General

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!

Baking can be therapeutic. This appeared in Sunday’s St. Croix hurricane report and it looks like my recipes are therapeutic for Isabel, who is staying calm by baking.  Question, though… is it the baking of the cinnamon rolls or the eating of the cinnamon rolls that’s helping take her mind off things?

“Hi Jenny, Just wanted to tell you how much I love you and your recipes. You are so sweet and funny and I love watching your videos. Now I also know that we celebrate our b-days in the same month. I turned 49 in June 6. I’m from Israel and I married an American Jew and we live in NJ with our beautiful daughter who celebrated 10 years a few days ago. I wish you a Belated Happy Birthday! Hope you had fun. I love you so much and I’ll keep following you on You-tube. You are welcome to keep in touch with me :-)”

Happy 4th of July!

Green Giant polled nearly 4,000 Americans to determine the most popular vegetable in each state.

• Broccoli is the most popular vegetable in 47% of U.S. states
• Corn is the second most popular vegetable, chosen as the favorite in nine U.S. states
• Idaho, known for its potatoes, was the only state to choose peas as the favorite veggie
• Onions, peppers, celery and spinach are noticeably absent from the list of favorites

Does your favorite vegetable match your state? Mine does. (click photo to enlarge)

Today is my birthday so I celebrated by writing a poem (and baking a cake!).

Well I finally made it to seventy two!
And I’ve learned a few things that might help you
I was scared at first about getting older, you know
Would my hair turn grey, would my nose really grow?

There are some things you simply can’t avoid
Like wrinkles, but they’re proof that your life was enjoyed
So you want to take a nap? Do it – it’s reviving
Nothing wrong with that, just not while you’re driving.

Don’t lie about your age, there’s no reason to miscount
Enjoy the benefits – get that senior discount.
So you need to wear glasses, that bothers you a bit
Truth is without reading glasses, I can’t see… a thing.

The serenity prayer is kind of my plan
Accept what you must, and change what you can
The list for accepting is not very long
Your eyes or your muscles may not be as strong.

But the list you can change… where should I begin?
Fix your bones and your heart and your hair and your skin
Diabetes & cancer & stroke can be prevented
It’s up to your lifestyle – you just reinvent it.

No sodas or fast food, no junk or diet drinks
What’s that you say? This really stinks!
And easy on the pizza & sweets & ice cream
Jenny, you’re killing me. This is a bad dream!

Instead of coffee, drink water or tea instead
And no booze except one glass of wine that’s red
Eat veggies, wear sunscreen, exercise must be done
I know what you’re thinking. Can’t I have any fun?

I’m not here to say that I never cheat
An occasional pizza and gelato I eat
But the next day I’m back on this plan of my making
I cook every day, and do all my own baking.

I know it’s a lot and I’m not saying it’s easy
But you can live without things in bags that are cheezy
Feed your body with the best fuel at every meal
Then see how fabulous you can look and feel.

~~ ❤️ ~~

Look what I found at the market today! Swiss chard is usually mostly green but today it was an explosion of vibrant color and you know what that means? Even more nutrients!

Designer shoes on sale or hot pink Swiss chard – guess which one gets me excited? I was so excited I rushed home to make my spaghetti with chard for dinner. It’s my favorite pasta side dish and I had it with salmon patties.

The chard is sauteed with some garlic and olive oil, add some Parmesan, stir in the spaghetti and it’s done. Ten minutes. Like all leafy greens, Swiss chard has many health benefits.

If you want to try my easy spaghetti with Swiss chard, click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Summer officially starts today and so does my summer vacation!  Please continue to enjoy my recipes while I’m away. I will be checking in but can’t always answer questions so please look to the FAQs for answers. Meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful summer. Stay hydrated, eat well, and use sunscreen! See you soon. – Jenny Jones

With over 300,000 views every week between my website and youtube, from 200 different countries, I simply can’t to keep up with the growing number of questions. I never expected this when I started sharing my recipes and I want this to be the best experience for everyone but it’s become overwhelming.

I am a one-man operation, doing the best I can, but here is the reality: If I don’t get to 25 questions in one day, the next day it’s 50. Another couple of busy days and it’s 100 and by then I can’t catch up. I need time to work on my recipes, take the pictures, perfect the details, and share what I love. I also need time to focus on my philanthropy.

It’s wonderful to see how popular my recipes have become and I want to always be there but it’s become impossible and that makes me sad. This is my creation. I take a lot of pride in it and want it to be perfect so please know I am doing the best I can. I hope everyone understands and there are ways you can help:

1. Understand if I am not able to answer your questions.
2. Please do not ask a question that you can research online.
3. Please do not ask about changing my recipe as I only make them the way I post them.
4. If a recipe didn’t turn out, please look at the FAQs before asking what went wrong.
5. Please continue to share your helpful comments, especially if you’ve tried something different with one of my recipes and it turned out well. That’s helpful to all of us.

My sincere thanks to everyone who jumps in to answer questions to help out.  – Jenny Jones

I made one of my top ten favorite recipes today: Orange Sesame Chicken. It’s fast, healthy, and so much better than restaurant orange chicken, which is usually batter fried. My lean chicken is stir fried in 2 teaspoons of oil and made with freshly squeezed orange juice and toasted sesame oil. If you haven’t tasted (and smelled!) toasted sesame oil, it’s unbelievably fragrant. And bonus: this recipe takes 20 minutes. But that’s not even why I like it so much. It is deeeelicous!

If you’re wondering, here is the entire top ten list of my own personal favorite recipes, the ones I make the most:

1. Granola Bars
2. Tortillas
3. Chicken Pot Pie
4. Multigrain No Knead Bread
5. Giant Breakfast Cookies
6. Orange Sesame Chicken
7. Spaghetti & Meatballs
8. Cabbage Rolls
9. Pork Loin Dinner
10. Deviled Eggs

Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone and if you want to try my orange sesame chicken, click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones