How do you say "yummy" in Chinese?

I'm so incredibly far behind on the "writing about all the pins I've tried each week" thing.

I just don't have as much time as I like to think I have.

But I have so much to tell you about!  I have tried so many things, most of which have been very successful.

However, I only have a few minutes.  So I'm gonna have to cut this one short, and talk only about the food.

Pinteresting Idea #6
I love Chinese food.  Although, I rarely find myself going to Chinese restaurants.  Probably because I can't silence that little voice in the back of my head (which sounds exactly like my husband) that keeps saying I'm eating a cat.

So, I decided to try to make my own Chinese food at home.  And let me just say, it was sooooo good!!!  I made it one night.  We liked it so much, we were craving it again the next day.  So I made it again!

How do you say "YUMMY" in Chinese?

The first recipe, Better Than Take Out Fried Rice, came from my Asian Cooking board.  The recipe originated from Rachel Schultz's website.

You can get the recipe here.  http://rachelschultz.com/2012/07/14/better-than-takeout-chicken-fried-rice/

I cooked the chicken separately.  So I basically made fried rice.  Still.  It was definitely better than takeout.

Pinteresting Idea #7

Rachel suggested we pair the fried rice with her Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken.  It too looked super-yummy.  So I did as she suggested.  It was very good, but came out a little dry.  I think maybe it was in the slow cooker too long.  

The second night, I decided to braise the chicken.  I followed the exact same recipe.  I simply put it on the stove rather than in the slow cooker.  The chicken was much moister.  And it tasted even better.

You can get Rachel's recipe here.  http://rachelschultz.com/2012/07/25/slow-cooker-teriyaki-chicken/

Pinteresting Idea #8

I have a Good to Know Board where I pin ideas that might be useful to me in the future.  Last week I was cleaning out my nutty cupboard.  I have a son who is allergic to peanuts, peanut butter and all tree nuts.  So I keep all these products in one place where he knows not to touch them.  

I found three jars of peanut butter, all of which were out of date.  I wondered if I should just toss them, when that little voice in the back of my head spoke to me again.  Actually it wasn't in my head.  My husband was sitting on the couch.  And being the frugal man that he is, he urged me to open the peanut butter and taste it.  Yeah, let's just see how nasty it is before we throw it away.  

Then I remembered that a friend of mine had pinned a website that gives you an idea of just how far past the date you can safely consume your grocery items.  So I whipped out my tablet, tapped my Pinterest app, found the pin, and clicked on the website - Eat By Date.

http://www.eatbydate.com/

This is an awesome website!  I found out my peanut butter is safe to eat for up to one year past the expiration date.  So, I wasn't nearly as scared to open the jar and taste it.  It was still perfect.  Thank you Eat By Date!



Okay folks.  That's all for now.  I know I have not yet posted those homeschool pins I found very helpful.  I hope to get to those soon.  Until then...

Have a Pinteresting Day!

Yummy Soup, Yucky Side & Healthy Salad

I laid in bed for as long as I could this morning.  As I started feeling guilty that the day had started without me, I rolled out from under the covers and half-sleep walked to the living room.

There I found my youngest son bundled up on the couch with bloodshot eyes and a frowny face.  :(

My first thought was, "My poor baby."  My second thought was, "Is it too early for a Dr. Pepper?"  My third thought was, "I guess we won't do school today."  My fourth thought was, "That means I can finally write that Pinterest blog."

Soooo...  Now that we're all medicated...  Here I am.  And here's what I've been up to...

Pinteresting Idea #3
When the cold weather hits, I love to go to Subway.  Not for their sandwiches.  I mean, anyone can make a sandwich, right?  I love their broccoli cheddar soup.  It is soooo good.

I've been trying to replicate this recipe for awhile now.  My latest attempt is the closest I've come to perfection.

Although I can't really take the credit because I didn't come up with the recipe.  I pinned it to my  Soups, Stews, Chilis & Chowders board, from a blog called The Little Girl's Guide to Sugar and Spice.  You can find the recipe here...

http://thelittlegirlsguidetosugarandspice.blogspot.com/2010/09/broccoli-cheddar-soup.html

It's still not exactly like the Subway version.  I had to add a lot of salt and pepper for enhanced flavor.  Also, it tasted better the second day.  So next time, I'll probably let it cook longer before serving.

Pinteresting Idea #4

Crack Potatoes.  Sounds yummy, right?  The whole idea behind the name is they're supposed to be so incredibly delicious that you become easily addicted and can't stop eating them.  How could I not try these?

We didn't like them.  We could eat them.  But we did not get immediately addicted.  In fact, I threw the recipe away, and forgot to take a picture.  The picture above is from the pin that is no longer on my Side Dishes board.

If you want to try them, click here for the recipe.
http://justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2011/12/crack-potatoes.html

Let me know if you get addicted.

Pinteresting Idea #5
As I was browsing my Salads, Sandwiches & Wraps board, I came across a pin for Chicken and Avocado Lettuce Boats.  You had me at avocado!

This recipe was not just for the salad, but also for a buttermilk-dijon dressing.  I loved the salad, especially served on the large romaine leaves.  But the dressing didn't exactly "float my boat".  It didn't look good or smell good to me, so I tasted it before serving.  I was not a fan.  So my boys and I put ranch dressing on our boats.

My husband wasn't crazy about the dressing by itself, but said it was really good when drizzled over the salad.  So...  here is the recipe from The Perfect Pantry.  Try it.  Let me know what you think about the dressing.
http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2012/03/recipe-for-chicken-and-avocado-lettuce-boats-with-buttermilk-dijon-dressing.html

...

I did a lot more pins.  But I'm afraid you might get bored if I write about more than three at a time.

Most of the other things I did are from my homeschool boards.  I can't decide if I'll write about them here or on my homeschool blog.  I guess I can do both.  I am the author.  They're my blogs.  And I'm 35-years-old, so I can do what I want.  :)

I hope to get to that later today.  We'll see...

Have a Pinteresting Day!

Happy New Year!

Starting January 1st,  each week I had hoped to try and write about at least 3 pins from my wide variety of boards on Pinterest.

It sounded so simple in my mind.  I would try at least one recipe each week, incorporate one educational pin into my homeschool curriculum, and try something from my "Good to Know" board on Pinterest.

Yeah...

That didn't really work out...

insert frowny face, full of embarrassment and shame...  :(

Okay.  So it's the second week of January, and already I've not held up to the "pinteresting deal" I made with myself back in November.  I guess it's a good thing I revised my original plan.

My original plan was to try a new pin each day, but once I realized this "great idea" had already been attempted and conquered by so many before me, I kinda lost some of my motivation.  (See my previous post.)

Still, I'm not a total loser.  I did try two pins last week.  I just never got around to writing about them.

Until now...  insert smiley face...  :)

Pinteresting Idea #1
We tried my first pin on New Year's Eve, which technically was last year, but since I'm already behind, and it's my blog, I get I get to make the rules, so I'm counting it.

I will never forget the first time my parents let my sister and I stay up with them on New Year's Eve.  We ate fondue.  We watched the ball fall.  It was actually an apple back then.  I know, I'm old.  The most exciting thing to me was that they let us drink out of wine glasses.  We didn't actually have champagne, like Mama and Daddy.  I think we may have had orange juice.

Anyway, I felt like "big stuff" drinking out of a special glass on a special night.

When I saw this particular pin on Pinterest, it brought that memory back to me.  So I pinned it to my "For the Kids" board and decided to try this special drink with my family on New Year's Eve.

It is a fairly easy pin to try.  You just fill a glass with cotton candy, then pour Sprite or Sierra Mist over it.

We tried it.

As you can see from the picture, our glass doesn't look nearly as "special" as the one shown in the background.  It didn't taste all that great either.  So we probably won't do this again next year.

It's okay though.  I had a backup plan.  I picked up a bottle of Sparkling White Grape Juice.  We poured it in wine glasses.  My youngest son, Camden, thought we were letting him have wine.  No matter how many times I assured him he was not drinking wine, he still seemed shocked that we would allow him to consume this beverage.  

I think we created an awesome memory.

Pinteresting Idea #2

I was not at all disappointed in my second pin.  I am an organizational freak.  I am so much of an organizational freak that I have an entire board devoted to organizational ideas.  I titled this board "A Place for Everything" because I love for everything to be in its place.  Although most of the time life doesn't really work out that way, does it?  Except with this particular pin, it does.  

For this reason, you might think this pin came from my "A Place for Everything" board.  But it did not.  

I like to shake things up.  Keep you on your toes.  

Not really.

The truth is, I found this to be such a genius idea, I pinned it to my "Why didn't I think of that?" board.

The original idea was posted by a lady named Jo on the Mom's Party Cafe blog site.  Click here - http://momspartycafe.blogspot.com/search/label/organization

This pin was also very easy.  Start simple, right?  

As I began packing up my Christmas decorations last week, I remembered this pin.  The instructions tell you to hot glue solo cups to cardboard and put them in a storage container.  Then fill the cups with your Christmas tree decorations.  This keeps ornaments organized, helps eliminate breakage, and just looks pretty.  

Totally out of character for me, I deviated from the instructions.  I did not use hot glue, and I used the cheap cups from Walmart.  So my final product was not nearly as pretty as the original pin, but I believe the results should be the same.

See.

I'll let you know next year if I have any breakage...

Have a Pinteresting Day! 

Very Pinteresting!

I've been off my feet for the last little bit, recovering from a surgery that was supposed to make my life better.  So far, the post-op benefits have included pain and infection. 

Still, if you know me at all, you know I try to be a "silver-lining" kinda girl.  While, I have hated spending three helpless, useless, completely unproductive weeks on the couch, I have enjoyed catching up on some reading, chatting with friends, watching Y&R, and browsing Pinterest. 

In fact, Pinterest kept me sane.  And just when I'd pinned all I cared to pin, I found more things to pin.

Then I organized all my Pinterest boards.  I sorted all my recipes into categories.  I alphabetized all my Stampin' Up! boards.  I put my homeschool boards at the top of my Pinterest page. 

I've come to realize that Pinterest is like a wish list of things we would do if only we had more time, or more space, or more money, or even more self-discipline.

I currently have 67 boards.  1,513 pins.  31 likes.  282 followers.

What if I actually did every thing I have pinned on my Pinterest boards? 

I have done some of the things I've pinned.  I've tried some new recipes, most of which we have thoroughly enjoyed.  I've created a few crafts.  I've recreated many Stampin' Up! cards.  I even made my closet into an office space.

But the ratio of things I've done to things I've pinned is still probably 1 to 100.  I'd like to do more. 

I'd like to actually put into practice many of the items on my "Good to Know" board.  I'd like to actually do the games and activities on my "For the Kids" board.  I'd really like to try more recipes, especially more of the "Sweet Treats" board.  And I'm certain my husband would be happy to taste-test more items from my "Mmmm... Mexican" board.

I recently watched the movie Julie & Julia, a dramatization based on the real life idea of a girl who decided to spend a year making recipes from Julia Childs' cookbook.  She cooked one recipe a day, every day, for a year.  It was a great adventure for her, and she learned so many things about food, but also about herself in the process.  And they made a major motion picture out of it.

Sooooo...  I thought it might be fun to apply this same idea to my current Pinterest infatuation. 

How about I spend a year doing Pinterest stuff?  One pin a day, every day, for a year.

I know what you're thinking...  Marci's a genius!  I know, right?!

However, I was disappointed to learn I am not the first person to embark on a Pinterest journey.  I googled "pin a day", and it turns out a lot of people have already done this.

So I guess there are other geniuses out there too.  :)

Still, I think it could be fun.  So I'm planning to start on January 1st.  I don't want to commit to completing a pin EVERY day.  I know me.  That's too much pressure. 

I'm thinking I'll plan to do maybe three a week.  I'll complete the pin.  I'll take pictures, so you can see what I've done.  I'll write about it.  I'll share whatever links are necessary. 

Right now, I'm really excited about the idea.  I'd start tomorrow, but with my recent illness, we've fallen way behind in our homeschooling, and the holidays are right around the corner.  I don't want to overdo it.

So let's wait til January 1st. 

In the meantime, I'll try to post some of the ideas I've already used from Pinterest.

Also in the meantime, I hope you'll share with me any particular pins you think I might find "very pinteresting". 


Have a Pinteresting Day!