I’ve been busy the past month and when there’s not much time to cook, I still cook. And tonight I made my veggie fried rice. It’s my go-to dinner when I want a quick and healthy meal. I always have broccoli and peppers on hand I always keep frozen peas in the freezer.

It’s a light meal with protein from the eggs and a bounty of nutrients from the vegetables. This time I used broccoli, spinach, peppers, and peas. We had my peanut butter cookies for dessert.

If you want to try this quick and easy vegetarian fried rice, click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I finally posted a new photo of myself on this website. I enjoy taking photos of my recipes but not so much of myself but I felt obligated to show my true and current self, un-retouched. The other photo was taken 5 years ago so it was time. I’ll soon be turning 73 and couldn’t put it off much longer. At least in this one I’m still only 72!

I wore my favorite apron and included the smiley spatula. My husband took the photo after I showed him which button to press. ? He always said he would do anything for me so I took him at his word. Thank you, my precious! ❤️ (He doesn’t know it yet but there’s an apple pie in his future ?) Happy cooking, everyone!

This morning I was craving my caramelized apple pancake but I am by myself and the recipe makes two servings. I decided to experiment, cutting all the ingredients in half, using one large granny smith apple and I used my 9-inch cast iron pan. It turned out great! I was afraid it would spread out too much and the edges wouldn’t puff up but look – it’s beautiful!

Here it is just out of the oven before I flipped it over onto the plate.

It wasn’t quite as gooey as the big one but I needed to show that you can make this pancake for one. You know that movie, “Gone in 60 Seconds?” So was my pancake. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I really appreciate seeing all of your photos of my recipes, especially when you say where are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

JEANNIE (from Oregon) MADE MY CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

“Fresh out of the oven, Jenny! God Bless you! ~ Jeannie Peurasaari, Milwaukie, Oregon.”

~ I can almost smell that from here. Thank you for the photo. ~ jenny

JOYCE (from Florida) MADE MY PECAN BALLS

“Enjoy your recipes and now goodbye to the snowballs till next winter. Thanks for sharing your wisdom Jenny! ~ Joyce from Chicago retired in FL.”

~ Great photo, thank you. It’s only 40 weeks until Christmas! ?~ jenny

SUSAN (from Florida) MADE MY BRAN MUFFINS

“Hello Jenny, These are a perfect texture and so tasty. Thank you for this recipe. ~ From Susan in sunny Florida.”

~ What are the odds? I just took the last bite of my own bran muffin! ~ jenny

AGNES MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Thank you so much for the great recipe.”

~ You are very welcome and thanks for taking time to send your photo. ~ jenny

V.Y. MADE MY LEMON MERINGUE PIE & CABBAGE ROLLS

“Hi baked lemon meringue pie .  Can’t wait to dig in!”

~ Thank you for your photos. Both look perfectly delicious. ~ jenny

Are you getting enough fiber? You will if you make these super high fiber, soft and delicious oatmeal fig bars. I make the crust/topping with oats, whole wheat pastry flour, and vegetable oil (cold pressed avocado oil is my preference). The filling is simply cooked figs with a little added sugar. I have these healthy fig bars for dessert after dinner and after breakfast too. I love them.

The desserts I make the most are always the ones without butter, with whole grains, and with some added health benefits like fruit or chocolate. And these fit the bill.

Figs are loaded with fiber but that’s not all. They also provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals.  If you like fig newtons, these easy homemade bars will taste even better. Doesn’t everything homemade taste better?  Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I found a better way to make my 100% whole wheat no knead bread. I’m using the same ingredients but I recently found that you don’t always need the resting period for no knead breads while the oven heats up so I tried it with this whole wheat version and it turned out great. And it saves time. I plan to experiment with all my other no knead breads and will report back on each one if they are just as good without the resting time.

I get the best result in my 3 1/2-quart Dutch oven so the bread can not spread too much. Keep in mind that this is a heavier, more dense loaf than the original white flour version but if you want an easy, healthy, high fiber bread recipe, this is it. The only difference between this recipe and the old one is that the old one had a 2-hour resting period before baking. So the total time for this recipe just went from 13 hours to 11 (but you’re sleeping most of this time anyway).

For my new and improved, faster 100% whole wheat no knead bread, click here for the recipe.

Quick & easy pierogi? There is no such thing. But if ever a  recipe was worth the time, it’s homemade pierogi. I only make potato & cheese pierogi because that’s what I grew up on. My dad taught me how to make them and I’m so glad I shared the recipe because I wasn’t sure if anyone would want to put in the effort. It turns out a lot of people do. There are hundreds of comments and over a million people have watched the video.

There are two things to make: the dough and the filling. The mashed potato filling is easy to make but the dough takes more time and it’s important that the filling stays inside the dough when they are boiled. Before boiling, the pierogi must be kept apart on a floured towel because if they touch each other they will likely stick and create an opening in the dough. That would result in them breaking apart when they’re boiled. I line a baking sheet with a dish towel and sprinkle it with flour and place them on the towel, not touching.

I boil mine in a medium saucepan so I only boil 4 or 5 at a time, making sure at first that they don’t touch each other in the water. Pierogi take about 3-4 minutes to cook and when they’re done I remove them to an oiled baking sheet and put the next few in the boiling water. (By the way, “pierogi” is plural – one is called a “pierog” but people often use “pierogies” as the plural).

Once they’re cooked I still keep them mostly separated. There are two ways to enjoy these Polish treasures. One is to eat them right after boiling when they are soft and tender, served with sour cream and bacon bits. I rarely eat bacon but that rule goes out the window when I make homemade pierogi.

The other way is to pan fry them in a little oil or butter until they’re lightly browned and serve them with (big surprise…) sour cream and bacon bits. They are also often served with fried onions. Well I have to go now. We have leftovers. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

It must be Sunday because I’m making my favorite no knead bread, the one I love having for breakfast. This easy mulitgrain loaf has two kinds of fiber, one from the oats and the other from whole wheat flour. Oats have soluble fiber and whole wheat has insoluble fiber, the perfect combination of whole grains. No knead loaves made with whole grains don’t form the lovely cracks we see in the white versions but they still form a beautifully crunchy crust.

This recipe uses the overnight method with cold water so I put it together last night before bed and baked it this morning. I’ll be saving a couple of slices and freezing the remaining slices that will last me all week, and then next Sunday….. well…. I’ll make it again. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Food on a stick is really fun! And easy. And healthy. Mine is made with lean chicken breast, two kinds of peppers, zucchini, and onion, all baked in the oven and it’s delicious. Marinating the chicken is important but my marinade is simple, with just a few ingredients. And I only marinate it while I prep everything else. Then I toss in the veggies just to quickly coat them with the marinade. Soft vegetables like peppers and zucchini are perfect for this quick bake. I tried other vegetables like thinly sliced carrots and halved Brussels sprouts but neither one cooked enough so I suggest sticking with this combo.

I use metal skewers because it’s less work. With wooden ones, they need to be soaked in water before using to keep the wood from burning. Some recipes say to soak for at least 30 minutes while others say overnight but I have never used wood so I can’t say for sure. A few things to note:

• It’s two skewers per person so try to make them the same so everyone gets served equally.
• I put the chicken & veggies on a plate only for easier handling & separating as you thread the skewers.
• It’s best to line your pan with foil, even the edges, because the juices can roll off and burn. I always put parchment paper on top of the foil in case the kabobs stick.
• Don’t crowd the pieces – it helps them cook faster.
• Use oven mits because the metal skewers get hot.

My marinade is simple but you can spice yours up any way you like. I always serve this with basmati rice. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

My thanks to everyone for sharing photos of my recipes, especially when you say where are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

MELBA MADE MY OATMEAL BANANA BREAKFAST MUFFINS

“Hi, Jenny, your recipes are an inspiration! Thank you!! I hope you don’t mind, I took a chance and made a few tweaks: for topping= Kind Healthy grains cereal-Vanilla Blueberry clusters; for 3/4 c all-purpose flour= 1/4 c King Arthur gluten-free flour, 1/4 c almond flour, 1/4 AP flour, 1 TBSP ground flax seed; for 1/4 c vegetable oil=1/4 c of melted butter; for 1/3 c sugar= 1/3 c real maple syrup, 2 really ripe bananas; for pecans= I sprinkled organic pumpkin seeds over the topping before baking. I was holding my breath. They came out moist, not overly sweet, and delicious. Knowing you are constantly updating your recipes gave me the courage to take a chance. Thank you so much!”

~ I’m glad to know my recipe is so adaptable. Thanks very much. ~ jenny

APRIL MADE MY PACZKI & NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hi Jenny, I have tried 2 of your recopies both have turned out amazing, exactly as you described!! Thank-you for sharing your wonderful talent. I enjoy watching your videos!!!”

~ You’ve been busy! Thank you for taking time to send these great photos. ~ jenny

BUNNY (from Chicago) MADE MY PACZKI

“Hi Jenny, The weather here was awful, but we didn’t care.  Our house was filled with the most wonderful bakery smell thanks to your recipe for delicious baked Paczki.  We didn’t make the custard, choosing to fill our doughnuts with red raspberry preserves.  However, they were SO GOOD!  We will reserve the custard for another day.  Meanwhile, thanks for transforming a cold, dark and blustery day into something special.  What a great family project.”

~ Thank you for your photo. It’s good to hear that this brightened your day. ~ jenny

STEPHEN (from Vancouver, BC Canada) MADE MY MULTIGRAIN NO KNEAD BREAD

“Using the Faster No Knead Bread recipe.”

~ I’m so glad someone else is enjoying my favorite loaf.  Thank you. ~ jenny

BETH MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“This is a photo of the latest quick Dutch oven bread, topped with dried garlic, onion and poppy seeds.”

~ Thank you for your photo. The addition of your toppings looks really good. ~ jenny

D.K. MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

“This bread is so easy. I do like to brush some beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds or oats.”

~ I love the oat topping. Thank you for sharing. ~ jenny

VERA MADE MY QUICK & EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

“Homemade Chocolate Cake late night snack. Thank you Jenny ? God bless you ?”

~ Thanks for sharing your photo. I just made one myself. ~ jenny