The Proof is in the Pin!

Hey guys! I’m linking up with Sarah over at Life {Sweet} Life today! I love Sarah’s challenge of actually becoming doers and not just pinners. Over the summer I took a Pinterest-vacation, if you will… but I’m glad to say I’m back on the Pinterest bandwagon.

Since this is the first link-up, I’m listing a few of my favorite Pins from the last year or so.

1 – Bubble Up Enchiladas – found here. I’ve made these several times and my husband and I both like them. The next time I make them, I’m going to use a mild enchilada sauce. It’s a bit spicy for my three-year-old. We usually top this with avocado and light sour cream (although recently we’ve quit using sour cream altogether and we now use Greek yogurt; we used it with this the last time I made it and it was fine!) Also, the  next time I make it I’m going to try throwing some corn or olives in with it. I serve it with a side of black beans. Easy, healthy, yummy. Win-win-win.

2 – Wrapping Paper Bows – found here. I’m notorious for wrapping a present and not putting a bow on it. Unlike my talented mother or sister-in-law, I can’t take ribbon or tulle/mesh and create gorgeous bows. And I hate it when the store-bought bows aren’t sticky enough and fall off, or they’re all smashed, etc. Sooo when I saw this idea last fall, I KNEW it was for me. I did most of my Christmas gifts this way last year. It’s a great way to use left-over bits of wrapping paper, too!

3 – Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies – found here. I made these for the St. Patrick’s Day Bunco that I hosted this year. They were SO GOOD. I think the reason they were so good is because you take a Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix (which makes the best plain sugar cookies anyway) then add chocolate chips, crème de menthe baking chips, and mint extract to it. De-LISH.

4 – DIY Razorback Canvas – found here. Simple tutorial for making your own Razorback canvas (or whatever type of mascot you choose. I did this, then wrote “Woo Pig Sooie” in the Razorback. I wish I had left it blank because I don’t like the way my handwriting turned out using a Paint Pen. (Should have practiced.) Here’s a photo of mine while it was in progress.

5 – The Best Broccoli of Your Life – found here. This is actually an Ina Garten recipe. I’ve made this twice, once last year but then not again until last night. I’m not sure why I went so long between times, because it is really good! I’m like a toddler when it comes to eating veggies, and growing up I only ate broccoli if it was covered in cheese sauce. I struggle with feeding my family fresh veggies so this is definitely going into the rotation. My husband could have eaten the whole pan. It calls for parmesan cheese after they’ve finished roasting, but my husband requested that I leave it off because he loved it without the cheese. The instructions say to add lemon zest and lemon juice after it has roasted, but after adding the lemon zest, I thought it was plenty lemon-y. It also calls for pine nuts, but I used toasted slivered almonds instead. I also didn’t use the basil, same as the person in the original link.

6 – Melt In Your Mouth Chicken – found here. I made this for dinner last night, along with the broccoli above. First of all – it was SO GOOD! I will say that it looks NOTHING like the picture, and I was really afraid it was going to be awful. But it ended up being delicious! This is something that I can see myself making once a week because it’s so easy and healthy. Now – PAY ATTENTION HERE!!! When I pinned it, the little description box below the pin said:
So much better than fried!!! Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Breast, 1/2 c parmesan cheese,1 c Greek yogurt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt 1/2 tsp pepper, spread mix over chicken breasts, bake at 375 45 mins 
However, when you follow the link to the original page the recipe actually calls for a cup of MAYO instead of Greek yogurt. One of the reasons I repinned it is because of my recent love affair with Greek yogurt. I was disappointed because I just couldn’t imagine spreading a whole cup of mayonnaise (sick) over two chicken breasts. I decided to try it with the Greek yogurt. This may be why it ended up looking different than the picture above. Regardless – I’m glad I made it with the yogurt, and it’s going into my rotation for easy quick-fix meals. I also want to add that my three-year-old GOBBLED it up like it was going out of style. He RARELY eats all of the protein on his plate. Stephen and I laugh that he may end up being a vegetarian like his PopPop, but he ate ALL of the chicken I gave to him, which goes to prove how yummy it was! I’m including a picture of mine – just so that you’re forewarned if you decide to make this yourself. It won’t look like the picture in the original link! (Unless maybe you use mayo?) Oh – and one other thing. I read somewhere recently that if you cook with Greek yogurt, you should do it in ceramic or glass pans, not metal. The acidity from the yogurt reacts with the metal and creates a bad flavor. Not sure if it’s true or not, just throwing that out there. =)

Happy Pinning!!!