My cooking isn’t always pretty, but it’s always good! š Ā There are some things you only make for parties but I highly recommend having your own party, like pretend you invited people over but they never showed up. Then you get to eat all the hors d’oeuvres. So here’s what I made this week…
Deviled eggs (gone in two days!)
Spinach fried rice + cabbage soup with added carrots
Chocolate pudding
Granola bars
No knead crusty rolls
Turkey chili but with chicken + salad and crusty rolls
Almond butter
Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes & broccoli (I love this!)
It’s hard to focus on my cooking when the Dodgers are playing the Blue Jays in the World Series. ā¾ļø I’m a Dodger fan but I’m also from Canada. šØš¦ It’s like having to choose between cake and pie! Here’s what I cooked this week:
Vegetable fried rice with carrots, cabbage, bok choy, spinach, and edamame + salad with ginger dressing.
Thin breaded chicken cutlets with rice plus steamed carrots and green beans.
Oatmeal muffins
Salmon patties with roasted vegetables
No knead fruit & nut bread
Vegetable bean chili + endive & romaine salad
Apple pudding
Taco salad
Here’s an un-staged picture of my spice drawer. Don’t judge me! š I know how it looks…. bad. But I know where everything is at any given moment. If you’re gong to judge me, do it for something dreadful… like cutting my own bangs.
“How do you get your skin so glowing?” āSeriously, you NEVER get a cold or the flu?ā āHow can you go all day and never get tired?ā āNo way youāre about to turn 80!ā
Those are the questions Iām asked most oftenā¦ and thatās why Iām here. I figure if I can help people eat healthy meals by sharing my recipes, maybe I can help someone look better, feel better, or maybe even live longer by sharing what Iāve learned over my 79 years. There. I said it. SEVENTY-NINE! Boom! š§Ø
Iāve been a student of nutrition and skin care since I was seventeen. I think it might be paying off. If I’m wrong, someone will undoubtedly let me know. š
It seems whenever there is work to be done, I somehow remember that I need to bake something. I mean really, isn’t pie more important than vacuuming? Ā Here’s what I cooked this week…
Apple pie
Chicken & penne with pesto sauce and added spinach + salad
Tapioca pudding
Bran muffins
Egg salad
Bread crumbs
Chicken parmesan with spaghetti & my spaghetti sauce + steamed broccoli
Granola bars
Breadstick croutons (see below why I won’t make them again)
Chicken kabobs with peppers, zucchini & basmati rice + salad
No knead whole wheat bread
Oatmeal muffins
Taco salad
The breadstick croutons were easy to make. I just rolled a breadstick and used a scraper to cut little pieces. I tossed them in sesame seeds and they baked up round and pretty. I put them on my salad and quickly learned that you can’t poke them with a fork. You have to balance it on the fork and you know how that went. Three of them fell off the fork, rolled along the floor (that I didn’t vacuum), most of the seeds came off and now I HAD to vacuum. Next time, bread STICKS!
I can’t think of anything that isn’t better when it’s homemade, from scratch. Sometimes, when I’m tired of cooking, which translates to “tired of washing dishes” and we go out to eat, I’m always reminded why I cook at home. Everything homemade just tastes better. Here’s what I cooked this week…
Spaghetti with shredded chicken + salad & garlic bread
Oatmeal muffins
Turkey chili with crusty rolls + salad
Double chocolate chip cookies
Peanut butter
Peanut butter cookies (they’re all in the freezer)
Vegetable fried rice with salad (working on Asian ginger salad dressing)
No knead whole wheat bread
Egg salad
Double chocolate almond biscotti
Sheet pan chicken & vegetables (this time with red potatoes & green beans)
Vegetable cashew stir fry (still not perfect š£)
Taco salad
Chocolate pudding
I’m reducing sugar so most of our desserts are a cookie or sometimes, I have one or two of my chocolate clusters. I bake and freeze cookies all the time so we can always have something sweet after dinner. These days, Ā homemade pudding seems a bit extravagant. š
It’s hard to take these pictures when I’m hungry and ready to eat. They are quick snapshots in a messy kitchen but here they are. In sharing these weekly posts, I’ve come to realize that I make a lot of bread. That means I eat a lot of bread. But I like it! š Here’s what I made this week…
Chicken veggie kabobs
Seeded no knead bread. (it’s my whole wheat version with 1/4 cup of a seed mix)
DON’T SEE YOUR PHOTO? Please use this NEW LINK ā”ā”MyJennyRecipe@gmail.comĀ to send your photo. I love love love seeing my recipes being made all over the world! Please say where you are from. š š
ALEXIS (from New Jersey) MADE MY EASY CRISPY FOCACCIA
“Hi Jenny, This is in response to my February 9, 2025 post. You wanted me to report back to you after I made your crispy focaccia in a pre-heated cast-iron skillet. I have made it three times since I posted, and I can actually say, it is phenomenal! My husband says that this is his favorite of all the breads I have made. I tend to agree. I did turn my cast-iron skillets over when I was preheating them, which gave them extra conditioning. I doubled the recipe, and made one in a 10 inch skillet, and the other one in a 12 inch skillet. Both turned out fabulous! I also added some Italian seasoning and fresh rosemary in the batter, as well as chopped rosemary only on the top with the sea salt and olive oil. Thanks again for such a mouthwatering recipe! ~ Alexis G from NJ.“
– Alexis, thank you so much for sending your photos. Now we all know these can turn out beautifully in a cast iron pan.Ā – jenny
SHANNON MADE MY EASY ONE-BOWL YELLOW CAKE
“Thank you so much for this recipe! I followed it to the letter, adding the salt as suggested. The cake baked beautifully ā golden, with a light crumb and not overly sweet. The cake is petite ā just the right size for a small birthday party of 6-8 people. I will make this recipe again.”
– That is so pretty! The scalloped plate, colored sprinkles and candles – I love it! Happy Birthday to the lucky guest of honor. šĀ – jenny
DEBORAH MADE MY NO KNEAD CRUSTY ROLLS
(no message)
– Thank you for your photo. As it turns out, I just made my own crusty rolls today! Ā – jenny
NEW RECIPE:Do you like chocolate? Do you like coffee? How about molasses? Okay… maybe not as a snack, but you need it to make this classic and delicious pumpernickel bread. And now you can make it at home in a Dutch oven with no kneading! My husband loves this bread and even uses it for peanut butter sandwiches. It’s super easy to make and the complex flavor that comes from the coffee, chocolate, molasses, and some rye flour makes a really tasty loaf.
There are two ways to make this recipe. One is the fast way using warm liquids and that takes about 4 1/2 hours of time. The other way is the long overnight way, using cool water. You put it together at night and bake in the morning. I have used both methods and cannot tell the difference in the results.
And for the record, I love molasses and sometimes just have a spoonful or two for the numerous health benefits, including iron, calcium, and magnesium. If you want an easy way to make homemade pumpernickel bread, click here for the recipe.
DON’T SEE YOUR PHOTO? Please use this NEW LINK ā”ā”MyJennyRecipe@gmail.comĀ to send your photo. I love love love seeing my recipes being made all over the world! Please say where you are from. š š
SYLVIA (from Texas) MADE MY EASY ONE BOWL YELLOW CAKE
“Made a birthday cake from the yellow cake recipe with the 2 minute icing. It was delicious. Sylvia -Texas City, TX”
– A homemade birthday cake is truly a gift from the heart. It’s beautiful!Ā Ā – jenny
P.G. MADE MY EASY ONE BOWL YELLOW CAKE
“I’m in the cold, cold Pennsylvania and found your recipe.Ā It’s wonderful. I made it with 2/3 cup of sugar and added the pinch of salt. I put toasted coconut on tbe bottom and sprinkled milk chocolate chips and pecans on top. The cake is moist, light but has the taste and feel of a cake made from scratch.Ā I sent it to everyoneĀ I know. Can not wait for another reason to make another! Thank you so much.”
– Those additions you made sound delicious and it looks delicious. Thank you for these great photos. Ā – jenny
DAVID MADE MY SPLIT PEA SOUP
“I have the flu right now and my appetite is limited so I was looking for split pea soup that wouldnāt be overwhelming. This recipe came out perfect. The ingredient measurements were spot on. I used chicken broth in place of the water and added a couple of peeled/diced baby Yukon Gold potatoes. After running it through the strainer I added a tablespoon of butter and 2 Tbsp. of white wine, then simmered it for another 10 minutes. It came out delicious, beyond my expectations. This is my go to recipe from now on, 5 stars!”
– How nice of you, being under the weather, to take time to send your photo. Soup is as great healer so I hope you’re feeling better soon. Ā – jenny
MAGRETTE MADE MY VEGAN CAKE
“I made this cake today for my son’s birthday on the last minute accompanied by a vegan lemon cream…..great thanks!š”
– Thank you for sending your pretty photo. And please say “Happy Birthday” to your son from me. šĀ – jenny
HELEN (from Rhode Island) MADE MY CINNAMON SWIRL RAISIN BREAD
“Hi Jenny, your Recipes are the BEST!!” Ā This was my first attempt. It came out perfectly wonderful. By the way, my husband connected me with your recipes. Iāve tried many! They always come out great! Thank you. ~ Helen from Rhode Island.”
– That’s a beautiful swirl there. It’s always a surprise when you slice this bread as to how the swirl turns out and this is lovely. Thank you sharing your photo! Ā – jenny
JEANNETTE (from North Carolina) MADE MY WHOLE GRAIN NO KNEAD BREAD
“I canāt wait to cut into this whole grain boule (no knead) I just baked this morning ā¦.patience, patience. Honestly, I had my doubts as Iāve been making white no knead bread for years and this looked so different. But sure enough it worked! I love how healthy this recipe is and so enjoy your videos and recipes. Thanks for sharing the love. ~ Jenny in NC.”
– I agree with you about whole grain bread. It’s what I always make, either plain whole wheat or multi-grain, or seeded. There is always a loaf in my kitchen. Thank you for the great photo!Ā Ā – jenny
KENNY (from Georgia) MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD
“You are 1 in a million !! Jenny….We feel like weĀ know you ….that’s what happens when a real person comes along and is such a joy to watch….Picture of my latest made your way…Thanks Kenny & Patty Schrader….Blue Ridge Georgia.”
– What a great way to start the new year, with this beautiful bread photo and I love that particular Mackenzie Childs teapot. Thank you so much for the photo and kind words. All the best to you both for 2025.Ā Ā – jenny
NAMITHA (from India) MADE MY CUSTARD FILLED PACZKI
“Dear Jenny, Here I am again, Namitha from India. I’ve been trying out so many of your recipes since they are easy and my family loves them. My children love to knead 150 turns (in many of your bread recipes) and help me out. These custard filled Polish PÄ czki which I made in square shape were really awesome. I had to post it coz they look so classy! Thank you! ~ Regards, Namitha.”
– Hi Namitha. It’s nice to see you back again. It’s so good to hear that your family is enjoying my recipes and it’s great that your children are helpling in the kitchen so they can become good cooks like you. –Ā jenny
BETH (from Canada) MADE MY RICOTTA CHEESECAKE
“Hi Jenny, Do you remember the delicious and juicy Niagara peaches? This has been a stellar peach season.Ā Your ricotta cheesecake is a perfect pairing for caramelized peaches.Ā I have enjoyed making this recipe many times.Ā I often half the recipe and bake in a 6 inch springform for my husband and I.Ā Ā In the toaster oven it takes about 45 min. ~ Beth from Ontario.”
– This combination looks absolutely divine! And I didn’t know you could get a small springform pan like this. I am ordering one today since it’s just two of us here. Thank you for these delicious photos!! Ā –Ā jenny
SYLVIA (from Texas City) MADE MY SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS
“This dish was a hit with the family here in Texas City, TX. Ā Delicious! The meatballs cooking in the sauce perfection.Ā Thank you!“
– Sylvia, thank you for this great photo of one of my favorite meals. I can almost taste it! šĀ –Ā jenny
GREG (from Minneapolis) MADE MY APPLE PANCAKES
“Delicious apple pancakes!! ā¤ļø These were so easy and really delicious! I topped them with some real maple syrup and fresh blueberries and peaches – amazing! You have made me a better cook. Hello from Minneapolis, MN!“
– Now THIS is the way to eat pancakes! Thank you for the enticing photo.Ā –Ā jenny
