I’m a pretty shameless Pinterest user, but I’m fairly certain I will never use a toilet paper roll to make a Christmas wreath, or own a $686 cashmere sweater. That said, I do like finding new recipes to try. Here are a few I’ve actually made and my thoughts on whether they are worth your time.
Baked brown rice and black beans: I originally tried this as part of my vegan experiment, but I continue to make it because it’s a nice way to jazz up plain rice. I don’t think it’s quite enough to call it a meal in itself, but it’s nice with veggies and/or meat on the side.
Baked parmesan garlic chicken: Easy peasy, and rather tasty. It even passed the mother-in-law-test, if there is such a thing, so I say that’s a winner.
Baked sweet and sour chicken with fried rice: This one is all over Pinterest so I had to try it. This was actually the last meal I ate before I went into labor, so I now feel a special attachment to it. Verdict? It’s very good, in a homemade junk food kind of way.
Corn and potato chowder: Delicious, but you can cut back on the bacon and still get the same flavor. This also freezes well.
Crock pot chicken taco chili: This was OK, but certainly not as flavorful as I hoped. I remain skeptical that white meat and chili are a good match.
Photo courtesy of HEAB
One-dish chicken, potatoes, and green beans: How could I not try this one? So easy! It’s also delicious, but I would second HEAB’s recommendation to halve the seasoning packet. I think you could also do the same with the butter and still get a great result.
Revolutionary mac and cheese: This is the recipe where you boil the pasta in the milk, thereby negating the need to drain it. It also makes the whole dish creamier. Easy and cheesy.
Roasted cabbage with lemon: This is a very tasty way to make cabbage indeed. I am becoming increasingly convinced that roasting is the ONLY way to cook vegetables worth eating.
Simple sautéed cauliflower: …I take that back, sautéing is also acceptable.
Slow cooker chicken and dumplings: This was a DISASTER. Watery and flavorless. Avoid.
Do you have a favorite recipe you discovered on Pinterest?
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I haven’t used Pinterest in a while because I rarely ever made anything. But I did get some good ideas and heavily modified things (because I am rebellious and hardly ever follow a recipe anyway)… 🙂
I’ll have to check out some of the above recipes soon! And I’ll promise I’ll at least try to follow them…
I think it takes a special talent to cook without recipes. I am almost completely incapable of it!
Never thought to boil the pasta in milk. Must try this soon. Also going to check out beans and rice recipe. Rarely get on Pinterest except to pin stuff I see around the Internet. Otherwise, I’d be the girl pinning the toilet paper roll art. 🙂
You are so crafty, Heabie, I bet you’d come up with something far better than the toilet paper roll wreath 😉
oooo! thanks for these! i love parm, garlic, and chicken, so i think I need to make that one!
It’s so easy, you’ve gotta try it!
I tend to pin recipes to Pinterest from various blogs, and then never go find them again!
I do have some recipes that I’ve found on blogs that I adore.
Chocolate Chili http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/02/22/my-favorite-chili-recipe/
is pretty much a once a week staple here (I sub 1 can dark beer for the water)
I love it with some japanese sweet potatoes and football!
Awesome, I’ve been looking for a good chili recipe to make for our Halloween party! Is this pretty universally appealing, or do you think it requires a certain acquired taste?