Pinterest: It's What's for Dinner Part II

Pinterest has become my official cookbook. So much so, that I had to reorganize all of my pins. I deleted several recipes that looked amazing, but I knew I would never make. I don't have time for 20-ingredient recipes and I don't think mini cheesecake pans fit into the budget, so I purged some pins and what is left are recipes that stand a good chance of being made. I even created new categories for entrees, sweets and drinks. Thanks to Pinterest I'm actually spending a bit more time in the kitchen. Not as much as I should - we still have our fair share of takeout, but it's progress!

Below is part two of the recipes I have tried recently. Part one can be found here.

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I know I made these, but I can't really remember what we thought of them. Obviously they weren't memorable enough to deserve a repeat. I do know that I used beef instead of turkey since we have organic beef from Todd's family farm. I also remember that I liked them a bit more than Todd did. I'm thinking they could have used a little extra "something" to give them more flavor. I've got a new stuffed pepper recipe from Trader Joe's that I will be making soon. We'll see how they compare.

Crash Hot Potatoes

The Pioneer Woman does it again! These are a staple in our house. I bet I've made them nearly a dozen times. Now that I'm growing my own rosemary, they're even easier (and cheaper). I could eat these weekly if not more. Yum!

French Dip Crescents

Need an easy weeknight meal that doesn't require much thought? Here you go. Not the healthiest dinner in the world, but they're pretty tasty. As easy as they were, I think I prefer a classic french dip with "real" roast beef that has cooked for hours on crusty bread. It's unlikely I'll make these again.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Who on Pinterest hasn't made these? Super easy, really tasty, great for freezing, the list goes on and on. A good friend brought these over right after we brought Crosbi home from the hospital and they were delicious. I later made them for my family when they visited. Great when cooking for a large crowd. These will be in our rotation for sure.

I've been doing quite a bit of "cooking" for my little girl too. Who would have thought making baby food could be fun? It's so much easier than I thought it would be and I love knowing exactly what Crosbi is eating. Plus she's experiencing so many new textures when I make her food rather than the soupy texture in jarred baby food. It's really funny to see where my strengths are being used these days. Months ago I was called on to write marketing plans for Christian artists. Now my resume includes whipping up pureed peas and green beans. Crazy.

I'll be back soon with Crosbi's six-month recap once I pull myself together and come to terms with the fact that my baby is more than half way to being a one year old. I've got to soak in each day with my baby while she's still a baby!

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Pinterest: It's What's For Dinner

First of all, thank you ladies for your sweet comments on my last post. It was so great to "meet" April and find another great blog to add to my list. Christine encouraged me as always. It was her blog that inspired me to start writing back in 2007 when I was just learning what blogging was all about. Ashley was encouraged to start writing on her blog again as she anxiously awaits the birth of her little boy this summer, and this little blog has allowed me to get to know Todd's cousin Allison, whom I've yet to meet in person. I'm so glad our blogs let us keep in touch and I hope to finally meet her sooner than later!

While I'm giving a little blog love, I need to give a shout-out to Emily, a friend of mine who inspired this post. She has done a great job of blogging about the meals she has made from Pinterest. I know that I've pinned close to 100 recipes at this point, wondering if they're as good as they look, and Emily helps to take out the guess work. She rates the recipes, says what works and what didn't, which recipes need tweaking, etc. So, I thought I'd do the same.

Todd and I are really striving to eat healthier, but these recipes are in no way the healthiest ones on Pinterest. We've gone organic when it comes to milk and most fruits and veggies. Our beef is as organic as it comes (Todd helps butcher it himself!) and we're moving to free range chicken as well. But, we still sneak in easy, stress free recipes because we're trying to stay afloat most days, so no judging!

The photos below are borrowed except for one we managed to take ourselves.

Since I've made more than a dozen of the recipes I've pinned, I'll consider this post part one.

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

Super easy recipe. It's made in a crock-pot start to finish. It doesn't get much easier than that. I like the fact that it doesn't need many ingredients, so it's a great go-to when I need to make something with ingredients I have on hand. I add a few more veggies than the recipe calls for. I think I doubled the carrots and I like to add peas, or some other veggie to round it out.


Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Not a bad entree, but I had a hard time getting the cheese to stick to the chicken. There has to be a better way. I think I liked the sauce better than the chicken itself. Not sure if I would make this again.

Rustic Pot Roast Pot Pie

Todd took this photo on his iPhone. To be honest, I tweaked this recipe so much it hardly resembled the original. Believe me, you don't want to stick to the original. I substituted the beer for beef broth and added a ton of veggies. Todd and I both love okra, so I added half a bag of frozen (thawed) okra and other frozen veggies. The recipe said to add potato flakes to the soup mixture to thicken it, but I would have needed to add half the box and I wasn't going for that, so no potato flakes for us. Instead I just added a little bit of cornstarch and strained the soup mixture before adding it to the pie crust. In the end, we both liked my adaptation. I would definitely make my very-tweaked version again.


Bite Sized Baked Brie

Yes. Loved everything about these. Todd's mom and I made these over Christmas and just thinking about them makes my mouth water. You really can't go wrong with Joy the Baker!

There you have it. I'll hopefully have part two ready very soon.

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Breakfast

I can't remember the last time I made breakfast on a Saturday morning. Our weekends have been pretty busy lately, but they have been full of good things, so I'm not complaining.

Several months ago I had a friend over for breakfast and tried a new recipe. I would be lying if I said I hadn't been thinking about it ever since. It might just be my favorite recipe for French Toast ever. I made it for Todd today and I'm pretty sure he agrees with me.

Ciabatta French Toast with Marmalade Drizzle
(via Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

1/3  cup  fresh orange juice
1/2  cup  orange marmalade
1/2  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
2  large eggs
8  (1-ounce) slices ciabatta bread
2  tablespoons  butter

Preparation:

Place orange juice and marmalade in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; keep warm.

Combine milk, cinnamon, and eggs in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Dip bread slices in egg mixture; let slices stand in egg mixture 20 seconds on each side.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place 4 bread slices in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and bread slices. Drizzle with marmalade syrup.

Happy Weekend!

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Snow Day

You would have thought two children lived in my home last night. Todd and I were giddy at the thought that work might be canceled because of snow today. We were constantly looking out the window, waiting for the first snowflakes to fall. Right before we went to bed the sky seemed to open and spill out snow on our quiet neighborhood. Within ten minutes the streets were covered. We knew we wouldn't be going anywhere in the morning. 

We're well into the afternoon and Todd and I have yet to change out of our pajamas. I've been cooking and cleaning (also taking breaks to check work e-mail now and then). When Todd hasn't been playing video games, he's been having snowball fights with the neighbors and their kids. Calem, our little neighbor across the street was up early building a snow fort with his dad, waiting patiently for Todd to step outside so he could attack. Honestly though, I think the "big kids" enjoyed throwing snowballs more than the little guys. So fun!

After lunch I tried a new recipe - Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream. It's so easy and pretty tasty.  More than being in the mood for ice cream, I really wanted to try out my handy new food processor that Santa was nice enough to bring me. This recipe would be great for you girls with kids.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
(via 5 Ingredient Fix)

Ingredients:
2 to 3 ripe bananas
1 to 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 to 2 tablespoons honey

Directions:
Cut the bananas into 1-inch pieces and freeze. Put the frozen bananas in a food processor and puree, scraping down sides periodically, until smooth. Add the peanut butter and honey and puree. Serve immediately or refreeze until ready to enjoy.

Happy Snow Day!

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