Pass!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021680662/
Category: Food
When making these cookies don't make the same mistake I did and that is to not take notice of any ingredients missing in your cupboard. I had to improvise on the frosting altogether and I discovered how baking powder can indeed be used as a substitute for baking soda. If you're wondering how all you have to do is triple the amount of soda needed and replace it with baking powder and reduce the amount of salt. The effect is the same.
For the frosting all I ended up doing was a simple glace icing (mix some sort of liquid, milk preferred, with powdered sugar until at desired consistency) using a brown sugar syrup as the liquid and flavouring element. It ended up tasting really good and was easier than the frosting suggested in the recipe.
Ultimately I would say this was a pass. The flavour was great, they were a little frustrating to make although that may have been my fault, but I would make them again. Just a heads up: they are a little on the hard side. If you prefer your cookies soft then you may want to alter the recipe just a bit. Otherwise they're delicious!
Pass!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021862076/
Category: Food
I was a little sceptical of this idea at first because I haven't been super impressed with the quality of minced beef in place of a cut of cow, but I thought I'd try it anyway. Besides, I always wondered what Beef Wellington was like so I figured this was my opportunity.
First off, I did not have all the vegetables the recipe asked for. I only added onion, carrot, and potato with some basil and just a bit of garlic powder. I did everything else just as directed, even the egg wash which I was only able to apply via fingertips since I don't have a brush as of yet.
Good lord, was this meal delicious! I couldn't get over how good it was! It's very savoury and a little on the heavier side, but if you pair it with something light (I did a risotto) it works out well. I also made a simple sherry-balsamic reduction with just a little sugar that paired well with it and brought some acidity to the plate.
If you ever find yourself with some spare puff pastry and a little minced beef, please make this! Your neighbours will even love you for the smell!
Fail!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021327516/
Category: Fashion
I had such high expectations for this pin since it had step-by-step instructions on its webpage, but nothing really worked out very well. My handkerchief looked ridiculous and I ended up just folding it however I wanted to make it look as though it was intentional and not an accident.
Granted, this pin is meant primarily for cotton or linen handkerchiefs, but I'm still categorising it as a "fail" since most fashion handkerchiefs anymore are made out of silk or polyester making these ideas impractical. If you by some chance have a bunch of cotton handkerchiefs lying around that you're dying to fold, by all means - use this idea! Otherwise, just do it yourself.
Pass!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021616460/
Category: Food
One night I was craving biscuits with the food I was planning to make but I definitely did't feel like taking the time to roll out the dough and cut it and all that jazz that usually goes with bread products, so I looked for a good recipe for baking soda biscuits.
This recipe is really easy to follow and tasted great! I also felt like a real cook when I was able to make use of my skillet in the oven instead of just on the stove top. In other words, mine looked identical to the picture which is always a feeling of accomplishment! I plan on using this recipe again in the future.
Note, however, that they don't keep great in the fridge. If you do keep them for later, make sure you heat them up in the oven and not in the microwave otherwise they will become overly chewy.
Pass!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021556939/
Category: Food
If ever you wanted to enjoy this great carnival/theme park treat but don't want to spend $14 for six inches of goodness, then this is the recipe for you! It's incredibly simple and so delicious!
I was impressed by how few ingredients there were and how great it all was at the end. It asks for a piping bag, but a simple Ziploc bag works just as well. There's really nothing else to say about this other than to say you may want to double the recipe since it doesn't produce too many bites, maybe about fifty or so. That sounds like a lot but they go pretty fast. Also be sure to serve or eat them when they're warm - that's when they taste the best!
Pass & Fail!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021432792/
Category: Food
This was an interesting idea to try out, especially since it looks so amazing! That and I have a crock-pot that needs to be used sometimes.
It should be said to start off that I did not follow the recipe exactly. I added a chopped yellow pepper for flavour and reduced the amount of soy sauce so I could add in a little apple cider vinegar. Soy sauce and vinegar make an excellent Asian flavour which I then topped off with some fresh green onions as garnish.
First suggestion I would make is to not cook this as long as I did. I ended up cooking it on low for about 9 or 10 hours which overcooked the chicken a bit. It still tasted good but the meat was a little dry. Also, don't expect the recipe to look like the picture. That's why I put it under "fail" as well as "pass" since it still tasted wonderful but without a bed of rice to serve on top of it would have been lacklustre. I want to try this recipe again to see if I can't get a glaze to form like in the picture. (Stupid misleading picture of deliciousness!)
Pass!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021506092/
Category: Food
I had never made bruschetta before so I was looking for something fairly simple and straightforward. This recipe is super easy and easy to follow, but here are a few suggestions to make it taste fantastic and not burn it . . .:)
First, if you didn't already know how, to peel a tomato simply slice an "X" in each one and place them in hot water for a few minutes. The skin will peel right off. The website here didn't get so specific so I spent a good deal of time trying to peel the tomatoes a not-quite-so-simple way.
Also, as the pin suggests, add a little balsamic vinegar in the topping before you put it on the bread and it will get a great tanginess! That was my favourite part.
As a last pointer, don't be like me and forget when you have placed things in the broiler. Instead of toasting them until the parmesan had melted, like the pin suggests, I accidentally kept them in until they had burnt a little bit. They were still salvagable, but it would have been better had they not had a char flavour to them. Be smarter than I was. Great recipe at any rate!
Pass!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021429413/
Category: Food
I could not pass up trying this idea out, it just sounded so good! That and, for some strange reason known only to the recesses of my brain, I had just purchased 4 pounds of cream cheese so timing here was perfect!
The recipe is super simple, so much so that I would more say that the "recipe" is just a set of directions on how to assemble the tastiness. It pretty much just said to get some no-bake cheesecake filling and put in on Reese's cups in muffin tins. I had to find/create my own no-bake recipe:
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar (or more to taste)
Since I didn't have a muffin tin I just made these in ramekins and had them sit in the fridge for about half an hour or so. They were delicious! I've actually made them twice and will likely continue to make them far into the future! If you like to breathe you'll like this pin!
Fail!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021022048/
Category: Food
As you can tell I get very in the mood for breakfast sometimes which is why I tested out Glazed Donut pancakes very shortly after the Churro pancakes. I was super excited about it, too, since I would then have two recipes of dessert flavoured pancakes!
The recipe should have clued me in from the start that these would not work well. It's only 1 part pancake mix and a 1/2 bag of white cake mix. In my naiveté I thought Maybe this will have a cakey flavour to it, that still sounds good. I mixed everything up and even made a glaze like the one in the picture. Not that the flavour was bad but it certainly wasn't anything close to a glazed donut, it pretty much just tasted like a typical pancake. Luckily I didn't try going the extra mile to form holes in the middle because then I would have been even more disappointed in the extra time I put in for nothing special.
Pass!
Original Pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360021112985/
Category: Food
This is probably one of the first pins I ever tried because, let's be honest, who don't love a good churro? The recipe is really simple and, the best part, it worked fabulously! These were absolutely delicious even if you don't have enough cinnamon and sugar (which I didn't). You want to make sure you have all the ingredients, though, because there are only one or two differences between these and normal pancakes. If you want that churro flavour you need to follow the instructions.
Okay, I've seen my fair share of memes on Facebook and other blogs with people posting "Pinterest Fails". I'm sure you've seen them - always labelled "Nailed it!" and you always left thinking How could you possibly mess that up? I've since decided that either these bloggers are intolerably stupid and incapable of even the simplest projects or that they mess things up on purpose to get more pageviews.
Well, I know join this clan of bloggers, but I'm just going to post any idea on Pinterest I have tried, whether a "fail" or success, as well as any other helpful advice I can provide.
To any who would be reading this, if you have any pins you'd like me to try first just let me know and I'll put them on my little "Pinterest Bucket List". Thanks!
