Just two weeks ago, I challenged myselfto make some recipes from Pinterest. I’m happy to report that in that first week, I made two of the pins I talked about.
Ingredients
1 cup of your favorite pasta/tomato sauce
1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
1 pint of grape tomatoes (I cut some in half and left some whole)
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves
1 pound whole wheat pasta (noodles such as penne work best)
You can find the full recipe using the Pin above, but I just wanted to note a few changes I made. I opted not to include the grape tomatoes-my husband isn’t a fan of whole tomatoes and rather than waste them, I opted to leave them out. I used dried basil because I forgot the fresh at the store. I also added chicken to add a little oomph of protein.
Verdict: I was off to a blogger event that night, but the verdict from the boys? They loved it! There were no leftovers and my hubby raved about the taste. This is definitely a make-again recipe for our house (hopefully with fresh basil then!)
Ingredients
6 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound trimmed green beans
8 small red potatoes, quartered
4 chicken breasts (bones left in, with skin, about 3 1/4 pounds)
I kept everything the same with this recipe, but added some extra green beans and potatoes. I also used garlic powder because I didn’t have fresh at the moment.
Verdict:I not only loved this recipe because of the taste, but it was also very simple to put together. It does require the oven, however, so I do not recommend it on a 100 degree day like today. This was a filling meal that would be perfect for entertaining and looks like you spent quite a bit of time putting it together. You can also find the full recipe in the Pin.
Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake
I didn’t highlight this pin last time, but some leftover buttermilk and delicious blueberries had me scoping Pinterest for some easy recipes. I came across this recipe for Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake (with a hint of lemon) and my youngest devoured it! The other fellas and myself enjoyed it as well. Light and simple to make, especially with all those in-season blueberries, this coffee cake will be a hit with your own family.
Did you take the Pinterest Dinner Challenge? We’d love to hear what you made successfully. Visit our boards for more inspiration: Samantha and Chicago Parent.
