

“Wow!!! I was so surprised as to how good my first apple pie came out. I even treated myself to my own personalized pie dish and waited two years to do it!!! Duh!! I gave my husband an option, if he wanted a healthier apple pie or the fattening kind. And he wanted no butter style. I’m so glad he picked yours. We will never buy store bought pie again. The dough wasn’t big enough to lie over the edges so I did the old nip and tuck and didn’t even burn without anything covering it up. This pie plate was bigger then the average I think. I love your healthy ways and am looking through your recipes for the next one to make. Can’t wait… Thank you, Michele Mastrangelo.”

~ That’s a pretty amazing first apple pie. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your story. ~ jennyHealthy Homemade Apple PieEasy Apple Pie Oil Crust

NICOLE’S SON, BRADY MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hi Jenny! Have loved your videos for awhile now and was finally brave enough to try the no-knead bread about a week ago. My water was probably too hot and I forgot to preheat my dutch oven with the oven. Husband loved it, but without knowing what I did wrong, my son told me he could do better. I’ll spare you photos of my pale dense flop but am attaching photos of my 15 year old son Brady’s beautiful loaf. I showed him your video and gently supervised, he did the rest, even ignoring my advice to “stop jabbing the dough so much”. Thanks for making easy to follow fun videos and encouraging people to cook/bake. We will definitely be trying more. ~ Nicole Bailey.”

~ Great job, Brady! I love seeing young people learning to cook. Keep it up!! ~ jennyFast No Knead Bread Jenny Can CookEasy No Knead Bread Recipe

Nov 17, 2019

Christmas Snowball Cookies are So Easy To Make

Easy Christmas Snowball CookiesEveryone is making these easy Christmas cookies but it’s not even Thanksiving yet! What gives? I guess you’re all just testing them out to make sure they’ll turn out during the holidays. The only way to know for sure is to test out the recipe in advance and eat as many as you can because, you know, you can’t be too sure. I’m “testing them out” today and I can report that they did turn out really well. It’s just a public service I thought I should provide for everyone. 🙂 I can confirm that this is the easiest recipe ever for Christmas pecan balls, so easy that even amateur cooks are making them. “I didn’t know they were so easy to make,” they say.

And there’s more. These delicious little Christmas treats keep really well so you can make them in advance, and they freeze well too. It just keeps getting better. They are sometimes called pecan balls, snowballs, or Mexican wedding cookies. I’ll just call them easy. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Nov 10, 2019

Spiral Chocolate Cinnamon Christmas Bread

Chocolate Cinnamon Raisin BreadI only make this holiday bread once a year (okay, maybe twice ?) because it may be called bread but let’s face it… it’s dessert. Here are a few progress photos of how to make my Spiral Chocolate Cinnamon Christmas Bread. First, you divide the dough in half, roll & press each half into a rough 9 x 9-inch square, and spread the chocolate/butter mixture all the way to the edges.

Chocolate Spiral Christmas Bread

Next, you cover each half with the brown sugar/cinnamon/cocoa mixture, all the way to the edges.

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Now roll each of them up, starting at the right and left edges, rolling them towards each other. It’s a little messy but that’s okay. Oh, one more thing. You can also scatter about 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on each half before rolling them up.

How To Make Spiral Bread

The fun part is twisting the logs into a loaf. Bring the logs together (it doesn’t matter where the seams go) and twist them together 3 or 4 times (like you’re wringing out a towel) to make a spiral, but messy, loaf. Tuck the edges under and plop it into your parchment paper-lined loaf pan.

How To Make Chocolate BreadBake for 30 minutes but after 15 minutes, put a foil tent on top to avoid over-browning. I hope these photos are helpful. For the recipe click here.Jenny Jones