What I Made From Pinterest This Week

Here’s what I made from my Pinterest Boards this week, how it turned out and what I’d do next time (if there is a next time).

The categories in parenthesis (ie: Healthy Recipes, Things to Do With Kids, etc…) are the names of my boards and where you can find these things I’m talking about.

You can also find me on Pinterest by clicking here.

French Toast Muffins (Desserts)

Honestly, the second I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.  It’s a very basic muffin recipe but the goodness (and OH MY the SUGAR!) all comes from rolling the just-out-of-the-oven muffins in a bowl full of melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.  They were a hit immediately with my kids and my husband (HINT: Put them in a bowl and hand your kids a spoon to reduce mess when eating).

Verdict:  I will definitely be making these again.  Especially for a brunch.  JUST REMEMBER you REALLY need to put some wax paper under the cooling rack for just-rolled muffins as it can get very messy under there.

Next Time:  I stretched the batter out for 12 muffins but I think if you only made 10 the muffins would be a bit plumper.  Also, I would stick the bowl of melted butter and sugar into the microwave for a few seconds halfway through rolling the muffins as it begins to firm and while they still tastes FANTASTIC the first muffins I rolled were more esthetically pleasing.

Beer and Cheese Bread (Recipes)

I knew this recipe (if it turned out!) would be one of those recipes that made my husband offer to do the dishes!  And it definitely was.  Most of these ingredients are pantry ingredients so last night at 4:30pm as I was making soup for dinner I remembered this bread recipe and decided to make it.  I had Guinness in the fridge from the last time I cooked with beer – though when measured out with a shot glass it was about 10 1/2 ounces it still worked perfectly.  The bread might have been a bit lighter in colour and in density if I had used a lighter beer but it tasted fantastic.

Verdict:  This recipe is a keeper.  Perfect for soups, stews and even potluck worthy!

Next Time: I only had regular shredded cheddar cheese in the fridge and next time I would purposely buy a sharp cheddar (as called for in the recipe).  I also didn’t use dill in the bread (and it didn’t need it).  I would consider using it next time, depending if dill complimented whatever I was serving the bread with.

French Dip Crescent Rolls (Recipes)

Oh my goodness this recipe was so easy!  My husband loved it, but of course the kids wouldn’t touch them (nor would they have touched a roast beef sandwich so I’m not overly shocked by this).  I made a couple of the crescent rolls with just swiss cheese for the kids at the same time as I made these so everyone had something they liked.

Verdict:  This is a great quick dinner (I whipped up a modified Au Jus based on the recipe included with this one in the same amount of time the rolls were baking).  It would also make a GREAT appetizer for a super bowl party or something “boy” related. 

Next Time:  I would do exactly what I did the first time.  Plain and simple.  Except maybe I’ll try ham and cheese because I think the kids would eat that.

Peanut Butter and Jam Sushi (Kid Food Recipes)

My kids love peanut butter on toast or on crackers but they don’t usually have it with jam so I debated not even using the jam but opted to as part of the experiment.  I whipped this up as a quick snack before taking my children to the movies at dinner time (where they were going to have popcorn and kinder eggs for dinner – don’t judge I was TOTALLY mommy of the year for those 2 hours!).  They took no time at all (likely even faster than making PB on toast because I didn’t have to wait for the bread to toast) and the kids liked how fun it was to attempt the chopsticks.

Verdict:  Fun.  Easy.  Cute for the kids.  I will definitely do this again.  As an FYI however, you really do have to use a processed-type bread to be able to roll these properly and you absolutely have to roll them with a rolling-pin after removing the crusts (tried to skip this step and the bread tore).

Next Time: I am going to think of some other combinations because I would really like to be able to put these in the kids’ lunches but obviously need to come up with some peanut free alternatives.

Cool Whip Marshmallows (Valentine’s Day)

While this seemed super cute and super easy it was super messy instead.  I expected to have to work quickly but I didn’t realize how quickly.  I rolled out about 1/8th of the container of Cool Whip with a rolling pin and instantly it started to melt.  I worked REALLY quickly and was barely able to cut one star before it started to lose it’s shape.  I worked even faster to lift it off the wax paper with a metal spatula and put it in the mug of hot chocolate for my daughter.  By the time I rushed to snap a few pictures the Cool Whip star was more of a blob.  Though, my daughter tells me it tasted better than regular marshmallows. 

Verdict:  LOVE the concept, no prep required (because you don’t defrost the Cool Whip first) and for a single “marshmallow” it’s a great idea.  I wouldn’t want to commit to this for a party however simply because the Cool Whip melts faster than you can cut it and get it back into the freezer until you needed it.

Next Time:  I’m using the leftover Cool Whip to make “specialty coffees” – no shaped marshmallows required!

If you’re looking for more here’s what I made from Pinterest last week.