My Pinterest Successes
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I think it has been well documented on this blog that I am a Pinterest addict. I can’t help it, but at least I can admit it. They say that’s the first step.
I normally use Pinterest for my meal planning. I sit down on Saturday mornings with my grocery list, coupons, and iPad and I cruise Pinterest until I find good recipes for dinner that week. We have staple meals that rotate in and out on a weekly basis (tacos, spaghetti, stir fry, grilled chicken, etc.), but I try to have at least one or two Pinterest meals every week.
The problem I have with Pinterest is that you never know if someone has actually made something yet or if they are pinning it to try out later. And what if they try it out later and it’s a dud? PINTEREST LIES, FRIENDS. Beware.
So, I thought I would share today several of the Pinterest meal successes I have had. These are all great recipes that are now on our meal rotation at my house on a regular basis. I’ve linked straight to the blogs they come from to give credit to their creators, but if you’d like to follow me on Pinterest, my user name is MarriageConfess.
Here we go…
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Melts from Aggie’s Kitchen: I loved this recipe, though I didn’t end up using the slow cooker. I had some leftover boiled chicken from a recipe, so I simmered that in the BBQ sauce and served it on toasted kaiser rolls that I broiled with cheese on top. They were delicious, super easy, and a husband pleaser! Even my kids ate them and they don’t normally like sandwiches.
Roasted Lemon Chicken and Green Beans from Real Simple: This was a crowd pleaser. It was easy to make with ingredients I already had on hand, and I love me a one-pot meal!
S’mores Pie from Gimme Some Oven: Hands down, this is the best recipe I’ve ever made. For real. It is simple and delicious. My kids love marshmallows and I love s’mores, so this was a no brainer. I skipped the part where you make your own pie crust and used a store bought graham cracker crust, but I’m sure a homemade crust would only make this better… if that’s possible. I made this for our family one night and we ate the entire thing in two days. Then I made it again a couple days later for our 4th of July party. It was a winner!
Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole from Tasty Kitchen: This one is delicious and easy, too. The main ingredient is Rice-a-Roni, how bad can it be? I made this for our family, and the kids ate it up and even asked for more! Then I made it for my mom when she was sick, and she loved it, too. I think this would freeze well, too, and might make a nice drop off meal for a new mom or friend who needs a little pick me up.
Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells from The Sisters Cafe: This one took a little effort to prepare because you have to stuff all the shells, but it didn’t take nearly as long as I thought. This is a nice recipe for company because it has a big wow-factor when it comes out of the oven, but it is also a great middle of the week meal because the prep is fairly simple and it can be made with most ingredients you can find in your fridge already.
Taco Chips (there was no website address, so this link is for the Pin on Pinterest): Talk about effort – WOW! This one takes a while to prepare because you have to stuff about a million little chips with taco meat and cheese. BUT! My kids loved this one! I set a few bowls of taco toppings on the center of the table, and everyone got to “decorate” their own chips with lettuce, avocado, black beans, sour cream or pico de gallo. It was a really fun meal to eat, and was worth the effort to spruce up taco night every once in a while.
Spicy Sausage Pasta from Bitchin’ Kitchen: I made this one tonight, and it was excellent! Rich and creamy, and super filling after a long day. I made it with a side of steamed broccoli and cornbread. Everyone had seconds!
Ranch Chicken from Buns in My Oven: This is Chris’s new favorite. He gobbled this one up! I thought it was really good, too. I like it because it’s no more complicated to make than baking any other kind of chicken. No odd ingredients or long instructions. It’s just a nice twist on a classic baked chicken. I have made it once with panko breadcrumbs and once with crumbled Ritz Crackers. Both were good, but I preferred the crackers.
Banana Pudding from Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour (original recipe from Paula Deen): The world’s best banana pudding. That’s just about all I can say. It is to die for!
Well, after all that food, I’m ready to eat something! Off to find some dessert for myself…
16 Comments
Rhea
Thank you for this! I am desperately trying to become a cook (I can SOMETIMES get ramen right, and I fail at ANY “fancy” meals like the ones you just listed.) I think I’ll try them all out in the next few weeks 🙂 (I am almost panicking about becoming a mom and still being unable to cook. Eep.)
Michelle | Letters from Boston
Dinner for tonight is in the oven . . . but I think I found some recipes for later in the week 🙂 So funny you posted this, I just did a food entry as well! Thanks for posting!
Liz M.
Thank you for this! You eat food that my family will eat!
Jessica W
That is exactly why I have two boards, “Recipes I want to try” and “Recipes I will make again”, so that people can tell it’s been tested and is worth their time! Also, I gave myself a challenge to do 100 new recipes in 2013, (I’m up to 52!) so that is it’s own board, and I post a short review in the description to help people as well.
Paula S.
Awesome! Thank you for sharing this. I really struggle with meal planning and I need to step up my efforts. I am very impressed that your kids like the spicy recipes…well spicy according to my kids. I need to keeping trying to expose mine to more flavors. Thanks again!
Kathryn G.
I have 2 boards as well. One for recipes I’d like to try and another for recipes that turned out well. I love using Pinterest for my meal planning, especially since one of my goals for the year was to make at least 1 new recipe a week. So far, so good!
Erin
So glad you liked the stuffed shells! They are one of my favorites. I will have to be sure and try out these other recipes you recommended. They look delish!
Trish D
I love that banana pudding recipe. It’s our favorite!!
Katherine Lang
Thank you, thank you for all the recipes and links to cooking blogs/websites! Can’t wait to try these recipes!
USA Kiwi (Kylee)
I’m with Jessica W – I have two boards “stuff I did make” and “stuff I want to try”
I’m going to check out a couple of your chicken pins too!
Kattrina
Thanks! You should do a link so other people can link up and share what recipes worked well for them. I tried one Pinterest recipe and it was horrible. I haven’t tried any others for fear of a repeat situation. It would be great to find recipes that others love and work well!
Tiffany
Can’t wait to try some of these recipes. If you guys like Mexican, search for Mexican Shells. Oh my gosh. They are to die for. I already have the recipe that I can email to you as well.
JustAng
Can you make this a repeated feature please? I desperately need it! Thanks, WorldsWorstCook
Sarah @makingitmyhome.blogspot.com
Thanks for the tips! I would love to see more posts like this-its super helpful
Christy
I just ate the Cheddar Ranch Chicken! It was so amazingly good! I tried to cut down on the calories by using light mayo and reduced fat sharp cheddar but it came out really amazing! Thank you for the tip!
Katy
This is so helpful! I love this post! Thank you!