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Let’s Dish Thursday – Sweet & Salty

February 16, 2012 by randomblogette · 5 Comments

Today I am going to post something non-healthy! *GASP* I know! I have to admit that I have fallen off the wagon a bit this week. I haven’t been too bad, but I haven’t been perfect. Who really is perfect anyways?! Plus it’s Valentine’s Day Week. Yes, it is a whole week of candy and love.

For Jacob and Paige’s classes I was in charge of candy. I didn’t sign up for Paige’s class but we really like her teacher and when she sent home a note asking us to bring candy I couldn’t resist it! I didn’t just want to have the kids bring in a couple of bags of candy this year. I wanted something different. This is the year of Pinterest, right?!

I am not a super crafty mom (as much as I want to be) but I can bake and bake is what I did. Kinda.

I made these!

Yummy in my tummy! I posted a picture of these on my facebook page and immediately everyone was asking what they were and where the recipes was! They were the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

I found them on Pinterest of course! Here is the super simple recipe!

What you’ll need:

square pretzels
Hershey’s Hugs (you can use Kisses, too, but I think the Hugs taste better and they definitely soften up better!)
plain M&Ms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200°. (If your oven runs hot you may want to turn the temp down to 170°.)

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the pretzels on and top them with the hugs.

Bake for 4-5 minutes until the chocolate is shiny and soft (but NOT melting – they should still hold their shape). ( I did 4 minutes and it was perfect)

Carefully place an M&M in the center of each hug and press it down to spread the chocolate.

Allow to cool completely (a few minutes in the fridge works perfectly) and enjoy!

-Recipe Source

Filed Under: Let's Dish Thursday, Pinterest, Recipes · Tagged With: Food, Let's Dish Thursdays, Pinterest, recipes, Sweet Treats

Beware – Excessive Use of The “F” Word

January 31, 2012 by randomblogette · 14 Comments

Because I need some funny in my life right now, I turned to Pinterest. I know that I can always find some funny sayings to make me want to pee myself. For some reason excessive use of the “F” word makes me laugh uncontrollably. So, sorry mom, in advance for the vulgar hilariousness that is about to follow…

Thank you someecards!

Filed Under: Pinterest · Tagged With: fuck, funny, Pinterest, someecards, the f word

Cookie Face

October 27, 2011 by randomblogette · 12 Comments

Even though I did not do a Pinterest Weekly Meal Plan this past week, we still made something from Pinterest! I just can’t get enough of Pinterest.

So I have been talking about making cookies for about a week now, but yet no cookies have been made. I have been a hormonal mess so I have not been much use to anyone lately. I knew that we had everything in the house to make cookies but they just don’t make themselves!

Dave and I were sitting on our respective couches watching tv while I was taking part in the Friends You Love Twitter Gala when Dave looked at me and said, “Hey how are those cookies coming along?” He made a point to say that several times over the past few days. I looked over at him and told him that he was more than capable of making them himself.

Surprisingly enough he agreed. I pulled up a cookie recipe on Pinterest and he went off to start baking. He made the Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies. They came from Plain Chicken so we knew that they would be great! We were not disappointed!

The recipe made about 3 dozen cookies. Dave has also decided that he will put more chocolate chips in them next time. The recipe only called for a half of a cup of chocolate chips. Some of them were also pretty darn big.

See…

And yes I am making that my new Twitter avatar!

What is your favorite cookie recipe? We are big fans of chocolate chip cookies, so please share!

Filed Under: Pinterest · Tagged With: Cookies, Dutch Being Me, Pinterest, Pinterest Challenge, recipes

#Pinterest Weekly Meal Plan – Week 4

October 20, 2011 by randomblogette · 11 Comments

When I started this Pinterest Weekly Meal Plan I planned on only doing 4 weeks of meals. I still can’t believe that my family has lasted through 4 weeks of this. I figured that they would give up and beg for cheeseburgers and hot dogs or something like that. I was so proud of them.

Here is what we got to try this week!

Monday – Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops

These pork chops were so crispy and yummy. Jacob was not a fan of the sauce but Dave and I loved it. We won’t even talk about Paige. She has some weird aversion to pork chops. I really can’t wait to make these again. Maybe we will just make them for the adults next time and make mac & cheese for the kids!

Source: Rock Recipes via Pinterest

Tuesday – Baked Club Pinwheels

Dave actually made these. He took over a lot of the cooking duties this week because he had been getting home early. It is so nice to be able to share the cooking duties this week! These were very good but there was a little too much bread. Next time we will shove a lot more meat in it (TWSS). Dave said that it did take a while to make this because he had to roll out the dough. This would be a great snack for a tailgate party or any kind of party! The kids devoured them.

Source: Plain Chicken via Pinterest

Wednesday & Thursday – Mexican Mac & Cheese Casserole

I was very impressed with this casserole. I wasn’t quite sure how this would turn out and I wasn’t sure if if anyone would like it. I was wrong. Of course Paige didn’t like it, but the rest of the family loved it. It made so much that we ate it for 2 days. I am pretty sure that it tasted even better the second day. I was a little concerned about the green salsa but it was great!

Source: Better Homes & Gardens via Pinterest

Friday – Chicken Marsala

Dave’s mom makes a very yummy Chicken Marsala with Orzo. She cooks everything and then bakes it together. Dave decided to do that with this recipe too. The chicken and the orzo sucked up a lot of the sauce so I had Dave make a little more and it was PERFECT! I have had some different variations of chicken marsala and some of them can be very overpowering. Too much of the Marsala wine taste. If your sauce tastes too strong just add a little extra melted butter to it to calm down the wine taste. I hope that you will enjoy this as much as we did. It was great!

Source: Savory Sweet Life via Pinterest

Saturday – Buffalo Chicken Wraps

These were very easy and basic, but still so yummy. We didn’t use mushrooms in ours (even though we LOVE mushrooms) we ended up using bacon. Chicken, cheese and bacon…yes please! These were great and super easy. Of course we had to make Paige’s without the buffalo sauce, but the rest of us enjoy a little spice in our lives! Of course ours didn’t look half as pretty as the photo below but at least they tasted great!

Source: Plain Chicken via Pinterest

Sunday – Creamy Grilled Chicken Picata

I was hesitant about making this due to the fact that I am not a big lemon fan, but I knew Dave was so I made it anyways. In the recipe it only calls for 2 chicken breasts (serving size for the whole meal is 2) so I had to double the recipe. This was SO GOOD! The lemon flavoring was not overpowering even though it felt like I put tons of lemon juice in it. My sauce wasn’t quite as creamy as shown in the picture, but Dave and I both preferred it that way. We also didn’t grill the chicken because it was raining outside and I wasn’t going to make Dave stand outside in the rain to cook chicken, so I just cooked it in a skillet.

Of course the kids didn’t want to have anything to do with it at first but they did have some and that was all that mattered. I always make them at least try new foods.

Source: Plain Chicken via Pinterest

I know that you are disappointed but I didn’t make any Pinterest desserts this week. I did make some brownies though. I was going through my cupboards and found a box of brownies and a can of chocolate frosting. It was like I hit the jackpot!

Did anyone notice a pattern with these recipes? Most of the were from Plain Chicken. I have peeked at a lot of their recipes and they look great and pretty easy for the most part. I have a feeling that they are going to be my new site for recipes! Along with Pinterest, of course!

I don’t think that I am going to continue doing this every week but it was a great way to try new recipes. We have found so many recipes that we want to use in our regular rotation. We took this week off and decided to just use whatever food we had in the house so there will not be a Pinterest Weekly Meal Plan for next week. But don’t worry, I will still have something for the Pinterest link-up!

Filed Under: Pinterest · Tagged With: Dutch Being Me, Pinterest, Pinterest Challenge, recipes

#Pinterest Weekly Meal Plan – Week 3

October 14, 2011 by randomblogette · 4 Comments

Another week, another Pinterest Meal Plan! The weather was surprisingly warmer this week but that didn’t stop us from eating some very hearty meals.

Monday – Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

This was a very hearty meal. We served it over whole what egg noodles with Hawaiian rolls. Paige is not a fan of noodles (except for Macaroni and Cheese) but she did enjoy the beef and the sauce. My hubs was super happy that there was not a drop of Sour Cream in the recipe. He is not exactly the biggest fan of cream cheese (if it’s white and creamy he doesn’t want it in his mouth) but he actually liked this. Jacob pretty much eats anything.

Dave also made this on the stove instead of in the crock pot so I am not sure if it really changes it at all. We were having a rough day and totally forgot that this was originally a crock pot recipe. We even gave the leftovers to my mom for her and my Grandma to have for lunch. My mom LOVED it. I will definitely make this again. I will make it in the crock pot, though, because the meat was slightly tough and I am sure that after simmering in the crock all day.

Source: The Crockstar via Pinterest

Tuesday – Slow Cooker Jambalaya

We love Zatarain’s Jambalaya, so when I saw this recipe for a homemade jambalaya, I had to make it. I used to work in a cajun-inspired restaurant so I have that experience to help me judge other cajun recipes. Yes, I know that a restaurant in Ohio may not make it exactly as a chef would in N’awlins, but that is all I have to go on until the hubs finally wins the lottery so we can go there.

I have to say that this was pretty darn yummy. The whole family enjoyed it. I was surprised at how easy it was to make.

I also saw that Plain Chicken has a recipe for a Creamy Jambalaya Pasta that I need to try next!

Source: Plainchicken via Pinterest

Wednesday – Taco Soup

This was more like a chili than soup. It was very yummy and flavorful. I even picked up some Texas Toast Tortilla Strips in Chipotle Cheddar for a topping. If you have not tried these tortilla strips yet, you need to run out and get them! They are great for a salad or a soup or anything where you need a crunchy topping.

Source: Ezra Pundcake via Pinterest

Thursday – Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

OMG PEOPLE! This stuff was amazeballs people! I seriously could’ve devoured the whole thing by myself. This roast was so delicious! I am not kidding. I just can’t say enough about this roast. You all need to try it. We had a small amount leftover and I decided to use it on a hamburger bun so that it would be like a pulled pork sandwich.

Source: C&C Marriage Factory via Pinterest

Friday – Penne w/Artichokes

Uh yeah. This was a total fail on my part. I thought that I had a box of penne and when I pulled it out it was just a half box. I did notice that I had some linguine so I figured that would be good enough. Well, I have no idea what the hell happened but the pasta all congealed together and it did not work. I did taste the artichoke mixture and it was good, but I probably will not try it again. If you are a big fan of artichokes and tomatoes you will definitely love this.

Source: Chico’s Kitchen via Pinterest

Saturday -Easy Mexican Casserole

This was very yummy. I probably would use Doritos or some other flavored tortilla chips. It didn’t wow me or anything but it definitely was not bad at all. I will probably try it again with the flavored chips and I am sure it will be even better!

Source: Sing For Your Supper via Pinterest

Sunday – Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Holy chocolatey peanut buttery goodness. These things were ridiculous. Ridiculously amazing! It was like a piece of fudge wrapped in a peanut buttery cookie. Yup. Diabetes cookie as my boss called them. Of course I made a double batch and took the second batch to work and they were devoured.They were super rich though. I think next week I need to make something a little lighter.

I had some issues with baking these. I had a hard time figuring out if they were done or not. I ended up cooking the second batch about 15 minutes longer than the recipe suggested. They both tasted delicious!! If you do make these just use your best judgement.

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything via Pinterest

If anyone has any yummy recipes that you think I should try please let me know!

Also don’t forget about the 52 Weeks of Pinterest link-up with Dutch Being Me!

Filed Under: Pinterest · Tagged With: Dutch Being Me, Pinterest, Pinterest Meal Plan, recipes, Weekly Meal Plan

#Pinterest Weekly Meal Plan – Week 2

October 7, 2011 by randomblogette · 4 Comments

It has been so much fun trying out new recipes for my family. I am pretty sure I am becoming Betty Crocker. It’s crazy! I have never really been the type of person that loves to cook and bake. I cook because I have to and usually Dave will get the urge to bake something. I have always been good with that until Pinterest. Heck, I even told Dave I wanted a sewing machine last night so I could start making my own clothes. It’s nuts. Plus, this past week has been absolutely insane, hence the fact that I am finally posting this on Friday afternoon!

Monday – Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Source: Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour via Pinterest

This was very good! It was like chicken enchiladas but with pasta. It is very rich too, so be prepared. Everyone loved it though. I was so surprised.

Tuesday – Crock Pot Ravioli Lasagna Casserole

Source: Becoming Betty via Pinterest

This was very good. Dave gives it 2 and a half stars but he is not a big fan of red sauce. Gee, I wonder where Paige gets it from?! I loved it, but I also love any kind of pasta meal, especially spaghetti so this was very yummy to me. I would give it 3 and a half stars for sure! I even made some homemade garlic bread using hamburger buns with butter and garlic salt. So yummy! This made so much that I even took some to work and I ate it for 2 days and so did one of my co-workers! She loved it.

Wednesday – Stove Top Stuffing Breakfast Casserole

Source: Food.com via Pinterest

I originally wanted to make this for breakfast on Saturday morning but couldn’t wait to try it. It was so good and I want to make this every morning for breakfast. Although if I did, I would weigh a ton. EVERYONE loved this one and went back for seconds. This one will definitely be part of our regular rotation! I may have to try it with bacon next time just to switch it up.

Thursday – Leftovers

Friday – Leftovers

Saturday – Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas & Chili’s Chili Queso Knock Off

Source: From Glitter to Gumdrops via Pinterest

This queso was so close to the Chili’s version. Dave loves Chili’s queso and tries to make us get it every time we are there. I am not a big fan of eating a ton of cheesy goodness like this when I am out in public due to my lovely Lactose Intolerance so eating it at home is so much better! On the original recipe it says to only add 16 oz of Velveeta, which would be a small box or half of a big box. I was not a fan of how runny it was with just 16 oz., so I added more until ti was a thicker consistency. I would say about 3/4 of the big box did it for me. Everyone loved it and we ate it a couple of times that day as well as into next week. It does make a ton so this would be perfect for a party or tailgating!

Source: Plain Chicken via Pinterest

We have made quesadillas like this before but how have we overlooked putting bacon in them??!!! Hello! We love BACON! These, of course, were fantastic. We have an electric flattop grill that we use for pancakes and quesadillas that works fabulously. I also learned a little trick from the hubs. He uses spray butter on the outside of the quesadilla to give it a nice brown color and help make it crispy. I was very impressed.

Sunday – Pumpkin Cookies w/Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: House of Hepworths via Pinterest

First, let me start off by telling you that this recipe makes 5 dozen+ freaking cookies. No joke. I got 5 dozen out of it and my first batch was a little big so I would’ve ended up with more if my first dozen were smaller. These were so good! Since I had a ton of these and refused to keep them all in my house I took 2 dozen to work with me. Everyone raved over them. I was so surprised. I really liked them, but I wasn’t sure how everyone else would like them. I am definitely my harshest critic. Also, since this was the first time I made them I didn’t have anything else to compare.

The next day at work all of the guys kept coming into my office and asking me where the next batch was. I have a feeling these guys (and ladies) are going to get spoiled this fall and winter. I am pretty sure I am becoming Betty Crocker.

Are there any amazing recipes that you want me to try from Pinterest? Tag me on the pin and I will add it to my list! If you are not on Pinterest (and want to be) let me know and I will send you an invite!

Also don’t forget to stop by and see Julie from Dutch Being Me‘s Pinterest Challenge!

Filed Under: Pinterest · Tagged With: Foodie, foodish, Just Call Me Betty Effing Crocker, Pinterest, Pinterest Meal Plan, recipes

#Pinterest Meal Plan – Week 1

September 26, 2011 by randomblogette · 11 Comments

To say that I am slightly obsessed with Pinterest would be a huge understatement. I am very obsessed with it. Even One2One Network took note of that and added a Twitter conversation between myself and Amanda from Its Blogworthy to their blog post about Pinterest. That got me thinking. I need to actually use Pinterest and not just play with it. Playing with it is fun but it needs to serve a purpose for me to continue using it. So I came up with a plan.

Pinterest Meal Plan that is!

I have decided, for at least this week, to make my weekly meal plan with only meals that I have found on Pinterest. I am always looking for new recipes because my family is getting really bored with the some old meals every week. Also, I love making my family be guinea pigs and taste test everything.

Monday: Curried Wild Rice & Chicken Chowder

via Eat Well…Living Thin

This was a little time consuming. I needed Dave’s help chopping up all of the veggies. He is so much better at it than I am. He chopped everything up and put it in plastic bags the night before so we could just throw it in the slow cooker the next morning without the prep. We also cheated a bit and used canned chicken. I know, it sounds gross, but it isn’t. There is a certain kind that we buy, Keystone Canned Chicken. It is such a time saver since it is already cooked. It is perfect for soups.

It was fantastic! We all loved it. Even my Picky Paige loved it. She doesn’t really eat a lot so to get her to eat some of it was a big achievement. Usually if she has never had it before she will refuse to eat it.

Tuesday: Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops (or Chicken) w/ Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

via Real Mom Kitchen

Of course I made a couple of modifications to this because that is what I do and I hate following directions. Instead of pork chops, we used chicken, because I had chicken. Simple as that. I also made instant garlic mashed potatoes because I had that too and that is how I roll.I also used 2 cans of cream of chicken because we like lots of gravy. We like it saucy!

This was so good! There was a small amount of chicken left over with some sauce and I smashed on it for lunch the next day. We are so making this again soon. Not too soon, but soon. I told Paige that it was like chicken and dumplings and she ended up loving it too.

Wednesday: Hobo Meatball Stew

via Examiner-Buffalo, NY

I wasn’t quite sure how this would turn out. Meatballs and catsup? Interesting. Once it started cooking it finally hit me. It was like a meatloaf stew! I did have some issues with this recipe. I am pretty sure that my second slow cooker was on crack. I had it on low (1o hours) and by the time I got home for lunch (6 hours) it was way done so I had to put it on low. After work, Dave put some ginger ale in it since it was cooking up way too fast and we still weren’t ready to eat yet.

It did taste great though! It was like a meatloaf stew! We will make this one again too, but I will use my other slow cooker. It is not on crack. Crack is whack!

Thursday: Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu (Attack of the Cracked Out Slow Cooker Again)

via Six Sisters’ Stuff

I totally failed on this one. It was edible, but I need to be smart about my modifications. I overdid it on this one and I tried using the same slow cooker from the night before thinking yesterday was just a fluke thing. I was wrong. I used 2 cans of cream of chicken, instead of one, because I didn’t think that one would be enough. Note to self: stop screwing with the recipes. One would’ve been enough. I also used frozen chicken breasts which may or may not have been a good decision. I have cooked with frozen before and haven’t had any issues but next time I will use thawed chicken.

It was edible, but overcooked. I need to try this one again but the right way.

Friday: Three Cheese Chicken Penne

via The Girl Who Ate Everything

This was pretty good, and healthy. It lacked some flavor so next time I will make sure to season it more. I a pretty sure that I have made something similar to this at some time. I also cheated on this one and used canned chicken as well. It was Friday after all and I was being lazy. I will try it with cubed chicken next time. Everyone seemed to really like it other than Paige. She is the only child I know that is not a fan of tomato sauce. Sucks to be her.

I did eat some for lunch the next day and, as always, I think that pasta is better when reheated. Am I the only one?

Saturday: Dinner Out at Red Robin…Yum!

Sunday: Chicken Enchilada Soup

via Real Mom Kitchen

I am always on the search for the perfect Chicken Enchilada Soup. I am obsessed with the one at Chili’s. It is so yummy and I have to have it every time I go there. This is as close as I have come to the Chili’s version. It was so yummy! The only change that was made (and this was all Dave, not me) is that Dave added some homemade salsa to it instead of a can of tomatoes. He used my can of tomatoes for his homemade salsa and didn’t realize I needed it for this recipe.

I can’t wait to make this again. EVERYONE loved it. I still can’t believe that Paige ate it. Jake devoured it. There was only a small amount left. Dave suggests that next time we double the recipe so we can eat it all weekend! Well, maybe not double it but figure out how to make so that there is more left over.

Let’s Not Forget About Dessert!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

via Pennies On A Platter

These were so GOOD! OMG! They are so yummy! I was worried at first because my pan was bigger than the one that they suggested, but with the parchment paper that they suggest using, it was perfect. USE THE PARCHMENT PAPER. It is your friend. The brownies peel off the parchment paper so well. They are very moist so be forewarned.

My kids are already asking me to make more of these. I had the hardest time finding pumpkin but luckily my Facebook friends and Wal-Mart came to the rescue. And, of course, when I went to Kroger today (my usual grocery store) they had tons of pumpkin. Figures.

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This week I am also going to do a whole week of Pinterest meals again. I am going to be a little more daring this week, but will stick to the recipes so I can see how they are really supposed to turn out. My kids were not too happy that I picked all of the meals this week but they will get over it. They want hamburgers and sloppy joes, which is funny because these are also the same meals that they were complaining that we have been having over and over again.

If you are on Pinterest, make sure to find me and follow my boards, if you don’t already. If you are not on Pinterest and need an invite, just let me know! Just a warning, if you try to sign up yourself they put you on a waiting list. It is a real waiting list too. I think I had to wait for a month!

Also, don’t forget, Julie from Dutch Being Me has a 52 Weeks of Pinterest link-up every week!

Filed Under: Pinterest · Tagged With: Foodie, Pinterest, Pinterest Meal Plan, recipes