Thursday, August 23, 2012

On the Menu: Pinterest Recipes

So I realize this is *sort of* of a copout, but I've tried so many pinterest recipes lately that I haven't had time to photograph all of them. So instead, I'm just going to give a rundown of ones we've tried recently and the REAL results of how they turned out (those professional pictures always make everything look easy and delicious). I'll also let you know what I would have done differently. Let's get started:

1. Chicken with vegetables and red potatoes


Here's the quick rundown of the recipe online: 4-6 raw chicken breasts, new potatoes, green beans (fresh or canned-really any green veggie would work. Broccoli is good, too). Arrange in 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then top with a melted stick of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

I pretty much just cut this recipe in half. It turned out really well and was super easy. HOWEVER, I was disappointed with the Italian dressing mix. It tasted a little too fake for me. I prefer spice mixes made from scratch. Here's what I would have done to replace the dressing mix: 1 tsp. basil, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp thyme or rosemary. We also cooked it uncovered and it was fine.

2. Multiple Variations of Things Wrapped in Crescent Rolls


Yes to the pepperoni and cheese stick roll-ups with marinara sauce (we do ours homemade from my cast iron skillet pizza recipe).


Not so much for the french dip crescent rolls. The idea sounds great - and maybe it was the type of roast beef I used, but they were hard to roll-up and the bottoms of the crescents got soggy. It would probably be easier to just go the traditional route with a french dip sandwich.


And Yes to the cream cheese and chicken roll ups. I actually did a more detailed post on this one HERE.

3. Cool Whip Cookies

Source: food.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Oh my goodness. YES to these! They really are the easiest cookie in the world. The simple instructions say combine the dry ingredients from any entire package of cake mix, 1 8oz tub of cool whip, and 1 egg. Drop spoonfuls into powdered sugar and roll into balls. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

These cookies get better the longer you have them. I don't know why, they always taste better the next day. We've done chocolate with regular cool whip, chocolate with chocolate chips and light cool whip, and strawberry with light cool whip. I get the same results whether I use full fat or light cool whip. Next we're going to try french vanilla cookies with french vanilla cool whip. The possibilities are endless!

4. Asian Marinated Chicken


Two big thumbs up for this one. I followed the recipe exactly except for cutting the amount of chicken in half for only two people. We made it with just drumsticks one night and just thighs another night. Definitely follow the recommended preparation and let marinade for 24 hours!

5. Taco Casserole



 
Source: recipe.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This one was just ok. The chips on the bottom got a little soggy which gave the whole casserole a sort-of unpleasant chewiness. I would leave them off the bottom and just sprinkle them on the top instead after the casserole is done.

6. Summer Tomatoes, Corn, Crab and Avocado Salad


I really liked this one. I made it and we ate it wrapped in tortillas. I also liked it as a sort of dip for tortilla chips. It tastes very fresh and healthy... despite the fact that I think I'm developing a crab allergy :(. I liked this one much more than my husband did. I would add that this makes a LOT if you follow the recipe. Definitely more of a party dish than a simple salad for two people.

Well, I think that's all for now. Yes, I have been one busy little cook! I hope to get more detailed on the menu posts up soon, but this is just the quickest way to showcase what we've been trying. I will say there have been SO many good looking dessert recipes I've pinned lately that I can't WAIT to try. Happy eating!

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