This is such a refreshing salad to serve in the summer and now is the best time to get crisp, fresh Persian cucumbers. If you can find organic cucumbers, you can just scrub them and leave the peel on. If they’re not organic, it’s best to peel them for this salad.
I slice the cucumbers very thinly, no more than 1/8 of an inch thick, and for the onion, the thinner the better as well. The dressing uses a good amount of sugar but remember that most of the dressing is not eaten. You serve this salad with a slotted spoon and leave the liquid behind so don’t fret about using a tablespoon of sugar.
If you serve this cucumber salad right away it will be quite crisp, and if you refrigerate it for an hour or more, the cucumber slices will soften and absorb a little more dressing. They are good either way but it’s best to serve this salad on the same day.
I wish everyone a fun summer with lots of good, healthy, homemade food, including this cool and crisp, cucumber salad. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
For anyone who does not have a Dutch oven but wants an easy way to make crusty homemade bread with no kneading and almost no work at all, look what I just made on a baking sheet! It was so easy and the loaf was crusty and delicious.
A Dutch oven with a lid creates steam inside the pot, which produces that crispy crust so I create steam inside the oven by placing a small 5 by 9-inch pan in the oven while it’s preheating. Then when I place the bread in to bake, I pour some boiling water into the little hot pan and whoosh – steam goes all over the place. I close the oven door right away to keep the steam inside and let it bake.
Anyone can make this easy no knead bread on a baking sheet. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Everybody stay calm! There is no cinnamon in my crispy top apple cake. You can add some if you like but I tried using cinnamon and I prefer it with just a little vanilla. This way the apples are the star. This is another easy one-bowl recipe for an easy light dessert that I absolutely love. Here’s why:
~ No mixer ~ No butter ~ Uses less sugar ~ Has lots of fruit ~ Minimal cleanup
This fresh apple cake is healthy enough to include with breakfast. (notice I said “with” and not “for!”) 🙂 Be sure to keep the apple pieces small, no bigger than 1/2-inch so they cook through. I use Granny Smith apples. 🍏 You can also make this cake using half whole wheat pastry flour + half all purpose flour and it turned out well. I’m loving my one-bowl recipes and am always looking for an easier way to make my favorite foods. And it doesn’t get much easier than this. With or without cinnamon, this is still the easiest apple cake you will ever make. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I’m so excited to share this easy one-pan meal. It’s Mediterranean eating at its best… healthy, low fat, and full of flavor. The whole thing is ready in an hour so there’s plenty of time to steam some broccoli or make a salad.
When using lemon, it’s best to use a non-reactive pan like Pyrex. I found a 13 by 9 pan at the grocery store for 12.49. The marinade is really simple, using one large lemon but you can use more lemon if you like. Here’s how it looks before cooking:
I try to submerge as many potatoes into the liquid as possible so they absorb lots of lemon/garlic flavor. About 10 minutes before it’s done, I turn over the potatoes and chicken. Here is it after cooking:
Most of the liquid will cook off and I use whatever juices are left, including the onions, to pour over the chicken for serving. I slice the chicken so the juices go inside all the slices. I love this easy recipe. They say the healthiest diet in the world is the Mediterranean diet and this is it! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Three things I always have in my freezer: 1) homemade chicken stock 2) homemade bread 3) turkey meatballs. These tasty little meatballs help me put together and quick and easy dinner with some pasta, sauce, and a salad. They are light and healthy and take just a few simple ingredients.
You can use white or soft whole wheat bread to make the fresh breadcrumbs. I use my own homemade bread, both white and whole wheat. There’s not much difference in the result so why not use whole wheat, but make sure it’s a soft whole wheat bread (mine is really easy to make).
This is a quick recipe but it’s hands-on because you have to keep turning the meatballs (sometimes meat squares or triangles) but who cares as long as they taste great. When I add the water, I rarely have any left at the end but all stoves and pans are different so if you have water left over, it just takes a minute or two to cook it off. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I wish you all a lovely holiday and good luck with all your cooking and baking.
This is my Simple Easter Bread that I’m making on Sunday. Of course I had to test it out today to make sure it turns out so I guess we’ll just have to eat it. ? I love baking for any holiday and sweet breads (my favorite kind of bread) are most popular at Easter time. It’s an easy one-rise recipe with lots of golden raisins and a light glaze. If you want to try this easy homemade raisin bread recipe click here.
I just read an eye-opening article saying it’s not the bad stuff we’re eating but the good stuff we are NOT eating that poses a bigger threat to our health. It’s from a 27-year global study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. One in five deaths, no matter where people lived, occurred because of too much sodium and a lack of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium, fiber, legumes or beans, and healthy fats found in salmon, vegetable oils and some nuts and seeds. Hey! I eat a lot of that stuff!
This chart shows the 15 risk factors with #1 being the highest risk. In the USA it’s not enough whole grains followed by not enough nuts and seeds. I’m proud to say that a lot of my breads and cookies have those things.
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