jenny can cook

It seems that I’ve been making these crispy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies a lot lately. They keep well, there’s no white flour, they have lots of fiber, and instead of chocolate chips I’ve been using part of a 70% dark chocolate bar (the one that’s good for you), chopped up and added to the final batter. Of course the toasted nuts add a lot of extra flavor.

They are big – about 5 inches across – so we usually split a cookie for dessert. But then we split another one because… well… because I’m in charge in the kitchen and I said it was okay. Today I also made salad, salmon patties, and spaghetti with chard for dinner. Then we had half a cookie for dessert. That’s the truth. We each had half a cookie for dessert. What happened after that is… quite frankly… confidential. ?  Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Yes. You can make beef ribs that fall off the bone just like my pork baby back ribs with just a couple of small changes. First: Cook them longer. Two: Lower the temperature. After seeing so many questions about beef ribs I decided to try them myself so I could share the recipe. The two changes are very simple:

1. Reduce the oven temperature from 300 to 275° F.
2. Cook them for 3 1/2 hours in the oven (baby backs take 2 1/2 hrs). You can cook them even longer in the oven if you like but they are very tender after 3 1/2 hours.
3. I was never able to remove the silver skin off the back but if you can, it’s best to remove it. (there’s good how-to advice on removing the silver skin in the comment from RussS below – thank you, Russ!)

I cooked 2 pounds of ribs and my dry rub recipe was just enough for 2 pounds. If you cook more, you’ll need to double the rub recipe. My homemade rub and sauce always get raves and both are easy to make. I see a lot of people use Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce but you should know that the first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. My homemade barbeque sauce is easy to make and really worth trying. For tender fall off the bone beef ribs click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

A German family spent more than 2 weeks decorating a tree with 10,000 painted eggs. Making Easter bread doesn’t seem like that much work after all.

Happy Easter, everyone. ❤️

Here’s more on that spectacular tree: https://www.boredpanda.com/easter-tree-decoration-10000-eggs/

This soft and sweet egg bread is easier to make than it looks. It’s fast. It’s beautiful. And it’s full of golden raisins. My simple recipe needs only one rise so it’s ready in just over two hours. You start with a simple but sweet egg bread and divide it into two. Roll each half into a 24-inch rope. Twist the ropes together like this…

Place the rope on your baking sheet and shape it onto a wreath, pinching and tucking the edges in the best you can. Here it is ready to rise…

After it rises in a warm spot and had doubled in size, it will look like this…

Now, just bake and finish. To ensure success have all your ingredients at room temperature, including the egg + yolk. Adding a cold egg will slow down the rise time. Make the powdered sugar glaze as thin or thick as you like. In the photo at the top I made a slightly thinner glaze than the one on the recipe page. Enjoy this delicious sweet holiday bread on any special occasion. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

The short answer is yes. Warm liquids, such as soup or tea do help relieve cold symptoms but chicken soup is a better choice. Here’s why:

1. A compound found in chicken soup (carnosine) helps the body’s immune system to fight the early stages of a cold or flu.
2. Soup contains anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce a cold’s miserable side effects.
3. The soup’s salt, steam and heat can also help thin mucus, making it easier to expel. The steam also soothes irritated passageways in your nose and throat.
4. Soups are also hydrating, which is particularly important when fighting off an infection. Staying hydrated is key to recovery and salty, chicken soup is packed with electrolytes that may help retain even more fluids than water or commercial electrolyte drinks.
5. Warm soup or other liquids can help open up sinuses, relieving congestion and shortening the time the virus is in contact with the lining of your nose. The faster you can move the mucus through you nose, the better.

Make chicken-noodle or chicken-rice soup or just sip it as a healing broth. If you would like my recipe for healthy, homemade chicken soup click here. – Jenny Jones

 I’m so excited to share this new recipe. It’s very similar to my hugely popular simple whole wheat bread recipe. I’ve been curious about baking with sprouted wheat flour and finally decided to give it a try. What a wonderful surprise!

This loaf is soft and delicious with a great texture, and definitely softer than the regular whole wheat version. The dough is a little softer too so I was afraid it might not turn out, but I love it not just for the great taste and texture but because I researched the benefits of sprouted whole wheat flour compared to whole wheat flour. Sprouted whole wheat flour has…

• More fiber
• More protein
• Less gluten
• More vitamins than regular whole wheat flour, like B, C & carotene
• More minerals than regular whole wheat flour, like calcium, iron, magnesium & zinc
• Enzymes that make it easier to digest
• More flavor because the grains are sprouted

WHAT IS SPROUTED WHEAT FLOUR? Wheat grains are allowed to sprout before milling, producing a living, nutrient-rich food because vitamins & minerals develop that enhance nutrition and digestibility. The major benefit is that those nutrients are in a state that can be more readily absorbed. (I find sprouted wheat flour at Whole Foods and it’s also available online. Once opened, be sure to keep it refrigerated.)

If you like my simple whole wheat bread, this sprouted wheat loaf is just as easy to make. I’m so glad I decided to experiment with sprouted wheat flour. This loaf is softer than the similar whole wheat loaf so if it’s too flimsy for you, try making it with half whole wheat flour and half sprouted whole wheat flour. It will have more body and a really great taste. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

UPDATE – January 2020: Good news! I experimented and found that it’s not necessary to soften the grains with boiling water. You can just combine them with the flours and other dry ingredients and add cool water. Using this overnight method, the grains soften naturally on their own.

(Jan. 2019) Always looking to add fiber to my breads, here is my easy no knead bread made with ten grain cereal. I use dry cereal and soften it for 15 minutes with boiling water and then put the dough together with even more fiber, adding whole wheat flour, bread flour, and rolled oats.

I use Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal and instead of cooking it, I just soften it with boiling water for a few minutes.

This cereal contains a fabulous mix of wheat, rye, corn, triticale, oats, soybeans, millet, barley, brown rice, oat bran, and flaxseed meal. Wow! It provides lots of fiber and protein and a nice chewy texture to this wholesome bread. If you can’t find it, you can try another multi-grain cereal. This loaf needs time to develop so it’s made using the overnight method but it’s still very little work, just waiting time (but you’re sleeping anyway!). Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

When it’s cold outside, make soup. This thick and hearty soup is just right for a cold winter’s day. You only need six ingredients and water – no fat, no ham hock, nothing you don’t want.

This is my version of Andersen’s famous (in California) split pea soup only I simplified it a bit and it’s deeeelicious! I like this soup thick but you can make it thinner using more water if you like. Or test it out and you can just add some hot water at the end of you want it thinner. The creamy texture comes from straining the soup through a fine sieve and it’s really easy using a soup ladle to press it through. I do not recommend using a blender or food processor because it creates too much foam.

Besides fiber and protein, pea soup has lots of nutrients including iron, potassium, isoflavones, vitamins B1, B5, K, folate, iron, magnesium, and zinc. What’s not to love? Click here for the recipe.  – Jenny Jones

It’s so much fun to see my recipes made by other people and it helps my readers to see them too.  I hope you’ll share where you are from and please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

MONITA MADE MY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

“Hi Jenny. My first sprouted wheat bread from your recipe. Thank you so much for your recipe!”

~ I just bought some sprouted wheat flour to try. Yours looks good. ~ jenny

DALILA MADE MY BEEF STEW & EASY WHITE BREAD (no egg)

“Hi Jenny! ? This weekend was a bit of a chilly one here, the winds were a bit crazy. So I decided to make your BEEF STEW recipe, a warm and stick to your bones kind of dinner. I have to tell you that it was a….’melt-in-your-mouth’….. meal!! ? I had no celery left, bummer, so I added celery flakes, next time celery stalks for sure. I also paired it with your EASY WHITE BREAD (NO EGG), talk about a scrumptious dinner! Your bread recipes are easy and they never fail me, thank you! I can see myself making this recipe over and over, it’s a keeper for sure. Next time I’m adding peas for a little change up. Thank you for another tasty recipe Jenny! Happy Cooking!! ?”

~ The stew and the bread look fantastic. I love to dunk bread into my stew. ~ jenny

BUNNY MADE MY PEPPRONI PIZZA

“Hi Jenny, I’m sitting here munching on a piece of warm and wonderful pizza, compliments of your Pepperoni Pizza recipe. I made dough following the recipe to a T and let the dough rest for an hour — then decided to mouse around the refrigerator for other toppings:  Italian Sausage, orange bell pepper, mushrooms, black olives, red onion, mozz,  a sprinkle of oregano, and of course, pepperoni.  Despite the extra toppings, pizza slices did not sag one bit.  It wasn’t because the pizza dough was thick (it is actually a cross between thin and medium crust), but because of the wonderful browning on the bottom.  Great recipe.

The only thing I would do different next time is not sprinkle some cheese on the top before I bake it.  My oven is very hot, so the cheese browned a bit. Next time, I will wait until a few mins. before the pizza is done before adding a little flourish of cheese on top.  By the way I baked my pizza for 12 mins, but I could have taken it out a minute or two earlier.   Thank you so much for teaching me and others how to make great pizzeria style pizza at home. – Bunny (in Chicago)”

~ Your pizza looks so good, and thanks for showing the salad. We need our salads every day! ~ jenny

EVELYN MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hi Jenny. I followed the Faster No knead bread recipe except I used cold water and mixed the dough the night before. As you can see, the bread looks amazing! The  pan pizza  was also out of this world!! Thank you for sharing your recipes!  ??”

~ It looks picture perfect. Thank you for taking time to send this great photo. ~ jenny

EFRAT MADE MY ONE BOWL LEMON BROWNIES

“Hi ?We love this cake, it’s so delicate and tasty. Thank you for all your great recipes! ~ Efrat from Israel. ?”

~ Israel! It’s wonderful to know I’m appreciated so far away. Thank you so much for the photos. ~ jenny

DALILA MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS AND POTATO SALAD

“Hi Jenny! I was in the mood for some “summer-time” food. This cold is starting to get to me. Spring time can’t get here fast enough for me.  So I decided to make your NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS and POTATO SALAD. Your rolls came out soooo wonderful!! I topped mine with some poppy seeds, caraway seeds and sesame seeds. My kitchen had such a wonderful aroma, nothing beats making homemade breads. I made mini bison burgers for our dinner with the rolls, yummy indeed! Your POTATO SALAD made a tasty side, it was easy and quick. The changes I made to the potato salad was yellow mustard instead of Dijon, I ran out of that. And I  added some diced sweet pickles to it. Thank you Jenny for your wonderful recipes! Have a wonderful day!”

~ Your rolls look fabulous – I love the seeds, and bison makes wonderful and healthy burgers. Thank you for sharing. ~ jenny

ASHLEY MADE MY PEPPERONI PIZZA

“Instead of pepperonis, I added chicken thighs and green bell peppers and they turned out absolutely amazing! I do wish the crust was more golden browned and crispier but my family still loved it ? My mom loved it and it only took 1 hour to make this entire this!! ? Thank you so much Jenny! You’re the best! ?”

~ I think the moisture from that much thighs & peppers kept the crust from browning. Next time try lean chicken breast and squeeze some moisture out of the peppers first in paper towels. But I must say it does look good. Thank you for sharing. ~ jenny

BUNNY MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS & CHOCOLATE PUDDING

“Hi Jenny, I’m calling this my Jenny Jones lunch, since it uses your recipes.  I formed No Knead Crusty Rolls into Italian hoagie rolls (I love sandwiches on freshly baked bread), and baked them for 27 mins.  Next, stuffed them to make  Italian style sandwiches.  For dessert, I made your Chocolate Pudding   Delicious.  I put in a square of the 70% chocolate bar at your suggestion.  Such a nice, rich, chocolate flavor.  For a bit of flair, I added non-fat whipped cream and a few raspberries.  Thank you so much for all the recipes and inspiration. ~ Bunny (in Chicago).”

~ It’s great to see some of my recipes “in action.” Thank you. ~ jenny

OLIVIA MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

“Hi Jenny. Our daughter Olivia in the kitchen again – inspired by your video. I think the ratio of fruit to crust is just about right. Peel left on for extra flavour (and fibre). It was seriously delicious with a spoonful of yogurt! All the best, Paul.”

~ What a beautiful job, Olivia! Thank you for the photo. ~ jenny

ANA MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

“Hi Jenny. Simple and delicious! Regards from Lisbon / Portugal.”

~ Thank you for the photos and especially for showing the cut loaf. Looks wonderful! ~ jenny

BUNNY MADE MY CHOCOLATE LOAF CAKE & NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS

“Hi Jenny, I just wanted to let you know how much I loved your Chocolate Loaf Cake.  While the cake baked, I went outside to shovel snow and fill bird feeders in single digit weather.  When I walked in from outside, I was unprepared for the aroma of chocolate to smack me in the face the moment I opened the door.  Wow, whole house to smelled like Chocolate!

~ Thank you for the great photos and for the extra tips too. ~ jennyOMG (Outstanding, Marvelous, Glorious) Crusty No Knead Rolls!  These are the best crusty rolls I have ever made, including KAF’s “Crusty European Hard Rolls” (Sorry, King Arthur Flour, yours came out dense even with extra time to rise).

For those who are crunch-a-holics or love hard rolls, when the rolls are done baking, turn off the oven and leave the rolls in the oven (with the door opened a few inches), for 5 mins. before removing for extra crunch.  I did not do this with my rolls, but just thought I would mention it as an option. Thank you, Jenny, for this amazing recipe.  Who knew you could make fabulous, gourmet rolls without fancy ingredients, special tools, or a lot of hard work!!!

BEATA MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS

“Oh, Jenny! (Ok, I mean Ms. Jones because we never met, and even though I’ve been away from the manners of life in Warsaw for thirty years, it just doesn’t feel right to call a stranger by their first name (to their face ;)).

But..Oh, Jenny! I’ve been trying to find “kaizerki” for most of my Canadian life, and even though we have some lovely Polish stores and bakeries in the area, I can’t find the ones I remember: little, crusty on the outside, soft on the inside and chewy all over. But I happened upon your No Knead buns recipe last night, and immediately went to the kitchen to mix the flour (just unbleached all-purpose), yeast, salt and water. This morning my Darling Geoff and I tasted heaven!!!! They turned out beautifully, even though I only gave the dough eight hours to rise and was a little worried.

~ I’m so happy to hear this. By the way, they freeze beautifully – I always have a few in my freezer. ~ jenny (a fellow Polish Canadian)

PARAMES MADE MY DARK CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIES

“Hi Jenny, Hope this email finds you well. Love all your recipes. This is my first try of it. The first time I did this I baked for 25 minutes cause i thought it was not baked. It became too hard. I laugh to myself remembering how you say “20 minute – Don’t make me come to your house” So the 2nd attempt I did it excatly 20 minutes and it was awesome. Here is a picture. Thanks for sharing the recipes. Your videos are simple to follow and you are very funny. Kind regards and take care. ~ Parames.”

~ I’m glad they finally turned out. Thank you for the cute photo. ~ jenny

ZARINA MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS

“Hello Jenny ! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe online. Success on my first attempt. It’s a keeper for sure ! Cheers, Zarina – NYC.”

~ Congratulations on you first time. They look perfect to me… just like mine. ? ~ jenny

PIA MARIA MADE MY FLATBREAD

“Hi Jenny, Yesterday, making lunch for my family of four, I realised I´d forgot to buy bulghur for the tabbouleh I planned to accompany my carrot/halloumi patties. Panicking I went online to search for quick and easy flatbreads to make instead and luckily I found your recipe! It was my first time making flatbread and I was so surprised it was THAT easy!! Thank you for saving our lunch, my kids LOOOOVED the bread (in fact, they loved it so much they hardly tasted my patties….) ? I will NEVER buy tortilla, naan, or pita anymore, thanks to you! Best regards, Pia Maria, Malmo, Sweden.”

~ How exciting! My flatbreads made it all the way to Sweden! Thank you. ~ jenny

DR. VANI ARUN MADE MY CRUNCHY OATMEAL BANANA MUFFINS

“Hi Jenny, Those muffins are just yum… Exactly like you described..I don’t like banana..So this way I utilized the overripe bananas.. And surprisingly I loved them this way..Thank you for the recipe.. Regards, Vani Arun.”

~ Those muffin tops look beautiful. Thank you for taking time to share your photo. ~ jenny

PAUL’S DAUGHTER OLIVIA MADE ROLLS USING MY WHOLE WHEAT LOAF RECIPE

“Hi Jenny. I love the whole wheat loaf recipe. My daughter Olivia has been back in the kitchen and these whole wheat rolls came out really well for a first go! Happy new year from my family to yours. Best, Paul x.”

~ This is good to see so others can try making these rolls. Thank you for the first photo of the New Year. ~ jenny

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

This is my Christmas Wreath Bread made into a braided loaf. I used the same recipe, braided it, and just tucked in the ends and baked it as a loaf. I love it so much! It’s beautifully sweet, has no butter, and it’s ready in about 2 hours. I make this braided raisin egg bread throughout the year, sometimes with just a little glaze…

Sometimes, I leave it plain for toasting…

I also made a whole wheat version, substituting one cup of whole wheat flour for one cup of white flour.

It’s not quite as soft but still delicious and healthier.

So it’s not just for the holidays. My Christmas Wreath Bread recipe is so versatile, you can make it all year, in different shapes, and even whole wheat. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones