Right now I have around 9,600 pins in 60 boards. I do use Pinterest a pretty good bit but tend to stick to the boards regarding Dinner and let other delicious looking recipes or fun crafts languish unused and ignored. This year I'm trying to get more use out of Pinterest so at the beginning of the year I created my 52 Pins in 52 Weeks Board as well as a Results Board to keep track of it. I'll be posting my results the last Saturday of each month.
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| Not pretty but tasty! A Soft Pretzel and Spicy Mustard make a pretty good lunch! |
Week 6:
The Pin: The Perfect Soft Pretzels from The Baker UpstairsReason Picked: Who doesn't love a soft pretzel?
The Basic Idea: A big soft pretzel just using the oven
The Results: The flavor was delicious and the exact right flavor for the pretzel. The outside texture was a little too bready and didn't have the chew that soft pretzels usually have. Dipping the pretzels in the water and baking soda was just messy and I don't think added anything to the finished product. Next time I'll probably drop them in boiling water before I bake them to see if that improves the texture. And there will be a next time because flavor-wise these were perfect. I did half the recipe and I was glad I did that because it worked fine and the pretzels themselves didn't keep very well.
Week 7:
The Pin:Chapter Books to Read Aloud from Oak Park, IL Public Library
Reason Picked: The Tornado (who just turned 6) and I have just graduated to chapter books to read at bedtime and I'm always looking for new ideas
The Basic Idea: A list of books that would be appropriate and interesting for children between the ages of 4 and 7
The Results: We read Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo and The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warren both were successes. He did get a little restless during some of the chapters of The Boxcar Children so I think he did find it a little slow at times but he really liked the story and would frequently ask questions about something in the story line or to do with one of the characters during the day. I thought the list was quite good and reminded me of several classics I had forgotten about and had some newer books as well. I definitely plan on reading more from the list.
Reason Picked: The Tornado (who just turned 6) and I have just graduated to chapter books to read at bedtime and I'm always looking for new ideas
The Basic Idea: A list of books that would be appropriate and interesting for children between the ages of 4 and 7
The Results: We read Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo and The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warren both were successes. He did get a little restless during some of the chapters of The Boxcar Children so I think he did find it a little slow at times but he really liked the story and would frequently ask questions about something in the story line or to do with one of the characters during the day. I thought the list was quite good and reminded me of several classics I had forgotten about and had some newer books as well. I definitely plan on reading more from the list.
Week 8:
The Pin: Copycat Panera Macaroni and Cheese from Shugary Sweets
Reason Picked: I love Panera's Macaroni and Cheese and would love to make it at home
The Basic Idea: A creamy macaroni and cheese with lots of white cheddar
The Results: Ehh... I didn't love it. The macaroni and cheese wasn't as creamy as I wanted it to be, the cheddar I think was too sharp, and I didn't love the introduction of the dry mustard. My quest for a Panera copycat continues!
Reason Picked: I love Panera's Macaroni and Cheese and would love to make it at home
The Basic Idea: A creamy macaroni and cheese with lots of white cheddar
The Results: Ehh... I didn't love it. The macaroni and cheese wasn't as creamy as I wanted it to be, the cheddar I think was too sharp, and I didn't love the introduction of the dry mustard. My quest for a Panera copycat continues!
Week 9:
The Pin: Chipotle Honey BBQ Burger from Taste and Tell
Reason Picked: I love a good burger and I adore chipotles in anything
The Basic Idea: A delicious burger stuffed blue cheese and topped with a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce
The Results: The Chipotle Honey BBQ sauce was sooooo good. Since I'm the only who likes blue cheese I only stuffed 1 burger with the blue cheese and topped the rest with cheddar. Both versions were really good and we'll definitely be having these again!.
I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads
Reason Picked: I love a good burger and I adore chipotles in anything
The Basic Idea: A delicious burger stuffed blue cheese and topped with a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce
The Results: The Chipotle Honey BBQ sauce was sooooo good. Since I'm the only who likes blue cheese I only stuffed 1 burger with the blue cheese and topped the rest with cheddar. Both versions were really good and we'll definitely be having these again!.
I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads
I will have to try the pretzels. My husband loves them and I never thought to make them though. The burger sounds good too.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about that burger. Chipotle and a sweet/spicy BBQ sauce- yum!
ReplyDeleteI've always meant to read "The Boxcar Children." It was recommended when I was in elementary school, but I didn't read it. I don't think that my daughter read it either. And now even my granddaughters are too old for it. Maybe in another life!
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
What a great project! I adored Boxcar Children when I was young -- but I don't remember what age I was when I read it. That burger? Yum!!! I've made pretzels before and have always had trouble with the baking soda wash. It's supposed to give you the right color and right type of crust (I think, I could be wrong).
ReplyDeleteI love to read your Pinterest posts! Mine is neglected for the past few months as I consider whether to continue but yet I do occasionally look for a dinner recipe there.
ReplyDeleteCase in point: last night I made a delicious dinner from my own combination of many, many Pinterest recipes that I looked at for my Layered Enchilada Casserole.
I wish you had found a good pretzel recipe but that one sounds too difficult for what you got out of it. Homemade mac and cheese sounds heavenly-- I have yet to find a recipe my daughter (the mac addict) likes.
Looks like you are having a great time with this project. Cheers from Carole's Chatter!
ReplyDeleteFun to hear about these pins. I love Mercy Watson so I'm glad to hear that was a hit. Love soft pretzels but never tried to make any.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for a year-long project. Imagine what you'll accumulate along the way! Happy hunting.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing so well! Love that pretzel...mmmm
ReplyDeleteKind of hit and miss, but looks like you are having fun. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, if you succeed in finding a legitimate Panera mac and cheese copycat LET ME KNOW! My son is a M&C fiend and although his favorite is still one from a local restaurant, Panera I think is he second choice (and hopefully mine is at least third or fourth, lol). I know you are pressed for time a lot, but when you have read ten or so books from that list with The Tornado could you do a guest post on my children's blog about it? I would love it. My blog email is ts(dot)teabox(at)gmail(dot)com. :)
ReplyDeleteIt has been so long since I tried any new recipes. I cook a lot with my family's need to eat gluten free but I haven't tried anything new lately. That pretzel looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteGood idea for a Pinterest challenge! I pin a lot of recipes on Pinterest and don't use it for much else. I love pretzels and that does look like a yummy lunch!
ReplyDeleteLove the way you've laid this out! Makes me want to bring back Pin it and Do it. I ignore Pinterest WAY too often except when I'm doing the challenge.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about the Mac and Cheese. I've tried SO many recipes and they all fall flat. My girlfriend made us a big pan of it when I had the baby and it was delicious. When I asked her the secret, she said she used jarred cheese sauce. Go figure. I'm beginning to think there's no such thing as perfect homemade mac and cheese!
Yay for some of them turning out! Last time I'd looked at doing the pretzels it was dropping them in boiling water that had the baking soda in it. I still wanna try that out. From the results they had it sure looked like a bought one. And now I want a pretzel. lol Hope the second go with them turns out just right :D
ReplyDeleteI love Pinterest. I pin several times a day, mostly food. It is my cookbook. I've wanted to try pretzels. Glad it came out good for you.
ReplyDelete