How I Got Here
I learned to cook standing next to my mother, which is how most people learn anything worth knowing. Romanian food first, then everything else.
For years my full time job was as a software developer, and I genuinely liked it. Then in 2011 Remo suggested I put my recipes online, mostly because I kept losing the notebooks I’d written them in and couldn’t find anything when I needed it. That was the entire ambition. Stop losing recipes.
Fifteen years later it’s a full time job with two cookbooks attached to it, which is not how I saw that going.
The software background turns out to be more useful than you’d expect. Building things, testing them, working out why something failed and fixing it properly rather than guessing. That’s most of what recipe development actually is.
How I Test Recipes
This is the part that matters, so I’ll be specific about it.
Every recipe on this site was made in my kitchen, by me, more than once. Usually several times, sometimes considerably more than that when something isn’t behaving.
If a recipe isn’t right, it doesn’t go up. I’ve abandoned plenty of them. And when something does go up and readers tell me it’s not working, I go back and fix it, which is why a lot of the posts here have been rewritten more than once.
Remo is the other half of the testing process and he’s a harder audience than any of you. If he goes quiet and keeps eating, it’s working. If he asks what’s in it, it isn’t.
I try to answer questions in the comments myself. There are thousands of them across the site now and I don’t get to all of them, but I get to most.
What I Cook
Real food that works on a weeknight.
I gravitate toward one pot meals and 30 minute dinners, and not because I’m cutting corners. It’s because the best home cooking is the kind you can actually pull off at 6 o’clock after a long day. If something takes 3 hours and a dozen dishes, my instinct is to find out which parts actually matter and get the same result in half the time.
That instinct is where both cookbooks came from.
I cook from everywhere. Italian and Chinese are closest to my heart, but there’s Middle Eastern, Mexican, and a lot of North American comfort food on this site. The approach is always the same. Take something that looks complicated, work out what’s actually doing the work, and strip out everything else.
And garlic goes in most things. I’m not sorry.
My Romanian Recipes
I was born in Transylvania and came to Canada as a child, and the Romanian recipes on this site are the ones I’m most protective of.
Sarmale especially. That one is my mother’s, made the way we made it together while my dad and sister were sent out for groceries. A lot of these came from her and from my mother in law, and writing them down properly felt like the least I could do.
They’re also the recipes I get the warmest emails about, usually from Romanians in North America who haven’t had them since they left.
My Cookbooks
30 Minute One Pot Meals and The Big Book of Jo’s Quick and Easy Meals, both published by Page Street Publishing.
The Big Book has 200 recipes and 200 photos in it. Both are built around the same idea as the blog: proper food, minimal fuss, and as few dishes as I can get away with.
My Other Sites
I also run Craving Home Cooked, which is more comfort food and baking, and All My Cravings, where I write about things other than just recipes.
Where To Start
If you’re new here, these are the ones that put Jo Cooks on the map.
- Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls — About as close to the real thing as you’ll get at home.
- No Knead Bread — 4 ingredients, a Dutch oven, and no kneading. I’ve made it so often I could do it half asleep.
- Sex In A Pan — Yes, that’s what it’s called. No, I didn’t name it.
- Magic Cake — One batter, three layers, and it still surprises me.
Let’s Cook Something
Whether you’ve been here for years or you found me 10 minutes ago looking for something to do with chicken thighs, I’m glad you’re here.
Have a look around. If you make something, tell me how it went.
What you’ll find here
Fun Facts About Me
Born In Romania
Born in Romania, Transylvania to be exact and moved here when I was a child.
Meet Han Solo
We have an Aussie Doodle and his name is Han Solo and a Springer Doodle whose name is Jack Ryan.
My Favorite Food
My favorite food is anything Italian, but most of all a good homemade lasagna.
Software Developer
In my life before blogging, my full time gig was as a Software Developer.
My Cookbooks!
Check out my two cookbooks with hundreds of easy restaurant-quality recipes perfect for busy weeknights to feed you and your family.
Reader Favorites
No Knead Bread
The easiest No Knead Bread! You guessed it, no kneading required! 4 simple ingredients, all baked in a Dutch Oven resulting in a bread that is simply perfection! Hands down the best bread you’ll ever eat!
Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
These Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls are a cinnabon copycat recipe and about the closest you’ll get to the real thing. Super easy to make.
Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
This Oven Baked Chicken Thighs recipe is a force to be reckoned with! Simple and deliciously baked chicken with a mustard, honey glaze – this dish is definitely going to be a top-contender in your weekly recipe planning!
Frequently Asked Questions
What made you start the blog?
It was Remo’s idea. I had recipes from my mother and mother in law written in notebooks that I was constantly losing, and I could never find the one I wanted. The blog started as somewhere to keep them. That turned into a hobby, the hobby turned into a passion, and here we are 15 years later.
Is blogging your full time job?
Yes, since 2015. Before that I was a software developer, and before that I was losing notebooks.
How can I support you?
Just keep doing what you’re doing. Come visit my blog, check out my recipes and have some fun in the kitchen!
Do you have a cookbook?
Two of them. 30 Minute One Pot Meals and The Big Book of Jo’s Quick and Easy Meals, both from Page Street Publishing.
I have a question about a recipe. Can you help?
Leave it in the comments on the recipe itself. I read them and I answer as many as I can. Email works too, but things go to spam and I’d hate to miss you.
How do I print a recipe?
There’s a print button at the top of every post and at the top of every recipe card.
Do you test every recipe yourself?
Yes, in my own kitchen, more than once. If it isn’t right I keep working on it, and if it never gets right it doesn’t go up.
I’m a new blogger. Any advice?
Love what you’re doing and be consistent. It isn’t easy and it won’t happen quickly, but if you keep at it, it happens.
Can I use one of your photos?
Please email me at info@jocooks.com first. Recipe names and ingredient lists aren’t mine to own, but the photos and the writing are, so I’d rather we talk about it.
Looking To Collaborate?
We love to partner with brands we love and that are a fit with our readers. If you’d like to work together, please contact us at info@jocooks.com.