healthy recipes

The whole world is home and cooking and I love seeing photos of my recipes from all over the world, so please say where you’re from – include yourself in the photo too! (I post these manually so you won’t see it right away.) Use this link to send your photo: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

DOUG MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“First try – it came out great. Everyone thought that I’d purchased it! They were surprised to learn that it was made from scratch. Added thyme and sesame seeds. What do you think? The Pink Gloves are a nice touch. Thanks for the great recipe.”

~ I think it looks awesome, with beautiful cracks and your additions were perfect. – jenny

JERRI-LEE MADE MY SOFT OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

“Thank you for your excellent recipe Jenny. I utilised both wholewheat and white flour, incorporated flaxseed and barley. As I am diabetic I substituted sugar with watermelon in one batch. My hubby loves  both batches  and demolished them with English Cheddar Cheese. Thank you so much for the quarrantine treats. ~ Jerri-Lee Lovell-Barrow (Mrs.).”

~ I’m glad you were able to adjust them to your needs. Thank you for your photo. – jenny

ASHLEY (from Germany) MADE MY QUICK & EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

“Hi Jenny! We are from the U.S., but currently stationed in Germany. I made your Quick & Easy Chocolate Cake this afternoon and it was a total hit! I only have two small 6 inch cake pans, so I divided the batter as evenly as possible, used your frosting in between the layers, and voila! We are down to 4 eggs on day 30 of our quarantine, and I have to say, we didn’t miss the egg or butter one bit—your recipe is absolutely decadent! Best wishes to you and your family—stay healthy! ~ Ashley Andrade.”

~ My cake is in Germany! Does that make it a “German Chocolate Cake?” ? – jenny

ENZA (& her 11-year old daughter) MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS  & PACZKI

“Hi Jenny, I love baking now! Your recipes and videos are so easy to follow and with very few ingredients makes it even easier to bake. My 11 year old daughter loved baking the cinnamon rolls and the Polish doughnuts with me. Thank you. Regards, Enza.”

~ Everything looks great. Congrats to your daughter for learning how to bake. ~ jenny

DOMINIQUE (from Florida) MADE MY CHOCOLATE CAKE

“Hi Jenny, I just made your chocolate cake and it’s DELICIOUS!  A few modifications–1 c. coffee instead of water,  semi-sweet chocolate chips added to the batter,  substituted Kahlua for the vanilla in the icing (I ran out). Anyway, it turned out great.  Thanks for a quick and easy cake recipe. ~ Dominique, From Sunny Florida.”

~ Thank you for your photo. A few other people have also used coffee – sounds good! ~ jenny

PAUL (from Canada) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Hi Jenny..again, yr no knead bread is a most wonderful & quick recipe that you have shared. In my latest baking, instead of using (hot) tap water, I substituted the saved (reheated) water from boiling potatoes. The starch from the potatoes added a “nice” flavour to the no knead bread & created a most delicious bread. I used my Kitchen Aid cast iron pot (fm CTC) but upped yr ingredients to 1 1/3 times eg 4 cups flour, 2 C potatoe water etc to fill my oval pot. Ciao fm Kitchener.”

~ What a great idea to use potato water. Thank you from a fellow Canuk. ?? ~ jenny

LINDA (from California) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD, CHOCOLATE CAKE & PAN PIZZA

“Hi Jenny, I was lucky enough to come across your cooking videos on YouTube – I’ve always loved your humor!  Made the bread in my tiny 2.5-quart dutch oven and it still turned out great.  My son and I made your pizza dough but forgot it was proofing it the cold oven when he turned it on to pre-heat for making cookies.  Tried again and the pizza was the best pan pizza we have ever had!  My daughter made your chocolate cake last night and I’m surprised there is that one piece left today.  We are definitely making pizza again tomorrow.  Thank you for the yummy recipes and the fun you put into sending them out there! ~ Linda Mo, from Nipomo, California.”

~ Wow, you have been busy. Thank you very much. Stay well. ~ jenny

LAURA (from California) MADE MY FOCACCIA BREAD

“Hi Jenny, Here is a photo of the Focaccia Bread I made. I made one last night and ate it so fast I forgot to take pictures. It was so good I made another one today. Thank you for the easy recipe. I also have your deep dish pizza dough proofing for tonight. Sheltering at home in Santa Maria, California.”

~ Focaccia is one of my favorites. Thanks so much for your photo. ~ jenny

CAROL MADE MY ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CAKE

“Hi Jenny, I made your chocolate zucchini cake recipe. I tweaked it, using half a cup of coconut flour in place of regular flour. I think my zucchini was a bit dry and added a couple of tablespoons of water. I think I might add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese to add a little more moisture to the mix. Or serve with a dollop of whip cream or vanilla ice cream. I also used a bundt pan – will need to double the recipe to have it a traditional size bundt cake. Mine is a little shorty as you can see! You’re the best – thanks for sharing your wit and recipes! Be safe. Best regards, Carol Hemingway aka Daisy likes to cook.”

ANDREW (from the UK) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD & CHICKEN POT PIE

“Dear Jenny, I stumbled across your site looking for bread recipes and in two days I have tried two things, both have worked out brilliantly.  And your videos are such fun to watch too, as well as being informative and helpful.  Sorry that that Chicken Pot Pie is not in the right sort of dish, but it still worked brilliantly in this small baking tray, with no overflowing sauce, and with the pastry just plonked on top!  Hope you are staying well during the crazy Coronavirus times.”

~ Thank you for these inspiring photos. It’s good to know that the pot pie works in other shapes just as well. ?~ jenny

9-YEAR OLD SVEA (from Minnesota) MADE MY CHOCOLATE CAKE

“Hello!  My mother in law recently sent me your recipe for bread that I will try. My 9 year old (Svea) has been baking up a storm since the quarantine began.  Her first recipe was your chocolate cake and frosting.  It was fabulous and it disappeared quickly! ~ Amy, Lakeville, MN.”

~ WOW! I Love Love Love this photo and to know that Svea has a love for baking is wonderful!! Svea, keep it up – I can see your family is so proud of you and so am I that you chose my recipe. I look forward to your next creation. ❤️ ~ jenny

FRAN (from Georgia) MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD & APPLE PIE

“I Think it’s the Aldi Yeast ?- Well, bummer.  I have tried Whole Foods to Fresh Market, Publix to Kroger, Sprouts to Walmart, Target, and beyond.  NO yeast to be found, but finally found some at Aldi. Alas, no Gelson’s here and I don’t know if this yeast is old because the date is funky plus it’s made in Turkey!  Oy vey. Anyhoo, this is the wheat bread rise after 45 minutes.  Bummer! What a waste. Thanks Jennie… love your recipes, especially your apple pie! – Fran Russell.”

~ Oh, I’m so sorry. I feel your pain, I really do. My only suggestion is to proof the yeast (google “how to proof yeast” and maybe it will be good and something else was the problem, possibly the liquid wasn’t warm enough. Meantime, you could still leave it out overnight to see if it rises (nothing to lose). ?~ jenny“Well, it’s a miracle! I thought my low rising dough might be a throw away, then saw again that the bread rises a lot in the oven. So I tossed it in.  Indeed! I’ve never baked before quarantining, and it’s a miracle!  Family favorite?  Apple pie, but they haven’t tried this amazing 90 minute wheat bread! Thanks again Jenny! ~ Fran Russell.”

Wow, that’s great news. I’m so glad to hear it. You just proved that we should always trust a good recipe and keep going. I’m so happy for you! ?? – jenny“I only had a 10 inch pie plate so stretched the dough to make it fit for this fabulous apple pie.  My family’s favorite thing I’ve ever made with just the right amount of sugar and cinnamon/nutmeg.  I really needed the instructions on the apple piece size.  Thank you Jenny! – Fran.” (Your pie is perfect! – jenny)

HOLLY MADE MY CHICKEN POT PIE

“I made this this morning and will have it for lunch…anyone know how to reheat it?? I’m assuming put it back in the oven at 350 might work (?) Thanks you Jenny…your recipes are the best ?”

~ What a beautiful pie, thank you! I reheat by putting foil inside the pan and pushing it up against the exposed  filling so the filling stays put,  and I leave the top crust exposed. I put it in a 350 oven but don’t remember for how long. I hope that makes sense.  ~ jenny

KATHRYN (from Texas) MADE MY FOCACCIA BREAD

“Hi Jenny, Here’s a pic of my Focaccia bread that I tried today. It turned out great. All I had was AP flour. I’m here in Texas sheltering in place, I do not work for Morton salt…lol.”

~ I just made some yesterday. Yours looks nice and crispy. Thank you!  ~ jenny

I am thrilled every time someone sends a photo of one of my recipes. My favorite this week is from Valerie, who staged a beautiful table to show off her quick & easy chocolate cake. Actually she made two, one with sugar and one with splenda and she noted that they, “seemed the same in texture and flavor.” Good to know. Thank you, Valerie.

To see more photos sent by home cooks all over the world, click here.

The whole world is home and cooking and I love seeing photos of my recipes from all over the world, so please say where you’re from. (I post them manually so you won’t see it right away.) Use this link to send your photo: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

DOMINIQUE MADE MY CABBAGE ROLLS

“Dear Jenny, These were AMAZING!  I used cabbage from my husband’s garden and fresh tomatoes as well.  My family loved it.  The pic is taken before they were baked in the oven.  Love the tip for placing cabbage leaves on top before baking.  They were so moist and yummy. Thanks for the great recipe. ~ Dominique. Btw, I am half Polish. ?”

~ I can only imagine how great these would be with fresh garden cabbage. Thank you very much. ~ jenny

JOAN MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

“This is the bread, just out of the oven.  I have had so many failures with bread baking that I gave up for years.  And then I saw your recipe.  It came out beautifully, but I would like it a little browned on top.  I will not tent it with foil until maybe the last five minutes.  I also split the top and drizzled a little butter, resulting in a moist, flavorful bread.  Thank you, thank you!”

~ Thank you for your photo and I’m glad you got your bread mojo back! ? ~ jenny

KATHY MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD ROLLS

“Hello Jenny, It is my honor to find you and use your recipes.The very first time I cooked bread , was your recipe . I always thought it’s very hard to make a bread but you are making everything absolutely easy and FUN ? Thank you so much . Look sooo good and was so delicious ? Best regards, ~Kathy Alimi.”

~ Your rolls turned out perfect and I like the sesame seeds on top. Thank you for the photo. ~ jenny

CYNTHIA MADE MY EASY CRISPY FOCACCIA BREAD

“Cynthia made this delicious bread from Jenny’s recipe!  Thank you.”

~ Thank you so much! I love this recipe and now I have to make some tonight!  ~ jenny

ANH (from California) MADE MY SOFT & CHEWY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

“Hi Jenny, We live in the South Bay  area of Los Angeles.  I had finally got a hold of 2 bags of unbleached flour after 3 weeks of searching high and low for them.  With the quarantine order, baking saves my sanity, not to mention my family’s. Here are my first try at your Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  Thank you for sharing.”

~ They look perfect and I think chewy cookies are comforting. Thank you for your photo. ~ jenny

GRACE (from New Zealand) MADE MY PIZZA DOUGH & CHOCOLATE CAKE

“Hi Jenny , So thrilled my husband discovered your easy, simple and most of all delicious recipes.I made your egg free dairy free chocolate cake and I tell you it was a hit! ( have sneaked a bit of Baileys on the icing ??) It was yum) And also tried your pizza dough couple of times and it was the perfect homemade pizza dough I’ve ever tried. You’ve made our lockdown a not so gloomy place. Thanks  More power to you and keep safe.  Cheers from New Zealand ~ Grace. ❤”

~ My pizza dough is in New Zealand! That’s a tasty looking pizza and luscious looking cake. Thanks for sending your photos. Stay well. ❤️ ~ jenny

CINDY (from Trinidad) MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS & OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

“Hi Jenny ..I’m from Trinidad..made these…didn’t have a round pan…but it turned out great..thank you. Thank you for the recipes. ~ Cindy.”

~ Thanks for the great photos. They both look really yummy! ~ jenny

NANA (from Canada) MADE MY QUICK & EASY SPROUTED WHEAT BREAD

“Hi Jenny, I made your Q & E sprouted wheat bread recipe, using Anita’s sprouted spelt flour (from Costco.)  It turned out great thanks for sharing the recipe! ~ Nana from Manitoba Canada.”

~ Your bread is so beautifully tall. And thanks for the Costco tip. (I’m from Ontario ??)~ jenny

HOLLY MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS INTO HOT DOG BUNS

“Made a batch of your No Knead 2 Hour Crusty Rolls into hot dog buns for dinner tonight, they were so good! When this time of social distancing and self-quarantine is over, I will make these to contribute to the many cookouts we will go to ?”

~ I love this! Thanks very much for sharing your photo and this great idea. ~ jenny

NICOLE MADE MY FASTER NO KNEAD BREAD

“My first time making bread! We’re so excited to have this with our Zuppa Toscana tonight. Thank you for the Faster no knead bread recipe and great video! ~ Nicole. ?”

~ I’m glad to hear it and Zuppa Toscana sounds so good with this bread! ~ jenny

THERESA MADE MY QUICK & EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE AND CINNAMON ROLLS

“I don’t know how I found your website  but I am so glad I did.  I made your chocolate cake 2 days ago and your cinnamon rolls today.  They are the best ever….thank you so much for making your recipes so easy to follow.”

~ Thank you for the photos. I’m glad you found me too. ? ~ jenny

These are just some of the recipes that I have either improved or simplified since they were originally posted. I’m always learning and improving my skills so if anyone is using a recipe that was posted a while ago or if you printed it some time ago, please check the “Recipe Changes/Fixes” category in my blog.

So far I have made changes to about 100 recipes but many of the changes are minor, like increasing salt or reducing sugar but others, like my 15-Minute Veggie Pasta, now use an easier, faster, all-in-one-pan method. I’m always looking for ways to make something healthier or faster or to simplify the process so every time I cook, if I try a better way and it works, I adjust the recipe and share the exact changes I made in the blog.

I encourage all of my regular cooks to occasionally check the “Recipe Changes” category here in my blog to make sure you are using the newest and best version of each recipe. As I evolve as a better (& simpler) cook, I will continue to occasionally update my recipes. To see if any changes were made to your favorite recipes, click here.

How exciting to see that my recipes are being made all over the world! I appreciate it when someone takes the time to send a photo and I love knowing where you are from. Please send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

“ANONYMOUS” MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

“Wholesome goodness from your easiest bread recipe.”

~ That loaf looks great. Thank you for your terrific photo. ~ jenny

KARYN (from Arizona) MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS

 “Hi Jenny, This is not the greatest photo, but I had to get a photo of the rolls right when I took them out of the oven…. just in case I had messed something up and they deflated or exploded or something lol. They are perfect, well they were perfect. They are all gone now and my poor hubby who has to deal with my baking disasters is actually all smiles now. I just wanted to say Hi and Thank you from Prescott, Arizona. We are up in the mountains and are high elevation, but I didn’t make any changes to your recipe and the rolls were perfect. I am going to tackle a few more recipes this week and I am totally confident they will be amazing.  Warmly, Karyn.”

~ Your photo is great. That’s exactly how mine look when they’re done. I’m so glad they were a hit. ~ jenny

RYAN MADE MY BUTTERMILK BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

 “Hi Jenny, Found you the other day and have made 4 recipes so far: No Knead Bread (stayed a bit dense) Mac & Cheese (burnt the milk a bit) Lemon Brownies (excellent results) and these wonderful pancakes. I did triple the recipe for my big family and they were a huge hit!! I look forward to making many additional meals from your site and channel. Thanks, Ryan.”

~ Thank you for the photo. They look perfect and it’s good to know you can triple the recipe.~ jenny

MJ MADE MY MARBLE LOAF CAKE

 “Jenny, I just had to let your fans know what an amazing cake this is! I used a 7” angel food cake pan (odd size I know but perfect for loaf cakes!). I made the cake exactly as instructed with the addition of orange zest as you suggested. I covered it with chocolate ganache made with chocolate chips and evaporated milk instead of cream – oh – ONE CHANGE – the chocolate swirl was 1/3 cup melted chocolate chips + batter. The cake rose beautifully and it is so tender and moist with a delicate crumb. THANK YOU!”

~ I agree that orange zest is a great addition to this cake and that ganache topping looks yummy.~ jenny

MICHELLE (from Virginia) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

 “Jenny, Thank you so much for all your recipes on Youtube- I made this bread tonight and it was a hit with me and my husband. Gonna make your cinnamon rolls this weekend. Thank you for making it not so scary to bake! I usually burn rolls – so it was a double celebration when I didn’t burn this bread! PS- you might want to do a quick video on YouTube and just direct everyone to your website, I thought you had stopped doing videos and was so sad- but saw someone else say they wished you would start your channel back up and another commented that you had your website! So glad I re-found you!! ? thank you again- from Virginia- Michelle.”

~ Thanks so much for your photos. I can almost taste that slice with the butter! ?~ jenny

LARRY (from Illinois) MADE MY CARROT CAKE

 “Greetings from (K) Larry in Illinois. First cake I’ve ever made and it came out great! I’ve made quite a few of your recipes now and was getting a little over confidant. I tried a few from other sites and failed! Thank You ……..yours are well thought out, clearly explained and proven. This has been a fun journey for an old guy! Yours have only failed because of me having a “senior moment” !!!! ~ Larry.”

~ Your cake looks great. Thank you for the photo. “Senior moment” huh? I know all about those. ?~ jenny

JERI MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD & CINNAMON ROLLS

 “Love your recipes. I made both your No Knead bread and your Cinnamon Roll recipes. They are both wonderful thank you. I love your cheerful videos for them also. So upbeat. Thank you. ~ Jeri.”

~ Thank you so much for you photos. They will surely inspire many more bakers. ~ jenny

KRISTI MADE MY DARK CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIES

 “Jenny another marvelous recipe ‼️ ?Kristi Ham ?”

~ They look really good! Thank you for the photo. ~ jenny

LOANNE MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

~ Thank you for the great photos. ~ jenny

LARRY (from Illinois) MADE MY APPLE PIE BARS & PACZKI

 “Greetings from Illinois. Made the apple pie bars the other day. Tasted great! and only have 1 piece left. …….used a round pan and mine looked more like a pie.  Thanks for the recipe! and I got 2 thumbs up from 2 really good cooks! ~ Larry”

~ Thank you for your photos and I’m glad you’re having fun. Thumbs up from me, too – I love these bars (aka pie!). ~ jenny

“Greetings from Illinois! Just finished another batch of PP. Turned out great again. And I am really having FUN! I over filled  one of the doughnut molds (on purpose) with the Pączki dough and it looked almost like a muffin with a small hole on top. Filled a silicone sphere ice cube mold with the dough (just a little too much) and apple butter…….it was almost round. It started to push the 2 molds apart and come out the top. These shot glass molds were frozen/ a mix of oats and ground coffee. Tried to bake them later but they slumped. (but didn’t blow up) Haven’t tried the PP dough in the shot glass molds yet,but I did try the red velvet cup cakes (tasted great!) but couldn’t get them out of the mold in one piece. ~ (K) Larry

KRISTI MADE MY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

 “Loved these biscuits… Jenny can I cut them and freeze the dough ? ?Kristi Ham ?”

~ They look perfect. I have only frozen mine after baking but you could look online for a better answer. Thank you for the great photo. ~ jenny

IAN (from Canada) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

 “Great bread, even better with homemade strawberry jam. Even we older men (76) can make this. Ottawa, Canada.”

~ Now that is a handsome loaf of bread right there. Thanks from a fellow Canuck (73). ??  ~ jenny

JAMIE (from Texas) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD

 “No Knead Bread … that I really need. ? Thank you, Jenny, for this recipe! This is my second loaf, and I have the dough for a third one sitting in a bowl on my counter. It seems to be becoming part of my nightly routine to take 5 minutes, if that, to prep the dough for dinner the next day. It’s so easy; I’m almost embarrassed for myself that I was hesitant and uncertain about whether I could make a delicious loaf of bread or not. I don’t have a Dutch oven, so I cook mine in one of my metal pots that can go into the oven as well, and with fantastic results. So yummy!” All the best, Jamie from Texas.”

~ Thanks for the photo and especially for the helpful detail about your pot. ~ jenny

PATTY MADE MY MEATLOAF

“Absolutely the best ever. Will be making this monthly. So moist and melts in your mouth. Thanks Jenny!”

~ I’m glad you like it and thank you for your terrific photo. ~ jenny

LARRY (from Illinois) MADE MY POLISH PACZKI INTO DOUGHNUTS

“Greetings from Illinois! Just finished my second batch of PP. Turned out great again. The dough is very forgiving…..they looked  “rough” going into the oven. I just got my silicone doughnut molds a couple days  ago and put some dough in one to try them out. I only filled it with apple butter on one side. It was a little thick, but I have been using a heat lamp with the fast rise yeast and getting  good results. Just did the deep dish pizza (12 hour)  start to finish in 3 hours. ~ Larry.”

~ It’s great for everyone to know that this dough works in a mold as well. Thank you for sharing this. ~ jenny

LARRY (from Illinois) MADE MY POLISH PACZKI

“Greetings from Il! This was my first attempt at Pączki. Turned out great! Good enough to give away a few. ~ Larry”

~ They look fantastic. Thank you very much for your photo. ~ jenny

Digital Camera

TABITHA (from North Carolina) MADE MY GRANOLA

“Happy New Year Jenny, I just made your granola recipe to bag up to take to work for snacking. ❤️ Tabitha from NC.”

~ Happy New Year back to you and thanks so much for starting it of with a great photo. ~ jenny

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

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 found a better way to make my 100% whole wheat no knead bread. I’m using the same ingredients but I recently found that you don’t always need the resting period for no knead breads while the oven heats up so I tried it with this whole wheat version and it turned out great. And it saves time. I plan to experiment with all my other no knead breads and will report back on each one if they are just as good without the resting time.

I get the best result in my 3 1/2-quart Dutch oven so the bread can not spread too much. Keep in mind that this is a heavier, more dense loaf than the original white flour version but if you want an easy, healthy, high fiber bread recipe, this is it. The only difference between this recipe and the old one is that the old one had a 2-hour resting period before baking. So the total time for this recipe just went from 13 hours to 11 (but you’re sleeping most of this time anyway).

For my new and improved, faster 100% whole wheat no knead bread, click here for the recipe.

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