I decided it's about time to report on "Pinterest Stuff I've Tried." I try to be purposeful with my pins and, for the most part, not just pin any old thing I see but pin things I really think I'll try/use/make/do. Or at least use as inspiration for something else I'm doing.
I've used a few recipes lately and done one big renovation project (which turned out GREAT!-but you'll have to wait for another post for final pictures). Here they are, with my reviews:
I'll start with these delicious little morsels:
Baked, breaded cheese"balls", rather than cheese sticks. Yum, yum, yum. We made them twice while my mom and Dorene were here. Have you had the cheesestick appetizers at Applebees? These taste exactly like them but in ball version. Or in our case, blob version. Mine did not stay in beautiful little balls, as in this picture. They melted a bit and kind of blobbed out on the baking stone. I read all the comments and figure that part of my problem was that I did not use fat-free cheese (finally! A use for that stuff). I also read that it helps to pop the breaded balls in the freezer for a little bit before the oven. But no matter, I didn't see anyone minding that they weren't perfectly formed-they were delicious! I did spray the tops of mine with olive oil spray to help them crisp up a bit. She doesn't mention it, but I am guessing she did something like that to the ones in the photo.
Next up,
brown sugar and balsamic glazed pork loin
I made this on our last official day of visitors. It got RAVE reviews. Like the blogger who created it said, it was extremely delicious and satisfying yet didn't leave us overstuffed. And it was SO EASY. It cooks up in the crock pot. I put it in in the morning and we had for dinner after we went to greet the troops returning to BWI. This is DEFINITELY on our meal rotation list. A bonus is that on the same website they recommend this recipe as an accompaniment:
brussel sprouts with bacon and walnuts
It was a toss up for me, whether I liked the main dish or this side better. Oh my gravy, this was good. And just a delicious reheated the next day for lunch. I did not have walnuts so I used chopped up pistachios. This was GOOD. This entire meal was delicious and simple. I think it'd be perfect to have on a Sunday afternoon when guests are coming for dinner.
This next recipe I've made twice now. Another crockpot recipe and perfect for feeding a crowd:
pulled pork sandwiches
These pulled pork sandwiches were a pretty big hit. Another very simple recipe--what you see in the picture are the only ingredients. Cooked all day, the pork was perfectly tender and easy to shred. One thing I might do different is to pop it under the broiler for a couple minutes before I serve it next time. Just because I like the ends to be a little crisp. But that's just me. Definitely a recipe worth keeping. Even in North Carolina, where barbecue is king...
Also from Pinterest was this helpful tip about storing berries:
TIP FOR KEEPING BERRIES FROM GOING MOLDY When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted I find you can't taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge. The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and I've had strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft.
We went strawberry picking last week and I tried this tip with the mounds of berries we brought home. Well, we made jam out of about half of them, but the rest went into a sinkful of water with vinegar in it. We picked them Friday morning and today, Monday, many of what's left are looking pretty mushy and unappetizing. Not sure what I did wrong--I pretty much followed the directions. It did clean them well (the leftover water was pretty dirty) but doesn't seem to have made any improvement in lasting freshness.
And the last Pinterest-related thing involves a project I've had in the works for a while. Pinterest is so great for tutorials and inspiration. I pinned several things that helped me along. Here are the before pictures:
Not terrible, but could be so much better. And like I said before, you'll have to wait for the after pictures. :)
p.s. Those food photos above are not mine. You can see from the dresser pictures that I am not a professional photographer. I prefer to use beautiful photos done by food bloggers rather than blurry, wonky, unappetizing photos taken by moi. But you can rest assured, our finished product looked just as tasty. Except for the cheese globs. But who cares. They were delicious.
