I am not an adventurous eater and have a problem with squishy food. That includes mushrooms. I love the flavor but not the squish factor so I always chop them up small. Here’s what I cooked this week:
Chicken & mushrooms with steamed carrots + cucumber slices
No knead whole wheat bread
Chicken stock
Dark chocolate fudge/walnut brownies
Vegetable fried rice with Asian salad
Tortillas
Custard pudding
Chicken & spinach skillet pasta with steamed yellow beets
Lemon blueberry loaf cake
Sweet & sour cabbage soup
Taco casserole the lots of tomatoes and shredded iceberg lettuce
Dark chocolate dipped coconut macaroons
We love beets! Whenever I make borscht, my husband always says, “You can’t beet soup!” 😀
DON’T SEE YOUR PHOTO? Be sure to use this LINK ➡➡MyJennyRecipe@gmail.com to send your photo. I love love love seeing my recipes being made all over the world! Please say where you are from. 🌎 🙂 Here’s the link again: MyJennyRecipe@gmail.com
CATHY (from Texas) MADE MY EASTER BREAD
“Hi Jenny, Here is a picture of the wreath I made for Easter. I also make the Christmas one too. My son just loves it. I use a container that had a giant cookie in it. Thank you for your recipes and time and patience. I am in Texas… Have a great weekend and many blessings to you. ~ Cathy A.”
– Cathy, what a beautiful Easter bread! It looks so good and I appreciate your taking time on this holiday to send your photo. Happy Easter to you and your son. 🐣 . – jenny
CAROL MADE MY FASTER NO KNEAD BREAD
“This is the second time I made this. The first time I said how great it was but this time I did do it differently. I put it overnight in the fridge( the dough) and then I made English muffins out of it on the stove griddle. I made the muffins in the morning after letting it rise for an hour or so and warm up. I did not do any extra folding, kneading, or anything . They came out great, thank you! The holes in it are from me poking the thermometer in haha to make sure it’s done.”
– What a great idea to make English muffins out of this dough! I love English muffins and yours look fantastic. Thank you for taking time to send your photos. – jenny
ALEXANDRA MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD
“Hi Jenny, Here’s what I baked today- first time and delicious! I did add a bit more water, proofed for 3 hours and followed all other instructions to a ‘t’! Best wishes, Alexandra.”
– Thank you for these great photos. I would say,”first time and perfect!” That crust is exactly as it should be – perfect! – jenny
AMINA (fromPoland!) MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS
“Greeting from Poland. I have never done bread in my life until today thanks to you.”
– Amina, this makes me so happy! 🙂 I’m so excited to see my recipe in Poland, the home country of my parents. 🇵🇱 And your rolls look perfect. Dziękuję bardzo. I życzę wszystkiego najlepszego. – jenny (Janina)
DANIEL K. MADE MY POLISH PĄCZKI
“That is a great recipe. I wanted to make some pączki for Fat Thursday/Tuesday after going to Poland in September. I liked that I didn’t need to fry them. That’s one of my gripes about store bought doughnuts is the fried in oil after taste. It doesn’t take too long to make also. I had fun squirting the raspberry jam in them.”
– Your pączki look fantastic and raspberry filling sounds delicious. Thank you for taking time to send your photos! – jenny
EVE (from Canada) MADE MY LEMON BROWNIES
“Hi Jenny! I’m from Winnipeg and can’t stop baking lately, probably because of the winter weather…you need sugar energy and we do all weather walking to get exercise! Ha! I made your lemon brownies (did them in a round and got f a n c y lol)…I also added some lime zest…had no low fat yogurt and used buttermilk…we are BLOWN AWAY…so goooood…I must add being part polish…the paczki are next (great detail and great recipe as well). All the best to you from me and my partner Jacques in 2026!”
– Thank you for this great photo. The fresh berries are a great addition and it looks really delicious! – jenny
DANIEL J. MADE MY POLISH PĄCZKI
“Jenny: I am a type 2 diabetic and you have been so kind and thoughtful in the way you present your videos. Your healthy alternatives such cooking without butter and substitutions have enabled even me to make a version that’s healthy for even me to enjoy. God bless you and thank you.”
– Daniel, you didn’t specify but I assume by seeing the pastry bag that these are pączki. Thank you so much for your photo! – jenny
JESSICA MADE MY YELLOW CAKE
“Jenny, I haven’t used a strip yet, but I love this yellow cake recipe and your chocolate frosting recipe. This is my favorite cake ever and I am so happy to have found a quick and delicious recipe to make for my birthday and any time. I made it into cupcakes and my students loved them. I used a water bath and it made them super moist. I couldn’t find a proper cupcake recipe so I just used your tried and true yellow cake recipe!”
– Jessica, that looks so good! And I agree that chocolate frosting on yellow cake is the best. Thank you for the great photos. – jenny
GREG (from Colorado) MADE MY WAFFLES
“Made your delicious waffles this morning- so good!”
– Now THAT”S the way to serve a waffle! Thank you so much for reminding me how much I love waffles. – jenny
DAVE MADE MY CHICKEN POT PIE
“Came out great, I added 3 sprigs of tarragon that I had from a previous recipe. Thank you Jenny I love your recipes and how you instruct. You are a treasure. I watched for about 3 hours and didn’t realize you were that Jenny. 😂 Thanks again. ~ Dave”
– Dave, what a great way to start these photos off for 2026 – with the best comfort food ever! That crust looks perfect. Thank you so much for taking time to send your pictures. – jenny
By popular demand, here is the vanilla version of my hugely popular quick & easy chocolate cake. As simple as the recipe is, it was not easy to get it right. I finally came up with a version that always turns out for me. I know it has a lot of sugar but every time I tried to use less, it did not turn out. With this “wacky” style cake, the sugar is needed for structure.
I also tried different pans, a square 8 x 8 pan and a round 8-inch pan, and was disappointed in both results. A 9-inch pan was the perfect size for a consistent cake. I suggest sticking with the recipe as written and you won’t be disappointed. It’s a light and delicious homemade cake that anyone can make, even amateur cooks. During the coronavirus quarantine, it’s good to have a dessert that does not use eggs, or even butter except for the frosting.
I’ve also just posted my new 2-minute vanilla frosting, made with just 2 tablespoons of butter, although this cake is really good with chocolate frosting too. I usually cool the cake in the pan and only frost the top.
If you plan to remove the cake to a platter, I suggest greasing the pan and lining the bottom with parchment paper. You can buy packages of parchment paper rounds or cut our own. I hope everybody likes this simple yet delicious cake and I’ll be waiting for the first photo! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
It’s just so good! I wanted something special for the holiday weekend and decided on my homemade apple pie. I bought six large Granny Smith apples and this time I cut the slices a little smaller, about 3/4-inch thick. Someone had mentioned that the apples weren’t cooked enough so slightly smaller pieces worked out just fine. And of course, I always use my easy oil crust, using avocado oil.
Most of the time I brush the crust with milk but I had whipping cream on hand and used that before sprinkling the top with sugar. I didn’t see much difference from using milk. You can’t buy an apple pie anywhere that even comes close to homemade. Serve an apple pie and you’ll find you have more friends & family than you realized! ? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I love casseroles. Cook once / eat twice /or three times. And casseroles are always flexible: a little more of this, a little less of that, and they still turn out. This is a little like my Spicy Mexican Casserole but made not spicy, with corn tortillas and an added vegetable. I always try to include as many vegetables as possible in every meal, besides the salads I make every day.
Vegetables are the key to good health so besides lots of fresh tomatoes, I include antioxidant-rich bell pepper but I eliminated the Anaheim green chili pepper because not everyone can find them. So including Anaheim peppers is now optional and you would use 1 cup bell pepper plus one Anaheim pepper. Anaheim peppers (also called long peppers) are green and measure about 7 inches long.These peppers are great for anyone not liking anything too spicy but who does like a flavorful pepper. Of course you can use Jalapeño peppers instead if you like it spicy.
This recipe is high in fiber from the black beans and corn tortillas. All corn tortillas are not the same, in fact they can be very different. I tried Whole Foods 365 brand and they were dry and disappointing. My preference is Guerrero brand if you can find them.
You can make lots of variations with this recipe, using cheddar cheese instead of monterey jack, pinto beans instead of black beans, and you can add spices if you like, but I do recommend staying with the fresh tomatoes. They add moisture and fresh taste to this easy casserole.
UPDATE June 3, 2020: I found myself using less and less tomatoes in this recipe and I now prefer it that way. It also means less chopping! 👍 I suggest trying it with only about 3/4 pound of tomatoes.
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
Quick & easy pierogi? There is no such thing. But if ever a recipe was worth the time, it’s homemade pierogi. I only make potato & cheese pierogi because that’s what I grew up on. My dad taught me how to make them and I’m so glad I shared the recipe because I wasn’t sure if anyone would want to put in the effort. It turns out a lot of people do. There are hundreds of comments and over a million people have watched the video.
There are two things to make: the dough and the filling. The mashed potato filling is easy to make but the dough takes more time and it’s important that the filling stays inside the dough when they are boiled. Before boiling, the pierogi must be kept apart on a floured towel because if they touch each other they will likely stick and create an opening in the dough. That would result in them breaking apart when they’re boiled. I line a baking sheet with a dish towel and sprinkle it with flour and place them on the towel, not touching.
I boil mine in a medium saucepan so I only boil 4 or 5 at a time, making sure at first that they don’t touch each other in the water. Pierogi take about 3-4 minutes to cook and when they’re done I remove them to an oiled baking sheet and put the next few in the boiling water. (By the way, “pierogi” is plural – one is called a “pierog” but people often use “pierogies” as the plural).
Once they’re cooked I still keep them mostly separated. There are two ways to enjoy these Polish treasures. One is to eat them right after boiling when they are soft and tender, served with sour cream and bacon bits. I rarely eat bacon but that rule goes out the window when I make homemade pierogi.
The other way is to pan fry them in a little oil or butter until they’re lightly browned and serve them with (big surprise…) sour cream and bacon bits. They are also often served with fried onions. Well I have to go now. We have leftovers. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Autumn is here and that means it’s apple pie time. I always make it with an oil crust because if nothing else, it’s just easier. You can pat it into the pan but I find that rolling it between sheets of wax paper is the best way to use an oil crust, especially for the top. My apples of choice are granny smith ? and my thickener of choice is tapioca but flour works too.
Homemade apple pie is something special. We were at a social gathering last night and when desserts were set out, I told some friends I had just made an apple pie and it was cooling on the counter at home. If they wanted to, we could skip the prepared desserts and go to my house for apple pie. “Homemade apple pie? Let’s go!”
That’s the power of homemade apple pie. My husband’s two favorite desserts are my Fresh Strawberry Cake and Homemade Apple Pie. Nothing compares. I love this delicious pie and I must admit I like the power. I think I hear him in the garage right now cleaning things up. ? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I made bran muffins today and was going to have one for breakfast. I had two. I’ve never been able to eat just one even though they have a lot of fiber. There’s something so tasty about the combination of molasses, cinnamon, and vanilla, especially with a glass of cold milk. There are a lot of reasons to eat fiber. It can reduce blood pressure and inflammation, as well as the risk of type 2 diabetes. Fiber protects your heart, prevents constipation, and it keeps you feeling full so it helps with weight loss too.
But the best reason to eat these muffins is they are really delicious and easy to make. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
It pays to experiment. Today I decided to try making whole wheat no knead bread faster to avoid the overnight wait. I increased the amount of yeast and it worked! Most no knead breads use 1/4 teaspoon of yeast so I tried 1 teaspoon and let the dough rest for just three hours instead of overnight. I was so happy with the result. It’s a nice hearty loaf with a soft interior. This is not 100% whole wheat because that is a heavier, dense loaf. This is 2/3 whole wheat to 1/3 bread flour but it’s still a good source of fiber.
So now I have NINE different variations of no knead bread from Fruit & Nut Bread to Multi-Grain to No Dutch Oven at all. And I’m working on number ten! Keep in mind that any whole wheat bread will never be as soft and crispy as the white version but this is still a delicious, hearty, healthier whole wheat bread and it takes almost no work at all. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
