Sep 3, 2015

Boneless Stuffed (Pork) Butt

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Aug 31, 2015

Simple Meat Sauce in 30 Minutes

Easy Simple Meat Sauce Recipe

I’m spoiling myself by creating so many quick and easy recipes that I’m no longer willing to take all day to make a good meat sauce. So I changed my recipe from 2 1/4 hours to 45 minutes and now I’ve decided even that was too long. So I just posted a new, simpler, faster recipe for a delicious meat sauce and here’s the best part: Thirty minutes! And it’s delicious!

I didn’t give up any flavor with my new meat sauce recipe. Mainly, I eliminated the carrots, the celery, and the extra liquid which needed all that cooking time.  I love the new simple meat sauce. It leaves me time to make my homemade gnocchi to have with it. This recipe is perfect for beginners with simple ingredients and hardly any work. Click here for the new recipe.- Jenny Jones

Aug 27, 2015

Easy Fudge Brownies Without Butter

Dark Chocolate Brownies Recipe

When they say dark chocolate is good for you they mean dark. Like 70% dark. So that’s what I put in my easy fudge brownies. I start by melting a dark chocolate bar and it makes the most intense brownie! With no butter!  And wait ’til you see how easy this recipe is. Dark chocolate bars are available in most grocery stores and they sell them at World Market (they’re cheaper there). To get health benefits, it should have at least 70% cacao.You can find bars from 68 to 72% that will work great but I try to keep it at 70-72%. I’ve used Scharffen Berger and World Market brand and there’s no difference in the end result.

Here is what I learned making these delicious brownies: You do not need butter to make rich-tasting, gooey, fudgy brownies and baking without butter is always my priority. (You can use melted butter in place of the oil if you like) I  did a taste test at home and asked my man to try one that had butter and one without and he could not tell the difference. Besides making desserts without butter I always try to use whole grains when possible but that did not work here. I tried and was hopeful but they turned to mush.

So the best I can do is no butter and lots of heart-healthy dark chocolate. Most brownie recipes use a stick or two of butter so if you need a brownie, this one is a better choice than one loaded with saturated fat. My recipe uses extra light olive oil instead of butter but you can use any vegetable oil you choose. And the nuts are optional but nuts are nutritious and full of protein and healthy fats so include them if you can. And toast them first – what a difference! The extra chocolate chips, well… that’s up to you and the darker the better.

One thing about melting chocolate: Chocolate is delicate and burns easily so I melt it in a saucepan but with oil added and over very low heat so it doesn’t burn. It takes about 2-3 minutes to melt but needs to be stirred because chocolate tends to hold its shape when melted and you might not know it’s ready until you stir it. The other options for melting are the microwave (which I have never done) and a double boiler (too much trouble).

This is the second brownie recipe I’ve posted. The other whole wheat brownie is not as fudgy but still nice & chewy and also made without butter, but it’s 100% whole wheat. Both my brownies are easy to make but this simple recipe is good for beginners because it uses just a few ingredients and no mixer is needed. In fact, this batter should only be mixed by hand and not over-mixed.  Oh, and don’t over bake the brownies! They should feel a little soft in the center when they’re done so don’t bake any longer than 20 minutes! Okay, that’s all. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Aug 21, 2015

Fast & Easy White Bread

Fast Easy Recipe White Bread Sometimes, you gotta have some white bread. And if you want it fast, from scratch, I’m here for you. This is another one of my quick and easy one-rise bread recipes, just like my whole wheat bread, but this one makes a soft, old fashioned white sandwich loaf. It’s such and easy and flexible recipe. You can…

~Use all purpose flour or bread flour.
~Use vegetable oil or butter.
~Use instant yeast or dry active yeast.
~Use a mixer or make it by hand.

It takes about 90 minutes from start to finish to make this easy bread. And I have a couple of helpful tips. First: Aerate your flour before measuring. If you don’t your dough will be dry. See my flour basics: https://www.jennycancook.com/flour-basics/  Second: The best size loaf pan for yeast bread is 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches. If you use a wider or longer pan, the dough won’t rise up and be tall like mine. Third: When rising your bread it will rise faster if there is moisture but if you cover it with plastic wrap, it can stick and be hard to remove without damaging the dough. The solution? A shower cap!

Shower Cap1200_6418I love this! A clean shower cap is perfect because the elastic will hug the pan and it’s a thicker plastic so you can pull it up to keep it from touching the dough. Before rising, make sure you pull up the plastic high enough to allow the dough to rise an inch above the pan. I don’t eat white bread very often but when I do, this is how I make it. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Aug 14, 2015

Simple Yellow Cake Without Butter

Best Yellow Cake RecipeThis is my go-to yellow cake, one you can make from scratch in 40 minutes. Try it with my 2-minute chocolate frosting that has only 2 tablespoons of butter. What I like the most is all the things you can do with this quick and easy recipe.

For a fast dessert, I make this cake and frost it right in the pan. It’s a healthier dessert I feel good about and it really satisfies my sweet tooth. I have made it using 1% and 2% low fat milk as well as whole milk. All versions turned out great.

I have also doubled the recipe and made two cakes using two cake pans and used it for my fresh strawberry cake so now you can make my wildly popular strawberry cake with no butter at all!

The one I really love is my Boston cream cake that I make with just one 9-inch cake, which I slice across in half, fill it with homemade custard and top with a chocolate glaze. (why do they call it Boston cream pie? – it’s not pie!)

One thing of note: this is a much better cake when you use a cake strip. See in the picture how the cake is perfectly flat? I highly recommend using a cake strip, also called a baking strip, whether you buy one or make your own. It keeps the edges of the cake from over-baking.  Click here to learn about cake strips.

If you want a healthier cake that’s low in sugar and saturated fat, try my recipe. You can use my frosting or do your own thing with this simple, easy recipe.  Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Aug 4, 2015

I made pickles

Homemade Pickles Recipe

I forgot how easy it is to make homemade pickles. It was a lot easier than putting together that jig saw puzzle they’re sitting on. The pickles took 5 minutes. The puzzle? Three months!

These are bread & butter pickles, which are also called refrigerator pickles, and now is a good time to make them. Cucumbers are at their best during summer and it’s the Kirby cucumber (not the Persian one) that is best for pickles. I sliced the cuces super thin this time and they are so soft they bend but they’re still crispy,  probably because I left the skin on. If you peel the cucumbers, the pickles are a lot softer.

I also put more sugar in this time and I found I like the pickles a little sweeter. So I added a note to the recipe that you can use more sugar if you like sweeter pickles. Don’t be freaked out by the amount of sugar: it’s 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup because remember, the sugar mostly stays in the water.

So make some pickles. If you start now, they’ll be ready to eat in 3 hours. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Jul 28, 2015

No Knead Multi-Grain Bread

Multigrain No Knead BreadI have stopped buying bread. When it’s this easy to make your own homemade bread with no work and no kneading, and you can eat it fresh and hot from the oven, this is the only way to go. No knead breads are so flexible and forgiving, you can create your own like I did. I’ve made several different versions so far but this is my favorite one.

This loaf is super crusty when it’s first baked and by the second day, it’s not crusty (no breads are the second day) but it’s still a fabulous moist loaf that’s easy to slice and eat. I make it with three equal parts of whole wheat flour (not whole wheat pastry flour), rolled oats, and bread flour or all purpose flour. I would love to make it 100% whole grain but it’s just too dense for me.

This loaf joins my growing list of no knead breads that I’ve made so far:

~ Plain Faster No Knead Bread (click here)

~ No Knead Whole Wheat Fruit & Nut Loaf  – I love it!! (click here)

~ No Knead Rye Bread (click here)

~ Whole Wheat Greek Olive Bread (click here)

~ Ten Grain No Knead Bread (click here)

That’s five more ways to make this easy bread. My first recipe for faster no knead bread works well with the faster, same-day method because it uses bread flour or all-purpose flour. But when you start adding whole grains like this new multigrain bread, it really needs the overnight method. It takes more time but still no work at all.

Here’s how I do it. In the evening around 9-10:00 p.m. I mix the ingredients together (takes 2-3 minutes) and let them sit overnight. The next morning around 8-9:00 a.m. I proceed with the final steps and by noon, I have a fresh, hot, crusty loaf of delicious homemade bread. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Jul 26, 2015

No Dutch Oven?

No knead bread depends on the steam created inside a pot with a tight-filling lid. I use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven but other people have commented on my website that they had success using:

  • a glass pyrex dish with a lid
  • a stainless steel pot with a lid
  • a stainless steel pot with foil on top and the original pot lid over the the foil
  • a clay baker
  • a springform pan with an aluminum foil top
  • a pizza stone with a stainless steel bowl as a cover
  • several people posted that they used a black cast iron pot with a lid
  • a roasting pan with a tightly sealed foil heavy duty top
  • a heavy soup pot with a lid
  • a corning dish with a glass lid
  • a Romertopf clay pot
  • a crock pot bowl with a lid
  • two nonstick bread pans, no parchment paper – put the dough in one of the bread pans, flip the other pan upside down over the first pan and put binder clips on the two ends to hold the pans together.
  • an oven-safe stoneware insert (removed from a slow cooker) with a cookie sheet over it as a lid.
  • a cast iron skillet and foil as a lid
  • 2 1/2 quart corning ware casserole.

Keep in mind that any lid must be tight fitting because you need to create steam inside the pot and the lid should have an oven-proof handle (not plastic). Your pot will need to hold at least 3 quarts but 5 to 6 quarts is most common. Or… You can make my No Knead Ciabatta Bread or No Dutch Oven Bread – they both bake on a pan, no Dutch oven needed. Click here for the recipes.

Jul 21, 2015

Lemon Blueberry Cake – a good mistake

Lemon Bueberry Bundt Cake RecipeBlueberries are on sale! That means I need to make my lemon blueberry bundt cake today and I need it in time for dinner. I always made this amazing cake with only 1/3 cup of butter but today I mistakenly used only 3 tablespoons of butter and guess what? It was moist and delicious! This was a good mistake.

OMG – this is so delicious! And now it has even less butter. I use the zest of three lemons and a whole bunch of blueberries (one and a half cups). If you wash the berries, make sure they’re dry before adding them to the batter. Otherwise, they can sink.

It’s the fresh lemon zest that gives all the flavor so don’t skimp on the lemons. When you take the zest off take just the yellow part and avoid the white part, which is bitter.

Start with all your ingredients at room temperature and take your time. It takes 7-8 minutes with an electric mixer to get the batter just right. But what a reward! I like to top my finished cake with a simple glaze made with lemon juice and powdered sugar but you can also dust it with a little powdered sugar. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Jul 20, 2015

Send Me Your Photo – July/Aug

I love it when you send me your photos! Send your picture to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

RIA  MADE MY DONUTS
“Hi Jenny. Thank you for sharing ur donut recipe. It taste much better when u fried them. So soft n fluffy. Event husband say, that my donut taste like a pro! Hahhaha…tq so…much!! Ria (Singapore)”

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BONNIE  MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“Hi Jenny, I decided to make your simple whole wheat bread instead of remake again the easy white bread, I’ve used this time newly bought yeast and the bread came out nicely, so you’re right. Best regards, Bonnie”

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AMY  MADE MY “TUNNELS OF CINNAMON” BREAD
“Jenny – I have made so many of your recipes (golabki, perogi….) but this one takes the cake. It is so easy AND so beautiful. Thank you!”

bread before and afterDESA-RHEA MADE DOUGHNUTS
“Hello! I made donuts, however I fried them in coconut oil. Added cinnamon and a dash of pumpkin spiced. Dusted some of them with powdered sugar and the others I made a vegan cream cheese. Thank you for being my cooking inspiration :)”

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AFSHAN MADE MY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“Amazingly beautiful”

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BONNIE MADE MY EASY WHITE BREAD
“My unsuccessful fast & easy white bread, always work well with your recipe, 1st time went wrong, believe I made some mistake ?!”   *Bonnie, it looks like your pan is too big so the loaf did not rise up. It should be 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inches. – j.j.

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GRANDMAMA MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS
“Oh what a delicious breakfast we had today, Jenny! Thank you for your delicious cinnamon roll recipe! Your pretty photography in your cookbook inspired me to find a pretty setting for the rolls.”

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DESA-RHEA MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD
“I love it! Thank you for this recipe. I tagged you on Instagram as well. This is the easiest bread I’ve made to date!! I love your videos too- let us know when you will hold a live cooking show, I’d pay to come see that!  – A young fan xoxo”  *Desarhea, how did you make it in a loaf pan? Did you cover it? Please let us know – you can respond on the recipe page (click here) – thank you. – j.j.

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FARRIN MADE MY GROWN UP MAC & CHEESE
“This was delicious!! We couldn’t find purple cauliflower so we had to use white and do you know the calorie content? I’m using my fitness pal to loose weight and I’m not sure how to enter it.”  *I’m sorry I do not know the calorie content but I know it’s less than most recipes because it uses reduced fat cheese and 1% low fat milk. – j.j.

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“FULL NAME” MADE MY TORTILLAS
“Hi Jenny, I made your homemade tortillas twice already and each time they come out wonderfully. These are the best I have ever tasted and are very easy to make. My family likes them very much, too. Attached is a picture of a batch that I just made. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, and like you said in the video, I will never want to buy store tortillas again since I can make my own. thanks again.

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BONNIE MADE MY…. WOW!
“Wow…new recipe..no knead multi-grain bread… will be busy again coming week
Just want to let you know that beside the cinnamon-raisin bread I made last time, I made also your
1) Pepperoni pizza, I add more variety of toppings …easy &  delicious
2) No knead crusty rolls ( I added mozzarella cheese filling & sesame topping)..super
3) Strawberry cake … Sort of dairy or milky taste not my favorite but my family like it
4) No knead fruit & nut bread…yummy
5) Fall-off-the-Bone ribs ( I suggest for those who cannot eat hot spice food better eliminate some chili powder or change spicy mustard to mild mustard as 7 out of 10 of my friends claimed too spicy hot for them – I & other 2 members love the spice taste) Instead of throw away the gravy from the pan before putting BBQ sauce. I kept the gravy and use for marinate chicken wings next day & top with leftover BBQ sauce … also nice

6) Potato Gnocchi with pesto sauce ( forget to make photos)
Thanks Jenny

*Bonnie, the ribs should not be spicy so please check to make sure you didn’t use “powdered chili” because chili powder is a mild combination of spices, while powdered chili is very spicy. And thanks for the wonderful photos!! – j.j.

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ADOLPH MADE MY FASTER NO KNEAD BREAD
“hi jenny,here it is your no knead bread, I am so glad that I found your web site so far all your recipes work for me.i found a dutch oven pot at home sens in Ottawa ont. for 39 dollars,it`s doing a great job. next I will try your no knead multy grain bread .greetings from Canada (smokedinpeace)”

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ALEXANDRA MADE MY FASTER NO KNEAD BREAD
“Hi Jenny! I made your crusty bread/rolls, and even added rosemary/black olives in one of the loaves and it was fantastic! This is a go-to recipe for me now and I can’t help but share it with everyone! Thanks again, Alex (from Toronto!)”

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DEBRA MADE MY EASY ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE
“Your chocolate cake, just out of the oven.”

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MARIANNE MADE MY EASY BAKED ZITI
“We LOVED this! Easy, tasty, plenty for tomorrow! Now we will fall into a pasta-induced stupor. Thanks!”

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VANESA MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“Hi Jenny, here is my whole wheat bread loaf. Finally a recipe that doesn’t taste like cardboard. “

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ALLEN MADE MY FALL-OFF-THE-BONE RIBS
“Hey Jenny! Here is my latest rendition of ribs! Our guests loved them!”

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SHAE MADE MY FALL-OFF-THE-BONE RIBS
“They are fantastic!”

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CLAIRE MADE MY POTATO PANCAKES
“Dear Jenny, I made these for the first time, and they became an instant favorite!  This recipe is truly easier than using frozen potatoes, and I had no idea raw potatoes could cook so quickly, yet be so tender.  I’m a fan now of Jenny Can Cook!”

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AHMAD MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS
“they tasted wonderful, at a fraction of the cost of the ones at the mall, without milk, butter or eggs coz i’m vegetarian 🙂 thank you Jenny, you do know how to cook, I give you that  🙂 “

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PATRICIA MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“Hi Jenny. I’ve been watching your YouTube video’s for some time now and love them you are so funny, I’d love to be your neighbor ;- When I found your web site I printed off a ton of your recipes.. I’ve made the cinnamon rolls and they were to die for.. today I made your whole wheat bread. I’ve baked bread for years but always on the look out for new recipes and this one is delicious and a keeper.. the only thing I did different was used home grown honey instead of sugar and wheat I ground myself..  The bread was easy to make and the crumb is tender.. I’m sharing your link with my facebook group so  be ready for more people coming your way. Oh, I forgot, I also have made your meatballs.. in fact some are in a slow cooker with sauce for dinner tonight.. I had them already baked and frozen from another meal a few weeks ago.. their also delicious.Thanks for all the healthy recipes you’ve shared with us. Pat”

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ANNE MADE MY CINNAMON-RAISIN BREAD
“ThankYou for this recipe it is so so good and easy to make a keeper! Anne Ashmore”

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CHITHRA MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
“My brown bread as per your recipe. Substituted 1/4 cup thick curds for egg. Came out very soft.”

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LINDA MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS
“Hi Jenny! I just made your No Knead crusty rolls. I saw it on youtube and had asked if I could bake the dough in a small bread pan. But I did it YOUR way and they are the best I have ever eaten.  I just made a pig out of myself…lol    A BLT and one with olive oil, tomato, oregano, salt and pepper (was my dad’s fav). Oh and a bit of cheese! ~Linda Lamanuzzi”

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STAN MADE MY PIEROGI
“Jenny, used your recipe for pierogies and with my wife and son. My grandma Stella used to make they for me when I was a kid. Being Polish I’ve only myself bought store bought or ate at restaurants. There really not that hard to make except the dough was tough but wife figure a good to roll them out. Love the video had it playing on the counter top while cooking.  Looking forward to trying your Gulumkies cabbage rolls. Regards, Stan Liszka”

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JERRY, A POLISH DISABLED VET, LOVES TO COOK
“Hi, Jenny! I’m a disabled Vet, 71 that has learned to love cooking. Being Polish, I love to eat, and my plate is dutifully clean when I get up from a meal. Buscia would be proud. When I’m not cooking, I’m tending to eight sweet dogs and 4 wonderful cats the wife and I have rescued. Life is good. Thank you for a wonderful website and great videos. Sincerely, Jerry Koszut”

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LIS MADE MY PACZKI & LEMON BROWNIES
“Dear Jenny, thank you very much for your recipes! They are tasty, easy and quick! This week I made your Poland donut-Paczki, with 3 filling : strawberry jam, custard and chocolate custard. They are so yummy! I also made your lemon brownies, which I got the compliment for my husband for making such a delicious stuff in just 40 mins!;) Keep up the good work:) Regards, Lis K, Czech Republic”

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BONNIE MADE MY CINNAMON-RAISIN BREAD
“Dearest Jenny, Thanks for helping me fall in love with cooking again. With your recipes & videos I believe soon I can be a super chef. Best regards, Bonnie from Hong Kong.”

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