Jonny's Cookbook

Nothing is more refreshing than freshly squeezed lemonade on a hot summer day...that is, unless you infuse that cold glass of lemonade with mint. This is our family's favorite summer beverage! It's simple & guaranteed to have people going back for seconds. This recipe is enough to make six quarts, which is enough for about 2 pitchers of lemonade. Ingredients 4 cups simple syrup (3 cups sugar, 2 cups water) 4 cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 16 large lemons) Handful of mint leaves Approx. 16 cups cold water (to taste) Directions Make your simple syrup by combining 3 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat immediately and let cool off. Mix together all the ingredients, tasting as you add the water to make the lemonade as strong (or weak) as you prefer. Infuse mint in lemonade 4 - 6 hours.  

Cinnamon rolls bring me straight back to my childhood. My mom used to bake big batches of them, which would come out of the oven just after we went to bed. I have so many memories of my mom coming in my room with a warm cinnamon roll to enjoy in bed (after bedtime...gasp!). This weekend, my wife (the queen of pies) had a special request: combine apple pie with a cinnamon roll. The result, which uses my mom's cinnamon roll recipe as a base, was decadent. It's a bit of work, but totally worth it. A great baking project for a rainy day at home. Ingredients For the dough: 1 1/2 cups warm water 1/2 cup sugar 1 packet yeast 1/4 cup melted butter 1 egg, beaten 1/3 cup dried milk 2 tsp salt 4 - 4 1/2 cups flour For the Apple-pecan filling: 1/2 cup melted butter 1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 2 Tbsp cinnamon 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1 apple, cored, peeled & diced (about 1/4 inch) For the Apple Pie topping: 2 Tbsp butter 2 apples, cored, peeled & diced (about 1/2 inch) 1/2 cup dar...

Gingerbread houses are way more fun when you give the dough some color, but it is tough to do that with the dark brown gingerbread cookie dough you traditionally use. I substitute honey and granulated white sugar for the molasses and brown sugar in this recipe so you have a lighter gingerbread that you can add food coloring to. For the roof (or anything else you'd like to make brown), make a traditional gingerbread by substituting molasses and brown sugar. I also use shortening rather than butter so the cookies don't spread as much in the oven. By the way, this is NOT that rock-hard construction gingerbread that you often see used for gingerbread houses. This is a traditional recipe, which works for houses BUT also tastes (and smells) good as well. After all, what's the point of making a house out of cookies if you're not going to eat it? This also recipe makes great gingerbread cookies. I made green gingerbread trees out of the extra dough I used for the house I made...

My wife and I will never agree on whether chicken belongs on pizza (I say no!), but this is my one exception. The first time I had Thai red chili sauce on pizza was at a pizza and BBQ place in Provo, Utah. Unfortunately, it's not around anymore, but the idea stuck with me. I eventually made it for my wife and it instantly became our favorite pizza. My "beef" with chicken pizza is that chicken has almost no flavor, and most restaurants do little to season the chicken other than adding some salt & pepper...maybe. With this recipe, I've tried to incorporate some of the flavors I remember from my trip to Thailand into the chicken - the salty Fish sauce, the sweet nut flavoring, and the sour lime. Feel free to experiment with the toppings & chicken flavorings. I don't think I've made it the same way twice, and it always turns out great because the key is that combo of cheese, chili sauce, and chicken!   Ingredients For the chicken : 2 Chicken Breasts, chop...

We literally eat this almost every week. It's fast, yummy, and nutritious. And as a bonus, our kids love it and will eat an entire bowl!     Ingredients 16 oz Potato Gnocchi 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes (halved) 8 oz fresh Mozzarella Pearls Fresh Basil, chopped Garlic Powder Olive Oil Balsamic Reduction or Glaze Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese Black Pepper Direction Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. While it's cooking, combine the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil in a bowl. Drain the gnocchi and add it to the bowl. Add Olive Oil and Garlic Powder, to taste. Serve topped with the balsamic reduction, black pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Note: You can replace the Gnocchi with another type of pasta if you'd like. Another family favorite is to substitute orecchiette with this recipe.    

  Pizza is by far my favorite food, so when we were in Italy earlier this year you can bet I ate a lot of it. While we were in Rome, we discovered Pizza al Taglio . The bread of the pizza is thicker, similar to focaccia, and it is baked on a sheet pan to get a super crispy crust. It is then cut into rectangles. I fell in love immediately and set out to try and figure out how to make it. After a lot of trial and error, I figured out a recipe and technique that is close enough. This is now my go-to pizza dough for our Friday night pizza parties. It's easy to work with and turns out perfect nearly every time. I'm always amazed at how much it puffs up in the oven! Go out of your way to find the Italian Tipo 00 flour - it makes a difference. Ingredients 3 1/2 - 4 cups (500 gr) Tipo 00 flour or bread flour (I get the AnnA brand at Harmon's - this should be about 1/2 of a 1-kilo bag) 1 1/2 cups (350 gr) water 1 1/2 tsp (3.5 gr) yeast 2 tsp (10 gr) salt 2 Tbsp (20 gr) Olive Oil...