Pinterest, It’s What’s for Dinner

I think Pinterest is a little bit like therapy. I live vicariously through the beautiful pictures, stylish clothes and craft activities. I pretend that I have the time to go to those places, the money to afford those expensive clothes and the talent to execute those crafts. All of those things don’t actually matter. All I have to do is to hit repin and somehow I feel like these things are attainable.

In reality I have a job, husband, daughter, blog and the million other things that any one of us reading this finds ourselves doing each day. So the fact is that most of my pins are just that: therapy.

But, over this Christmas holiday I merged those two worlds. I took some of the recipes that I had pinned and brought them from the dream world to reality. I actually tried some of the recipes that I effortlessly pinned. The thing is, when you pin these recipes you don’t actually know if they are any good or not. Don’t worry, here are a few recipes that the New Orleans Moms Blog writers have tried and give a thumbs-up to.

Breakfast

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Breakfast Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Breakfast Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Breakfast Cookies – I liked these because they had chocolate in them for breakfast. What’s not to love? I was able to find the crescent sheets at Rouse’s. I don’t think that I wrapped it tight enough when I was rolling it but otherwise it was easy and yummy!

Cinnamon Roll Waffles
Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Cinnamon Roll Waffles – By far the easiest thing we tried, and we’ve made these several times since. Basically you open up store bought cinnamon roll dough and toss it on the waffle press. I actually prefer cinnamon rolls this way now! Hint: for kids just do one cinnamon roll per waffle square. For adults do two cinnamon rolls per waffle square, as this make it traditional waffle size.

Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake
Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake

Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake – This is a great recipe for anytime you are trying to feed a crowd like on family vacations. Also, it could be good to make on a Monday and let the family eat if for breakfast the next couple of mornings. It takes a few steps and has to bake for a while so plan for extra time if you are waking up and making this.

Entrees

Bow Tie Fiesta
Bow Tie Fiesta

Bow Tie Fiesta – This is a very easy weeknight meal and can be modified for your family’s preferences … like it spicy? Keep the jalapenos and/or buy spicy salsa. Don’t like olives? Omit them. Want healthier? Use lean beef or even turkey.

Easy Garlic Chicken
Easy Garlic Chicken

Easy Garlic Chicken – Here are a few modifications to this recipe: I used chicken tenderloins instead of breasts, and I am trying to eat healthy this year so I halved the brown sugar to use 2 tablespoons. I used 6 cloves of garlic, and it was awesome. I believe you can never have too much garlic but to each his own. Note: 500 degrees is the perfect temp to throw in a bunch of veggies to roast as well. I did green beans, and it was a great pairing.

Crockpot lasagna
Crockpot lasagna

Crockpot Lasagna – So I admit that I was skeptical that the noodles would cook, but they totally did. I made it with turkey sausage and ricotta, and it was yummy. I recommend using more sauce than it says because I think that is what keeps it moist if you have it in the crockpot longer than four hours. It made lots, so I ended up freezing half.

Sweet Baby Ray’s Crockpot Chicken – Anything that goes in the crockpot that is easy and tasty is a winner. You can even toss the chicken in frozen. Excellent for weeknight cooking.

Cupcake Pizzas – A kid favorite to make and eat for sure. This was super easy: all it takes is breaking up refrigerated dough for the cupcake mold and then toss in whatever toppings you like. I actually think this is a great solution for families who all like differnt toppings. This could also be a fun idea for a sleepover or kids’ party to set up a toppings bar. I never did find the little pepperoni so I just cut up the standard sized pepperoni.

Crockpot Enchilada Soup – Again, I am a huge fan of the crockpot. It gives you that homemade feeling when you don’t have the time for homemade. This is a recipe that I made and delivered for a friend who just had a baby. I tasted it before I headed out the door with it and I will definitly be making this one again.

Sides

Tomato, Onion and Cucumber Salad – Yummy! Very fresh and easy to transport. My daughter loved to eat the tomatos out of this. I would imagine this would be great for a summer BBQ or easy to take to a pot luck.

Veggie Pizza Bites
Veggie Pizza Bites

Pizza Bites – I am putting this as a side because of a modification I did. I used the sliced frozen squash instead of the zucchini. I grilled it in a pan and then topped it like normal. I did this because of the smaller size for my daughter. It worked well and was an excellent way to sneak a veggie in! This could also be an appetizer option or a new take on bruschetta.

Sweets

Funfetti Dip
Funfetti Dip

Funfetti Dip – A great dessert for kids and adults who wanna be kids. Picture dipping a animal cracker into cake batter: enough said.

M&M Cookies
M&M Cookies

M&M Cookies – Although these cookies were Christmas themed, it would be fun to change out the M&M colors for other holidays such as Valentines’s Day, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day or Halloween. We recommend pushing M&M’s onto the dough after you’ve rolled it (as pictured above) for a much prettier cookie. These are divine, as many friends attested!

What’s your favorite Pinterest recipe? Or, any we should all avoid?

3 COMMENTS

  1. oooh! I’m totally doing the cinnamon rolls in the waffle press this weekend! YUM! and I second that Crockpot Lasagna is awesome (and easy!)

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