jenny can cook

It takes less than 30 minutes and just a few basic ingredients to make this easy pasta fagioli soup from scratch. Cannellini beans and ditalini pasta are traditional  for this popular Italian soup. I use canned cannellini beans but I can never find ditalini so I use a different small pasta, DeCecco small elbows (no. 81).

For the tomato, I use Pomi Strained tomatoes that come in a box. Once opened, I freeze 1/2 cup portions specifically to have on hand for this delicious soup. One box gives me six 1/2 cup portions. I also use my own homemade chicken stock (there’s always some in the freezer) but you can use store bought stock.

I thicken the soup by dividing the beans in half and mashing one half with a fork, which takes less than a minute and I focus on the broken ones for mashing (the whole ones look better for serving).

And this is good: You’ll only have one pot to wash. Most recipes cook the pasta separately but I cook mine right in the soup. Prep your vegetables first because this easy recipe  comes together quickly. Sometimes, it’s all I need for a meal – just a big bowl of pasta fagioli and a slice of my crusty bread. If it’s all you’re having, this recipe makes two large servings. Otherwise, it will serve three. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I took my treasured oatmeal chocolate chip bars to a new stratosphere today. Besides using chunks of a dark chocolate bar, I added a broiled coconut-pecan topping and all I can say is, “Somebody, please hide them from me!” This hybrid dessert has no white flour, lots of fiber, dark chocolate chunks, and a crispy topping — I love love love it!

All I did was use the topping from my Oatmeal Snacking Cake and put it on my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars. I broiled it for about a minute and I have a new dessert that is healthier than most and really easy to make. You can use butter or oil in the topping so anyone like me, who prefers baking without butter, will love this too. These healthy bars are so yummy, I froze some because… well I just had to. ?

I like this so much I added it as a new recipe. For my new Oatmeal Bars With A Crispy Coconut Top, click here– Jenny Jones

My favorite thing is to see photos of my recipes made all over the world, even more so when you say where are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

SHARON MADE MY COCONUT CAKE

” I love making your coconut cake. ?”

~ Thanks for posting your photo. I love this cake too. ~ jenny

GILA (from Israel) MADE MY PAN PIZZA

“Hi Jenny! I’ve tried many of your recipes and love their simplicity and outcome. Tonight I made your pan pizza. It’s so easy and flexible, as far as rising times and toppings. Normally I’m a thin crust kind of girl, but this was so delicious. And yes, my husband and I did the pizza dance! – Gila in Israel.”

~ My pan pizza in Israel – I love it! Thank you for taking time to send this great photo (and for doing the dance??). ~ jenny

LORI MADE MY CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

“My son Linus 10, loves baking. He wanted to make healthy banana bread. After it came out of the oven he breathed in and said in a reverent tone, “Mommy it looks soooo good”. Then after one bite, he took a slice put it in a container and into his lunch bag for lunch the next day. He wanted to make sure his brothers didn’t eat it all. After school, he informed me, “I thought of sharing it with my teacher; but, it was so good, I ate it all! I got 1 piece and by the time hubby got home my 3 boys had inhaled the banana bread. He didn’t get a piece. Boys said it was the best ever and asked when it could be made again. Next thing to try is you lemon brownies.”

~ Let’s call this “Chocolate Chip Bread (with banana)! ? Love all those chips on the top. And hubby, better luck next time! ~ jenny

DENISE MADE MY NO KNEAD FRUIT & NUT BREAD

“Small problem: it tastes so good its half gone before cold? I added some extra haselnuts and 6 apricots( dry) in pieces i toasted the nuts before..”

~ I have the same problem with this bread – I love it too. Thank you. ~ jenny

VICTORIA (from Cortland, NY) MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

“Made your Simple Whole Wheat Bread today and it was absolutely fantastic!  Forgot to add the honey and it still came out delicious.  Actually, since hubs is a diabetic, I probably won’t add it next time.  Can’t wait to make this again.  Thank you so much for sharing with us. ?”

~ That’s a picture perfect loaf. Thank you for taking time to send your photo. ~ jenny

RYAN (from Redondo Beach, CA) MADE MY RED VELVET CUPCAKES

“Hi Jenny! I made your red velvet cupcakes! These cupcakes were out of this world. So moist and delicious. Will definitely have to freeze some of them or else I’ll eat the entire batch. Thank you! Ryan, Redondo Beach, CA.”

~ Great photo, thank you. I’m with you on freezing things so you don’t eat them. ? ~ jenny

JOE (from Aurora, Colorado) MADE MY WHITE BREAD (no egg)

“First attempt at this delicious No-Egg White Bread. Used active dry yeast and lowered the milk temp to 110 F. Bread also makes terrific toast.”

~ Thanks for your photo. I’m glad it worked for you the first time. ~ jenny

FEE (from Beijing) MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS & PACZKI

“Hi from China! Jenny, I cannot begin to describe what a big blessing you are!! I am originally from Pakistan and was working full time and had no time to try out baking there. A year ago, I moved to Beijing and discovered your amazing blog/videos which have helped me gain so much confidence as an amateur home baker! Since my husband and i are always looking for halal brands for all dairy products, breads, etc and at times it is difficult to get ’em, your butter free recipes have been the biggest help! Sending you photos of your heavenly Cinnamon Rolls (my husband’s favourite) and Packzi:) Love your personality and your beautiful smile, stay cool Jenny!! Best wishes, Fee from Beijing.”

~ What a thrill to see these photos all the way from China! Thank you so much and I love hearing that my recipes are helping you. Thank you!  ~ jenny

DENISE MADE MY CABBAGE ROLLS

“Kool rolletjes – Baking them… I made one batch for me one for my mum and dad. My mum never ate them… My dad said his mum made them during the roaring 50-ies.. But my mum sais hmmmm I can warm them up…. She looked in the freezer and said I like to try the gnocci too?… always great to give your mum an easy cooking day… she is 83 she said I think I put cheese on them… Groet, Denise.”

~ Your mum is lucky to have such a caring daughter. Thank you for sharing. ~ jenny

MARINA MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“My first no knead bread, Thank you for the recipie.”

~ Congratulations on your first loaf (probably not the last!). ~ jenny

SUSAN (from Florida) MADE MY CABBAGE ROLLS

“First go at your golumpki recipe ….. hubby declared this better than his Polish grandmother’s. Thanks, Jenny!”

~ Wow, they look exactly like mine! Thank you for the photo. ~ jenny

DENISE MADE MY BRAIDED CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

“Already half way and still warm… Hi I enjo your site so much i made the cinamon bread, the gnocci, the potato pancakes, the faster no knead bread.. and tomorrow the polish potato in dough… In my language “dank je wel voor alle lekkers….” in yours djen koeje…. yeah it is written wrong but it is my dutch way of writing it. Do you have good ways to make a tastefull  bouillon without al the unpronouncables and e numders? Groet, Denise.”

~ Dziękuję for your photo! ? I’m sorry to say I do not have a bouillon recipe. ~ jenny

DALILA MADE MY EASY DINNER ROLLS

“Hi Jenny! I enjoy your bread recipes so much that I decided to make your EASY DINNER ROLLS but in cloverleaf style. I added some sesame seeds to the tops and let me tell you they came out wonderful!! Next time I’ll try some poppy seeds along with the sesame seeds, you just can’t go wrong with this recipe. Thank you for sharing your recipes, it’s great having delicious homemade breads with our dinner. Happy Baking! ?”

~ They look wonderful. (p.s. I do not recall receiving any other dinner rolls photos from you.) ~ jenny

BUNNY (from Chicago) MADE MY PEPPERONI PIZZA

“Hi Jenny, Just wanted to say how much we loved your Pepperoni Pizza while watching the bowl games this New Years Day.  For the crust, we used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup bread flour.  While mousing around inside the fridge we found ham left over from Christmas to use in combination with the pepperoni.  We added sliced onion, orange bell pepper, mushrooms — and then threw a couple handfuls of fresh, baby spinach on top before baking.  Delicious!   We’ve already talked about doing it again for next year and making pizza a New Years Day tradition.

~ All those toppings sounds yummy. Thank you for sharing. ~ jenny

MARIE (from Wisconsin) MADE MY 2-HOUR FASTEST NO KNEAD BREAD

“Jenny, I made this amazing bread today after exploring recipes to make with my new best friend – my new dutch oven. This bread was amazing! Like I posted, it has ruined me for mediocre bread forever. I made it exactly as written and even watched the video, which was very helpful. The scraping technique was brilliant and new to me, so I went out right away and bought a scraper. My new second-best friend. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe! Best, Marie.

PS. I live in Madison, Wisconsin. PPS. I plan to make this and take it to work and share it with my vegan co-worker who seems to never get anything very good. She will love me. ”

~ Thank you for sharing your photo. I love this bread too. ~ jenny

DALILA MADE MY CHOCOLATE CHIP LOAF CAKE with WALNUTS

“Hi Jenny! ? I just wanted to let you know that your recipe for CHOCOLATE CHIP LOAF CAKE is a favorite in my house. I can’t seem to keep it for long though, it’s that good!! Neighbors like it so much that as soon as it’s baked it’s gone! Every time I do make this loaf I just double your recipe, easier for me to make people happier. It works like a charm made as a doubled recipe.? I also bake mine in a bit bigger loaf pan and it comes out great every time I make it. I found some sugar free chocolate chips so I use those in this loaf cake. This way I don’t feel so bad when I eat more than one piece. ? Thanks for another wonderful recipe! Happy Baking! ?”

~ It disappears around here too. Thanks for the photo and Happy New Year. ~ jenny

JOHN (from Italy) MADE MY FASTER NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hello Jenny, Thanks so much for your no knead bread recipe it turned amazing and no stress whatsoever! Can’t wait to try the buns now! kind regards, John from Italy.”

~ My bread is in Italy! Thank you for the photos. That is a beautiful crust. ~ jenny

SUSAN MADE MY BUTTER MIX

“Happy New Year, Jenny! In support of our 2019 Healthier Eating Resolution, I made your “better butter” recipe. Right off, I managed to splash oil all over — guess the deep bowl wasn’t deep enough ☹. I had to address this fiasco, so after I changed shirts and treated the laundry challenge I’d created, I put it all in the blender. I am happy to report it turned out much  smoother than if I’d used my mixer. Not to mention, tidier. It took a little effort to scrape it out around the blades at the bottom of the blender. But I consider it worth it for being much fluffier. Photos enclosed. Thank you for your great idea for making it healthier!”

~ Oops, I guess I should have warned about that. Thank you and Happy New Year. ~ jenny

For my Christmas dinner I make everything I can in advance and pumpkin pie is a natural because it has to cool and be refrigerated to serve cold anyway. My easy recipe uses an oil crust and I made it with cold pressed avocado oil. The filling is a breeze using canned pumpkin and low fat canned milk so it’s light and low fat. Now you won’t feel too guilty about the whipped cream!

When I make homemade stuffing from scratch, I really mean from scratch. I baked a loaf of white bread yesterday and today I’m drying it into cubes for my simple bread stuffing. This stuffing gets more raves than my turkey! Making things in advance really takes the pressure off of big holiday dinners so today and I’m drying the bread and making the stuffing too. I’ll just reheat it before serving.

I’ve had a craving for soft oatmeal raisin cookies lately and never knew how to make them. My oatmeal cookies are always crisp so I decided to try making soft and chewy ones. It was easy. They turned out really well with several different variations.

My recipe works three different ways:

1) Made with only butter.

2) Made with half butter, half oil.

3) Made with only oil.

But here’s the surprise. I did a blind taste test (with my husband’s help) and I could not tell the difference between any of them. All of the cookies, made with butter, oil, or a mix of both, tasted the same to me. So if you’re like me and try to avoid butter, make them with oil. I use cold pressed avocado oil. If you prefer butter, use only butter. If you’re undecided, use a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of each. I think you’ll like them no matter what but keep in mind that they are large cookies because that keeps them soft, and also do not over bake them. If you bake them until they are too brown and golden, they may not be soft. But they’ll still taste good, though.

Oh, and one more thing: You can skip the raisins and use chocolate chips instead. (Do I hear applause??) Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

My thanks to everyone who takes time to send a photo. It’s even better if you say where are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

OLIVIA (from the UK) MADE MY BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

“Hi Jenny, usually my dad sends in my stuff. But I can do it now. I made your Blueberry Coffee cake. And it was really good! i had to use your substitution for ‘buttermilk’  but you couldn’t tell the difference. Thanks from the UK.”

~ Olivia, it makes me so happy to see you (at only 12 years old!) be such a good baker. Thank you for sharing your journey and photos. And Merry Christmas to you and your dad. ~ jenny

GREG MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Good afternoon! Saw your video in my YouTube feed about a week ago. Had to try it! It looked so easy and it was!!! Like you, I LOVE bread also. It turned out EXACTLY as you said! LOVE IT! Thank you for making things simple. I’m not afraid to try cooking and baking anymore thanks to your simplified recipes! Happy Holidays!”

~ It’s nice to know my recipes are giving you confidence. Happy Holidays back to you. ~ jenny

DAVID MADE MY CABBAGE ROLLS

“Thought you might get a laugh here. They taste terrific. A Local place here, Bobs Produce had Large Kraut Cabbage they called it (7-8lbs)…As you can see they are very large..I got 10 total..  I make cabbage soup weekly ,often so I used up remaining cabbage in that… I might try adding a can of tomatoes along with the Puree next time, Green Chile’s, Red Pepper..”

~ Wow! It looks like one cabbage roll would serve four people! Great photo, thank you.  ~ jenny

SAM (in North Carolina) MADE MY NO KNEAD RYE BREAD

“I made a double recipe of No-Knead Rye Bread, baked in a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven.”

~ Thanks for your photo. It’s helpful to know it can be doubled.  ~ jenny

“FIALHO38” MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS

“Hi Jenny. Thank you so much for the wonderful  “No Knead Crusty Rolls” recipe. As you see in my photos I made also some Baguette style  from the same dough. Just delicious. We all love it !!”

~ I never thought of making baguettes but I will definitely try it. Thank you.  ~ jenny

MEISTER MADE MY 2-HOUR FASTEST NO KNEAD BREAD

“I used regular yeast and it looks/tastes delicious.”

~ I love your chalk board idea and thanks for the lovely photo.  ~ jenny

JULIE MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS

“Cinnamon Rolls…with a whipped cream cheese frosting. They were awesome. Thank you!”

~ Thank you for the photo. That’s a great frosting idea.  ~ jenny

EVELYN MADE MY FASTER NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hi Jenny, Love all your recipes! They work! My favorite is the pan pizza. Delicious!”

~ What a great photo – thank you! I’m making pan pizza right now.  ~ jenny

EFISIA MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS

~ Picture-perfect cinnamon rolls – thank you for your photo.  ~ jenny

TABITHA MADE MY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

~ Scrambled eggs and biscuits – that’s the same combo I make too. Thank you.  ~ jenny

JOE (from Colorado) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“My first attempt at this terrific recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us. Can’t wait to bake more of your stuff. – Joe in Aurora, Colorado.”

~ Thank you for the photo and congrats on your first loaf (of many more to come, I know).  ~ jenny

MARIE MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Thanks so much Jenny for your easy to follow no knead bread recipe.  I’ve baked it several times and each time it’s getting better.  My husband really enjoys it.”

~ Thank you. What a great way to start off the month. Your crust looks perfect.  ~ jenny

I can never get enough spaghetti and meatballs. It’s really one of the best comfort foods. Most people think you have to cook sauce for hours but I will never do that when I can make delicious marinara sauce (and meatballs) in half an hour. I always use canned San Marzano plum tomatoes for my sauce.

And people think you have to brown meatballs first before putting them in your sauce but I don’t do that either. By cooking the meatballs totally in the sauce they come out super soft and delicious. We had this tonight with a salad and breadsticks. I made cookies too.

For dessert I made soft & chewy oatmeal raisin cookies – super easy. I’ll be posting that recipe soon. Meantime, if you want to try my quick and easy spaghetti and meatballs recipe, click here. – Jenny Jones

Good luck to everyone who took on the challenge of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Here’s a little humor to make you smile.

I have so much in life to be thankful for but I also want to say how grateful I am to everyone who jumps in to help answer questions and help other cooks. It’s become impossible for me to keep up with all the questions, and sometimes I don’t know the answer anyway. Between this website and my youtube videos, I have over 1/2 million visitors every week, something I never expected. So thank you for helping me out.

~ Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and fellow cooks. ~

I made ribs this weekend with my own rub and sauce and I can see why the video has 5 million views and 35,000 comments on youtube and why my recipe has garnered over 800 comments here on this website. They are fantastic! I always make them in the oven now because I don’t like cleaning the grill. And this time I couldn’t find the silver skin on the back to remove and they were still just as tender as ever.

In case anyone has not tried this easy, foolproof way to make the most delicious fall-off-the-bone-ribs, try this recipe. Use my rub and sauce and you won’t be disappointed.

I went to bed early last night, planning to have the leftovers for dinner tonight but this morning, two of the ribs are missing. Apparently, my husband decided he needed a midnight snack. ? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Somebody please stop me from eating five! These oven-baked Polish doughnuts are so light and so delicious and filled with homemade custard, well….. I can only make these a few times a year. It’s too easy to eat five. Pączki are most often filled with jam but custard is my favorite by far. These Polish doughnuts are light and airy and really simple to make.

Filling them is the hardest part and a pastry bag does make it easy. I used to use a long, slender pastry tip but I find it easier to use a wider tip, something like these:

Pączki are traditionally fried but I avoid eating deep fried food – nobody needs that. Besides, I could never eat five fried doughnuts without requiring medical care. Oven-baked is the way to go. Fill them with jam or custard. Either way you will love these delicious pączki (pronounced potnch‘-kee). Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones