Saturday, September 24, 2016

52 Pins in 52 Weeks - September Edition

I love Pinterest.  I love pinning recipes from my favorite food blogs or scrolling down the Everything section to see what everyone else has been pinning.  I love the idea of all the crafts and recipes and everything else right there at my fingertips.

Right now I have around 10,000 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.

This week went find though I'm not feeling too enthused.  I'm really excited for the Halloween treats I have coming up next month!  I've had them on my board for far too long.


Week 36:


Reason Picked:  Honestly, I didn't know what the pin was and thought it was a chocolate chip cookie sandwich with frosting.

Basic Idea:  Make your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and then take two cookies and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle and roll in holiday colored (which ever holiday you're in the mood for) sprinkles and have yummy deliciousness.

The Results: Ice cream sandwiches are just ridiculously good!  I forgot how good they are.   I used the Cook's Illustrated Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (which you can find here) though I used 1 cup of chocolate chips instead of a cup and a half like the recipe calls for.  I also pulled out a little contraption that's been lounging around forgotten in my gadget drawer - an ice cream sandwich maker I got from Williams Sonomoa.  It's super easy to use and actually really works.  You put a cookie at the bottom, then your ice cream, then the 2nd cookie and put the top on and squeeze and a perfect ice cream sandwich pops out.  You could do all kinds of flavors and different combinations.   I'll definitely be making these again - though maybe a peanut butter cookie and chocolate ice cream or a sugar cookie with some kind of fruity ice cream.  While this isn't exactly the point of the pin it did get me thinking and ice cream sandwiches will be on the menu much more frequently now!


Week 37:


Reason Picked:  I watched Curtis Stone make these on The Chew and it looked so good but somehow I kept passing it by.

Basic Idea: A larger meatball with onions and bacon mixed in and cooked on the grill along with a vinegar based potato salad (which aren't grilled in anyway shape or form that I saw) and salad greens tossed in a light vinaigrette.

The Results: Mixed.  The potato salad which isn't grilled was super good but I found the Rissoles themselves lacking in flavor.  I'll probably make the potato salad again but not the Rissoles.  They weren't bad but just not worth going back for.


Week 38:


Reason Picked:  I've always wanted to try cooking lessons and this seemed like an easy way to do it.

Basic Idea:  Basically taking a cooking class but in my own kitchen which is way more comfortable!

The Results:
 The original pin linked to an offer that has long since disappeared.  However, Flinn has a number of tutorials that seem to be around 10 minutes where she really walks you how to do things.  I watched one about cutting an onion and knife skills and really felt like i learned a few techniques.  I'm definitely looking forward to trying more even if it wasn't what I was originally going for.

Week 39:


Reason Picked:  I'm not artistic and this looked simple enough that even I could manage it.

Basic Idea:  Get a canvas and paint the entire canvas.  After it dries use painter's tape to make some kind of pattern and paint another color on top.  Remove painter's tape for clean lines.

The Results:  You're not getting a picture because I didn't end up finishing this because once I started I realized it really just wasn't me.  However, I did experiment enough to verify that it does work and would be a really fun project and look good if done by the right person.  I do recommend using spray paint over acrylic or anything else just because spray paint finishes so much smoother.

I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads


13 comments:

  1. I am impressed by your determination in doing then Pinterest challenge you set for yourself. So glad you are sharing it. I love the Curtis Stone recipes and have been very happy with him being the featured chef on I Heart Cooking Club this session. Sounds like the potato salad is one I should check out.

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  2. Um there is an ice cream sandwich maker???? I will need to hunt this down lol.

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  3. I really need to follow your example and just give some of my pins a try! I had no idea there was something called an ice cream sandwich maker, but I'm going to put it on my wish list! Yummmmm. And fun!

    I can see how the painting idea could be cool, but I don't think it's for me either.

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  4. "10,000 pins in 60 boards" Wow! I don't know what I'd do with all that, but good on you for trying! (I learned that saying in Australia).

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  5. I like the sound of the Flinn book, I'll see if my library has it.

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    1. My library has it, I added it to my tbr list! :)

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  6. I'd never heard of an ice cream sandwich maker either -- what fun! Enjoyed hearing about your latest pin adventures. Too bad about the beef rissoles, but Flinn's book looks interesting.

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  7. Didn't know Flinn was online. Thanks. Have a great week. Cheers from Carole's Chatter

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  8. Ooh, thanks for the link to Kathleen Flinn's site. I plan to spend some time there!

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  9. SO frustrating when you go to do an old pin and the link is gone! I'll have to look into Flinn's cooking lessons. I learned how to hold a knife after reading her book and it was like this HUGE lightbulb in my head. I had to google just to make sure I understood. Now I feel like a champion onion chopper. LOL!

    Ice cream sandwiches! Sounds SO GOOD.

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  10. That is a fun contraption. I miss having a Williams-Sonoma nearby; they have the best margarita mix out there

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  11. I want an ice cream sandwich maker now! I will have to Google. Peanut butter cookies with chocolate ice cream sounds heavenly. I never thought about how easy it woukd be to follow cooking lessons from a tablet, or laptop now.This activity could definitely be my thing during the frigid months up here. :)

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  12. Not bad results. And now I want ice cream cookies. At 720am. lol

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