Pinterest Fail: Peanut Butter Cup Bars

So I promise I am not making this up, but I made the bars that I "failed" in this blog for a July 4th party and they were a huge hit. The reason why this particular entry is a "fail" is because I totally bombed it the second time I made it, and of course that happens to be after I decided to start back up this dang blog!

Anyway, there are few people in this world who do not like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. I prefer to call them "weirdos", but I am sure there is a more PC term that someone else knows. (All my close friends know damned well that I edited that "weirdos" comment so not to offend. See, I do have a filter every now and again!) Not only did I think the awesomely simple name made these sound good, but when I read the recipe... well, I just know I was not only destined to make them... I was destined to eat the hell out of them! Seriously, check out the Pinterest picture!

Photo from http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/

The recipe comes from a woman named Carolyn who runs the Sweet Pea's Kitchen blog. She talks in the blog entry about how much she loves the peanut butter cup eggs at Easter. I am not a big fan of those eggs because I always think they are stingy on the chocolate. And, well, that is just a sin. But I do get where Carolyn is coming from, and appreciate her researching the internet to find the easy 5-ingredient recipe!

As I stated, and don't doubt I will say it again and again... like your favorite CD getting stuck on repeat. Yes, I referred to myself as your favorite! Anyway, I digress... As I stated, I have successfully made these once and have recommended them to tons of people. I have references from the first batch, they can vouch for me!

Basically, this blog is suppose to be honest so the last time I made them, I failed. Miserably! I tried to double the recipe, which in my vision was an excellent idea. In reality, not so much. The chocolate didn't set in an hour (which the recipe calls for only 30 minutes), and there was so much peanut butter. Scroll up... too much peanut butter, and not enough chocolate = SIN! I can hear the Church Lady from SNL now! If you don't know who "she" is, I feel sorry for you. "She" rocks!

Dangit, I keep getting shiny object syndrome. Ok, back to the dang peanut butter bars.

In a nutshell, I couldn't bring these bars to the pool party. I couldn't bring them any where. They were huge! Twice the size the normal bars are! So much peanut butter. :( Also, each square weighed at least 5 pounds. Fine, maybe not 5 but they were heavy, and solid! You can tell by my picture:

I normally would have thrown them away. However, John likes to eat and will try anything. (This works well for me!) So, he is still eating out of the pan. Yes, 6 days later and he is still eating them. He even put them with chocolate chip ice cream. That might be going to far, even for me!

John says they taste good, but I know they aren't as good as the first time I made them. Therefore, these are a FAIL. Don't worry, I'll make them again. Next time I won't try to be all fancy by doubling the recipe. It's like that KISS saying in middle school: Keep It Simple Stupid! How easily I forget!

Anyway, if you want to try the recipe for yourself, visit my Hungry Hungry Hippo Pinterest Board and have at it!

PS: Did no one catch my play on words there? I said "In a nutshell". Get it, nut... shell... peanut butter...

Well, I found it funny. Whatever...

Pinterest Fail: Garlic Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas

It is about time... Yes, people... I FAILED. Not a little failed, BIG TIME failed!

John & I went to a pool party on Saturday and everyone was bringing side dishes & desserts. I decided to make roasted chickpeas because they are gluten free, and I have some gluten free friends attending. I have a couple chickpea recipes that I've been wanting to try, so why not do it for Saturday. You know how I love to use my friends as guinea pigs!

This recipe comes from Clean Eating Magazine. I've perused this magazine, and they have some great gluten free tips & recipes. I also like the comments from the other readers about the recipes, they usually have good advice on how to make the recipes a little better.

Don't these chickpeas look good?

Photo from http://www.cleaneatingmag.com

I followed the ingredients to a T, but did make some changes in how I cooked them. I baked them for about 10  minutes less than instructed because you never know with individual ovens. I also used aluminum foil with Pam. No excuse for that change except that (as I have stated before) I am lazy and hate to clean baking sheets.

As usual, I was running low on time so I asked John to pull the chickpeas out of the oven when the timer went off so I could hop in the shower. He did as he was instructed (good boy), and of course sampled some chickpeas. He let me know they weren't crispy but had a good bite. He thought they tasted good...

(Did you like those periods? As if I am building suspense... hmmm...)

I threw the chickpeas in a plastic bag and took them to my friend's house. Keep in mind that I live in town and she lives in Katy. In addition, John & I met Daddy for lunch because I like to eat and I like my Daddy. Win-Win!

We get to my friend's house, and I leave the sealed bag of roasted chickpeas on the food counter. I eventually open the bag and take a handful of chickpeas. Holy crap!! Ugh!

I didn't want to be too dramatic, or I would have spit them out in my friend's trash. Instead, I sucked it up and kept on chewing. Basically, the chickpeas had a little crisp to them when I cooked them. However, throwing them into a sealable plastic bag and letting them sit for almost 2 hours... BAD MOVE! Bad! They turned so chewy. They were so gross. You know it's bad if this fat girl trapped in a not as fat body couldn't even eat one.

Though I lost this fight, I refuse to lose the battle. I will definitely try them again, but will also learn from my mistakes. I know I usually share a nice-ish picture of my end product for you. These were such a fail, I have decided to show you what John & I decided to do with them.

Yes, you are looking at this correctly. These nasty-arse chickpeas are in my trash can.

Even though I threw the chickpeas away, I encourage you to try to the recipe. They had good flavor, I just royally screwed them up. You can find them on my Clean Eating board on Pinterest.

Try them out! I want to hear what you think!

PS: I stated above that people made desserts for Saturday. I, too, made one and will post about that later this week. I've got to have a little suspense here!

Pinterest Win: Chicken Barley Soup

I love soup, all year round, I love it! I think there is always time for soup. It can be 110 degrees outside, and I want it. John and I wanted a low key night on Friday because I had some fun nights on Wednesday and Thursday, plus we had two pool parties on Saturday and a brunch planned on Sunday. I figured I would make John dinner and we would have something comforting and light. (Yes, to answer your question... it is hard to be so popular...)

This recipe comes from my Pinterest board, aptly named Soups. I know... shocker! It is on a pin from Southern Living called 51 Satisfying Soups & Stews. Yes, 51! These soup recipes look really good, and I chose one that seemed the lightest. Instead of making you guys search for this recipe, I am kind enough to give you the exact link: http://www.myrecipes.com/m/recipe/chunky-chicken-barley-soup-10000001536747/.

Of course, since it was Southern Living I am pretty sure they had someone stage the food. Their picture looks really good.

Photo from www.myrecipes.com

Even their bowl is fancier. Once I finish telling you about the experience, you'll see I do not have stagers helping me. Just me!

First, I have to tell you the "DOH!" moment of the recipe. You know there is always one with me...

I went to HEB Friday morning to get the groceries. I got the fresh veggies and garlic, and then remembered to get chicken. I decided to get the already cooked grilled chicken from the lunch meat section. We already had so  much meat at the house that getting a whole chicken to shred seemed stupid to me. (Please keep this last sentence in mind.)

I come home and tell John I am making him soup. Luckily he likes soup, too. Otherwise, he won't be thrilled a lot with what I make! In the middle of telling him about the groceries I got, it hit me. Like a bag of bricks... Hit. Me. HARD! We still have tons of meat leftover from the smoking John did on Sunday. In case you don't remember the picture, I am going to include it again below.

Yes, right in the middle of the picture there is chicken. You see chicken. A crap load of chicken! Geesh! I decided to put the new chicken away and use the smoked chicken for the soup. ( that Still shaking my head...)

This was a great and light soup. Wasn't too hearty that we felt it was more of a wintery soup, but it was filling enough for both of us. Keep in mind, when the recipe says it makes 4 servings... it ain't lying. John and I each had two bowls. Luckily, I don't eat as much as him so there is a small bowl left over. Otherwise, we would have eaten it all Friday night.

I'm a garlic lover so I used a little more than the recipe called for. I'm glad I bought fresh garlic, rather than using the pre-jarred kind I already had in the fridge. I didn't read the label well the last time I bought thyme, and accidentally got ground rather than the dried. I used a little more ground than the dried that the recipe called for to make sure I got the flavor. In addition, I added rosemary and red pepper flakes. The red pepper a perfect amount of heat - it wasn't overpowering, and had a good "bite" to it. Plus, using the smoked chicken rather than regular chicken really added flavor. I was impressed. If you have a chance to do that you really should. If you don't have easy access to smoked chicken, you might want to add  something to recipe to make it more flavorful.

I am really happy with this soup. Definitely making it again. Maybe next time I'll find a stager to help me take a better picture. But knowing me, probably not...

Now, go out there and make you some soup!

Pinterest Wins: Creamed Corn & Potato Salad

The joy of dating John is that he likes to cook, too. Mostly he loves the grill, but since moving to Houston he has become quite the smoker. Not the cigarette, cancer causing kind but more of the throw some meat on the smoker for a long time and see what happens. He is meticulous... the man has a notebook noting the rubs and marinades he uses, how long things cook for, what turned out good & what needs tweaking...

In a nutshell, nothing like me. I search on Pinterest, find something that looks interesting and make it. I "save" the recipe on Pinterest and then I am done. I'm a Pinterest troll, and a tad bit lazy...

On Sunday, John smoked over 14 pounds of meat: sausage, brisket, ribs, pork and chicken. To help you understand this, it is Wednesday and we still have tons of meat left over. John has gotten excited that we recently got to consolidate Tupperware containers. It's the little things for us two...

I, of course, thought that I needed to add more to this cooking extravaganza than my charm and good looks. In true Lee fashion (aka "so like lee"), I went to Pinterest. I found two different recipes, from two different boards (I like to shake things up).

The first caught my eye from my 'Slow Cooking' board, and I knew it was meant for me because it requires a Crock Pot. Who doesn't love easy meals, plus if John was slow cooking then I should follow suit! I chose to make Creamed Corn... um... who (other than my Mom - Betty) doesn't like creamed corn!?! Remind me to tell you about the fried creamed corn John & I had while visiting his family in Minnesota... HOLY HELL!!!

This recipe comes from a blog called Damn Delicious. With a name like that, how do you not automatically like this blog??? Chungah, this cute girl from LA, has some great recipes. Her goal is to make them simple and yummy for all. (Those are my words, not hers.) Her creamed corn did not disappoint! I mean, check out her picture!

Photo from http://damndelicious.net

Now, mine wasn't as pretty but it tasted oh so good! Even John agreed... no, really... he did! No laughing at Lee on this one! I did change up the recipe a little bit: it calls for milk but isn't specific. I used 2% because that is what my sweet man got at the store. We both agree that next time we should go for heavy cream or whole milk. Basically, the end result was good but wasn't unhealthy enough for us. (I told you John & I are a perfect match!) Click here to check out the Damn Delicious recipe: http://damndelicious.net/2013/11/24/slow-cooker-creamed-corn/, and check out my not-as-fancy picture below. (I was too lazy to pull it from the Crock Pot & take a picture in one of my pretty bowls... sue me!)

The second dish I made, while the creamed corn was cooking because I know how to multi-task - gold star for me, was potato salad. I mean, what else goes with a crapton of meat!?! High five me for the great choice!

This pinned recipe came from my Hungry, Hungry Hippo board. (You'll see a trend that most recipes are on this board.) The picture alone on the Loaded Baked Potato Salad was enough for me to pin it. In rare form, I didn't even read the recipe first. I fell in love, and that was it!

This one is from Carole, a mom of SIX children!!! SIX! I have one dog and am exhausted. Kudos Carole... and Kudos on the blog! Oh, I guess this would help: the blog is called My Kitchen Escapades. Carole has recipes dating back to 2008, so get ready to start trying them out! You should see the pic of Carole's potato salad!

Photo from http://www.mykitchenescapades.com

Now, I do call this recipe a Win but will tell you that I made a few mistakes. One of which was a bit rookie... not brown rice rookie, but bacon rookie. The worst mistake you can make!

The recipe calls for 6 large potatoes. I can tell you that Carole probably doesn't live in Texas (not proven, so don't quote that) because "large" potatoes in Texas are pretty much JUMBO anywhere else. I didn't take that into consideration. John got 4 potatoes, at my request, because it is just the two of us. I wanted enough for left overs but not too much that we were swimming in potato salad. He got large, like I asked. They were so huge that we only used three of them. I can tell you, three Texas potatoes are too much! Not sure that is a mistake, per say... but definitely something to keep in mind.

Back to the bacon... I had turkey bacon in the freezer and thawed that out Saturday night so I could use it. Seriously!?! I am making potato salad, nothing healthy about this dish - why settle for turkey bacon? Basically, it would have been a home run if I used real bacon. Total rookie move. People... please learn from my mistakes!

More sour cream and mayonnaise were needed than the recipe states because of the size of the potatoes we had, so keep that in mind. Also, this dish has gotten better the longer it sits. I made it about 3-4 hours in advance on Sunday, but it tasted better today (Wednesday) when I stole a bit out of the fridge on my way to work. Oh don't give me that look, like you don't do that too! Here is the end result of the salad:

 

And, of course, the direct link to Carole's blog with the recipe: http://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2013/05/loaded-baked-potato-salad.html

I have some more recipes I am making Friday for a pool party Saturday. Don't worry your pretty little head, I will share these, too (after everyone at the party tries them first)!  

Pinterest Win-ish: Italian Stuffed Peppers

I have received a bunch of "good luck" messages for this little personal challenge. This is more "good luck" than I got for the half marathon. Seriously!?!

Ok, now on to my Pinterest Win...ish.. Seriously, a total "ish". I have made stuffed peppers in the crock pot for years, and have done it quite successfully. I thought, "heck 30 minutes in the oven... this can't be too hard!"

I "pinned" this recipe to my "Hungry, Hungry Hippo" board on Pinterest. You can visit my board, with all the recipes, here: http://www.pinterest.com/lee_m/hungry-hungry-hippo/

The Pin will lead you to a blog called "Like Mother Like Daughter". They are a cute mother-daughter combo who have some great recipes. Definitely check them out when you get a chance.
The recipe is not complicated and detailed out well on the blog. I was 100% confident going into the challenge. Of course, John was excited because some hot chick was cooking for him. (I might have paraphrased that a tad bit...) Check out the picture from the blog, I mean... YUM-E!

Photo from http://lmld.org

I followed the directions step-by-step, though I did make a few ingredient changes. I used chipotle ground pork sausage instead of the Italian seasoned ground turkey. (So, yes, I took the Italian out of the Italian Stuffed Peppers...) I also used Monterey jack cheese, instead of mozzarella AND I used brown rice. Basically, I used the ingredients I already had the house. (1) I am cheap, (2) I love convenience.

The process was just like the recipe stated. This mother-daughter duo do a great job of explaining the steps. My peppers came out looking pretty good, if I do say so myself!

 



I plated the peppers up for John and me and we sat down to eat them. I cut open my green pepper and just gave an exhausted sigh. John looked over and then laughed. Ok, he wailed and folded over in laughter.

Guess now is a good time to let you know that there are two foods I have not mastered in cooking. Ironically, they are two of the easiest: queso and rice. Any rice... yes, I said rice.

Here comes the Win-ish. The peppers were good. They held up their shape, had a great flavor, were easy to make and an awesome go-to meal - especially after a long day.

HOWEVER... I do have a lesson learned (the "ish" part) that I need to share with all of you. If you don't have white or long grain rice in your house, and you use brown rice... make sure you cook the brown rice a bit before stuffing it into the peppers. Otherwise, the brown rice won't cook enough and you will have al dente rice (giving myself a bit more credit than I deserve on that description). I recommend cooking the rice in the sauce for a few minutes. That's all it would have taken. But, of course I didn't do that...

Overall I did well, and I love the recipe. Will definitely make this again. But, I am not keen on eating hard rice so I'll follow that part of the recipe. Luckily, John & I are still in the "impression" stage, so he is eating the leftovers. I'm gonna milk this stage as long as I can!

I hope you give this recipe a try. Just don't make my mistake!

Enjoy!

Back in the Saddle...

So.... in true Lee fashion... I am going to try something new. I did run the half marathon 7 months ago, and did quite well (aka made it in under my goal time), but I failed at the whole blogging thing.

Now we are going to attempt blogging again, but this time as a fun experiment. I need to confess something first. It is hard to confess things about yourself, your little vices that no one really knows, but at times it also feels really good to get things off your chest. Here goes...

I am a Pinterest Whore. Wait... maybe a Pinterest Floozy. I mean, I don't get paid by Pinterest, but I do spend a lot of time on there. My biggest passion is "pinning" recipes that I want to try. I've tried most of them, but I have like 5 food boards so there is still some cooking that needs to get done.

My goal is to complete this project in the next 6 months. The second goal is to not gain weight. Let's see how both of these work out!

Basically, I will attempt to successfully make at least 60 dishes from Pinterest by my birthday in January 2015. Whew! I will share the outcome with pictures. I'll also share the links to my dishes because you need to applaud (or jeer) the blogs I get these recipes from.

To be clear, I am not Julia Child so I am not creating any recipes. I am basically finding recipes through Pinterest and then attempting to not have any #PinterestFails.

Wish me luck! (and for those I force my recipes on... good luck to you, too!)