Category Archives: Pinterest Food Challenge

Pinterest Food Challenge: Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas

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I’ve been holding out on you guys. I promise it was an accident. A few months back I made some ah-mazing enchiladas and totally forgot to tell you about them. I know, I know- bad blogger! Lucky for you I didn’t have time to photograph the project I did this weekend and while I was scrambling to find something to post today I stumbled upon these pictures. Whew! ;)

At least once a month, cook or bake something you pinned. Take some pinning action, people!

At least once a month, cook or bake something you pinned. Take some pinning action, people!

I pinned the recipe from My Life According to Pinterest, who pinned it from Joyful Momma’s Kitchen

It deserves to be shared. Over and over again.

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Here’s the ingredients I used (which is a little different from both the other recipes):

  • 7-10 soft taco shells
  • 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I boiled the chicken, then shred it)
  • 2-3 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
  • 3 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup light sour cream
  • 1/4 cup salsa

To make:

  • Preheat over to 350*
  • Mix the chicken and cheese together and roll it up in the soft taco shells and place them all in a 9×12 pan
  • In a pot heated over the stove on medium melt your butter, then whisk in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Then add the chicken broth and whisk until there are no lumps. Leave on the stove until bubbly and thick.
  • Stir in the sour cream and salsa until creamy, but not boiling
  • Pour your mixture over the wraps slowly and evenly and top with some more cheese
  • Bake 22-25 minutes until cheese crisps just a little.
a very happy customer

a very happy customer

Enjoy!!

Check out lots of other executed food pins here. Got any delicious recipes to share? Email me at sandpaperandglue (at) gmail (dot) com to guest post!

Pinterest Food Challenge: White Cake with Buttercream Frosting

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This past weekend we celebrated my grandmother’s birthday and I thought I’d try my hand at baking a cake and making frosting all from scratch. It was actually pretty easy to make, but it was  only about 80% successful so I’ll give you the low down- do as I say not as I do :)

cake

To make the white cake I followed this recipe from Better Homes & Gardens.

Ingredients:

  • 6 egg whites
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 2/3 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk (I did not have buttermilk so instead I put 2 1/2 tablespoons of white vinegar in a measuring cup, then poured milk in up to the 2 cup line. Wait 7-10 minutes and stir. The milk will look a little curdled, but don’t worry.)

To make:

  • Allow egg whites to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350*
  • Grease THREE round cake pans then lightly flour the bottoms
  • In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt
  • In a large bowl beat butter on high for 30 seconds, then add sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the egg whites all at once and beat on medium-high for 3 minutes
  • Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, beat about 30 seconds after each addition. Divide the batter into your THREE pans, it may look slightly curdled
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes

Note: I thought I was so darn smart squeezing this batter into two pans because I didn’t have three. I WAS NOT. This meant it couldn’t rise as much as much as it needed to and the cake was super dense. Delicious, but not light and fluffy like it should have been.

 

To make the frosting I followed this recipe on Cake Merchant.

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 sticks butter at room temperature (I let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes)
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons 2% milk

To make:

  • Beat the butter 3 minutes until it becomes creamy (time yourself- at 2 minutes it looks done but at 3 minutes it looks much better)
  • Add powdered sugar and beat on low until combined, then beat on medium for another 3 minutes
  • Add the vanilla and beat on medium for 3 minutes
  • Add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time, beat 3 minutes with each tablespoon

Note: Time yourself when using your electric mixer, it’s all the whipping up that makes this frosting ah-mazing. 

 

cake slicedI’m terrible at capturing the deliciousness of food on my camera.

Keep refrigerated until a few hours before you eat it, because the frosting is basically a giant hunk o’ dairy.

Enjoy!

Pinterest Food Challenge: Peanut Butter Blondies

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Wednesdays are quickly becoming my regular recipe day around here, and I’m pretty ok with that because we’ve been eating lots of delicious things because of it. Today I’ve got… surprise surprise… another recipe that involves peanut butter and chocolate chips. I really might be developing an addiction.

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The original recipe for these, from Sweetest Kitchen, left them a little dry for my taste, or maybe I just cooked it for a little too long, so here’s the recipe and instructions according to how I will be altering it in the future.

To make:

  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

To bake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8×6″ square pan (set aside)
  • In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring until smooth. I wasn’t sure how this would go, but the brown sugar basically dissolves and it looks a little like crunchy peanut butter when its done.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter then set aside
  • Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  • Go back to your brown sugar mixture and add the egg and vanilla, mix well. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to create a thick, smooth batter. Fold in half the chocolate chips, reserving the rest for sprinkling on top.
  • Transfer the batter to the pan, spreading it evenly to the edges. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips and lightly press them into the batter.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes until the top is golden and the edges are slightly browned. Allow to cool in the pan. Cut into squares and serve.

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My family really enjoyed these, the peanut butter taste ends up being really subtle and the tiny bit of crunch on top makes them pretty delicious. Make sure to check out Sweetest Kitchen, there’s about a zillion other recipes on there.

And for more easy to make treats and meals, check out my Pinterest Food Challenge page!

pinterest food challenge

At least once a month cook or bake something you’ve pinned, and share it with others! Let’s try to stop pinning and start making. 

Pinterest Food Challenge: Hot Chocolate Cookies

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Just last weekend one of the blogs I regularly read, This Vintage Grove posted a recipe for hot chocolate cookies, and I immediately pinned it. And then I immediately baked it because they sounded so delicious I just couldn’t wait.

pinterest food challenge

Lately I’ve been cooking something I pinned once a week, but my goal has always just been once a month. Feel free to join me in putting our pins to use!

To make hot chocolate cookies you will need:

  • 1/2 cup shortening (I wouldn’t recommend substituting this, you need the texture of it)
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons hot chocolate mix (buy a marshmallow free mix!)
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

To make:

  • Use a hand mixer to stir together shortening, softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour and hot chocolate powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and combine.
  • Fold in chocolate chips.
  • Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour
  • After your dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350* and drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet
  • Bake for 8 minutes or until set up but the centers are still soft.
I recommend if you don't eat them straight out of the oven, heat them up in the microwave for a few seconds. It makes them extra amazing!

I recommend if you don’t eat them straight out of the oven, heat them up in the microwave for a few seconds. It makes them extra amazing!

You can check out everything else I’ve baked and cooked from pins here, everything is moderately easy and absolutely delicious!

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Linked up with: Someday Crafts, 504 Main

Pinterest Food Challenge: Easy, Creamy Tomato Soup

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Last week I hit you with a detailed potato soup recipe- this week I went for easy. All you need is a blender and a microwave, woo hoo! This is also from the same website I got my sugar doodle recipe from, an those were a huge hit so now that I’ve got two good ones in a row I think I’m going to have to go through the website a bit more.

pinterest food challenge

At least once a month, try and cook or bake something you pinned- then share the wealth!

The ingredients for this recipe were really straight forward, and a lot of them I already had on hand:

  • two 14.5-ounce cans stewed tomatoes

  • 2 carrots, peeled and trimmed

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3/4 teaspoon Adobo seasoning

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, optional and to taste

  • basil for garnish

  • mozzarella shredded cheese for garnish

The original recipe has a few other suggestions of seasonings and measurements, so be sure to check it out here.

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And here’s how to make it:

  • Chop up your carrots
  • Put all ingredients (besides garnishes) in a blender until creamed
  • Pour into a microwave safe container and microwave 3-5 minutes at a time on high, stir, then repeat this step until soup is at desired temperature. I think it was 10 minutes total for me

We had about 4 servings of delicious, crazy easy to make tomato soup.

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I recommend you make yourself a solid grilled cheese to dip in it. :)

What have you cooked recently?

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Linked up with: Someday Crafts, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage, 504 Main

Pinterest Food Challenge: Creamy Potato Soup

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Lately I’ve been posting recipes every Wednesday, I guess I’ve been in the mood to cook. I’ve got another one on the docket- Creamy Potato Soup. I got bold and tried attempted a recipe from the one and only Pioneer Woman.

pinterest food challenge

We all pin so many ideas and recipes, but let’s take some action people! At least once a month, cook or bake something that you pinned and link it in the comments!

The original recipe is here, I adapted it to better suit what we like so be sure to check out both. My version made about 8 servings.

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For my version, here’s what you’ll need:

  • 3 whole carrots, diced
  • 6 whole small potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 3 cans chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Here’s how it goes:

  • Dice your carrots and put them in a large pot with a bit of water, leave on stoptop with medium heat
  • Peel and dice your potatoes, add them to the carrots, and let cook for 5-7 more minutes
  • Add salt, pepper, chili powder, and chicken broth to the pot, cook for 10-15 more minutes until potatoes are soft
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour and milk, then add to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes
  • Remove 1/2-2/3 of the soup from the pot and put it in the blender on high until creamy then add it back into the pot
  • Mix in sour cream and parsley
  • Cook for another 5 minutes, then serve with mozzarella on top

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PS- Have you voted for me to win an Apartment Therapy Homie yet? I’m never going to win, but right now I’m sitting happily in the middle and I’d love to stay there. Also, you can vote for as many blogs as you’d like so vote away here!

Here’s who I voted for:

 
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Pinterest Food Challenge: Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

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I know, I’ve been a bit on a dessert kick this month- first with the peanut butter chocolate chip fudge and then with the peanut butter chocolate chip shortbread cookies. But you’re going to have to deal with it because I’ve got some more peanut butter for you: 4 ingredient peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that just so happen to also be gluten free. Yum!

pinterest food challenge

We all pin so many ideas and recipes, but let’s take some action people! At least once a month, cook or bake something that you pinned and link it in the comments!

The original recipe is actually from PBS Parents, I’ve made them twice now and with different peanut butters each time. The first time I made the cookies with Skippy brand peanut butter and I LOVED them. The second time I made them with Teddie natural peanut butter and I wasn’t super crazy about them, but Matt loved them. So I guess it’s a preference thing.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (I used smooth both times)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg (beaten)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make:

  • Preaheat oven to 350*
  • Mix all the ingredients together, I did this by hand with a fork
  • Scoop in heaping balls onto a greased cookie dish, then use a fork to press down on each ball (so they flatten)
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes then let cool for at least 5 before moving

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So super easy, so super cheap, and a real crowd pleaser!!  I definitely recommend you try them, whether you need to eat gluten free or not.
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Linked up with:

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts, Hookin Up With House of Hepworths, and Liz Marie Blog

 

Pinterest Food Challenge: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

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I’m on a serious peanut butter kick this month. A few weeks ago I shared a no-bake 4 ingredient peanut butter chocolate chip fudge recipe and today I’m back with some more dessert  because I had leftover peanut butter and chocolate chips. Woo hoo!

pinterest food challenge

We all pin so many ideas and recipes, but let’s take some action people! At least once a month, cook or bake something that you pinned and link it in the comments!

I pinned this recipe from The view from Great Island and followed it pretty closely, but I would make some adjustments in the future.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

A few things I didn’t know about shortbread cookies because I’d never eaten or made them before:

  • They don’t change shape when you cook them, what it looks like on the pan is what it looks like done
  • Even if you don’t think it’s done, take it out at the time stated on the recipe- there’s no eggs, so there’s no undercooking to worry about
  • Let them cool thoroughly- don’t be greedy and try to eat one right away because it will crumble to pieces (oopsies)

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Ok now that we’ve got that out of the way, here’s how they’re made:

  • Mix together the vanilla, butter & peanut butter, I did this by hand but you could use a hand mixer
  • Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together then add it to your mixture
  • Stir in the chocolate chips
  • The original recipe says to move this onto wax paper and wrap it up like a tootsie roll so you can slice off the cookies- this didn’t work for me because I just didn’t have knives crazy sharp enough to cut through it. So I recommend you just toss the dough in a tupperware. Refridgerate AT LEAST two hours
  • When you put your dough on the cookie sheet be sure to flatten it to the thickness you want your cookie- don’t place rolled balls on the sheet because remember they don’t change shape.
  • Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 12-14 minutes at 325*
  • Let cool for at least 10 minutes before moving the cookies and stuffing your face.

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These were a hit because they were insanely delicious, I recommend you give them a try. Be sure to check out all the other Pinterest recipes I’ve tried out here!
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Polkadot Pretties

Pinterest Food Challenge: (4 ingredient!) Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Fudge

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If your new years resolution was to eat healthier, you may just want to go ahead and skip this post. Because this recipe is the exact opposite of healthy. But it is downright delicious.

pinterest food challenge

We all pin so many ideas and recipes, but let’s take some action people! At least once a month, cook or bake something that you pinned and link it in the comments!

I decided to test out a recipe from Comfy in the Kitchen that I pinned pretty recently because it was no bake and had only 4 ingredients, and per usual I made a double batch (the Italian in me doesn’t feel that single batches are quite enough food). Because of how rich fudge is, this double batch was enough to serve a plate to my friends at a slumber party, a platter to my family on new years eve, a plate to my coworkers later in the week, and a few put to the side for Matt & I. So basically, if you don’t have about 20 people to feed cut this recipe in half.

YUM.

YUM.

Here are your 4 ingredients:

  • 4 sticks of butter (but remember how many people this feeds before you let your eyes widen!)
  • 2 cups smooth peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 pounds powdered sugar (yiiikes)
  • chocolate chips (optional)

And the super easy no bake instructions:

  • Put the butter and peanut butter in a large bowl (you don’t have to mix them) then microwave it for 2 mins, 30 seconds on high. Stir. Place back in microwave for another 2 mins, 30 seconds on high. Stir. One more time: microwave for 2 mins, 30 seconds on high. This may seem like overkill but your not just melting it, your browning it as well.
  • Add vanilla and stir in then gradually add the sugar. I actually used about half cup less then the two pounds, so use your discretion. I just stirred it all with a fork- no mixer or anything. Once it forms together into one big (delicious heart attack sized) blob it’s done being stirred.
  • Line a 12×9 pan with parchment paper and spray it with non-stick, then spread the mixture in it. At this point I decided to also cover it with chocolate chips, then use my fork to slightly push them in to the mixture (so they weren’t just sitting on top).
  • Cover it up and place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
  • Use the biggest knife you have to cut it into pieces and serve!

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Here’s my very unprofessional review:

  • It is delicious but you really only need to eat one piece, so the double batch was overkill
  • It was super easy and you could totally make it with kids
  • You could probably sprinkle whatever you want on top- nuts, chocolate, sprinkles- anything to give it a little cruncheroo.
  • I rarely listen when a recipe tells me to use parchment paper, but it is worth it for this one so you can easily lift it out of the pan and chop it up.

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HookingupwithHoH504 MainPolkadot Pretties

Pinterest Food Challenge: Sugar Doodle Cookies

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I know I already hit you guys with this earlier in the month when I made Killer Mac & Cheese, but ’tis the season to bake your butt off. So here’s another delicious one. :)

pinterest food challenge

We all pin so many ideas and recipes, but let’s take some action people! At least once a month, cook or bake something that you pinned and link it in the comments!

We had a holiday party planned for work, which I totally forgot about until the night before, so I decided to make sugar cookies since I had all the ingredients on hand. Then I thought that seemed pretty blah so I took to Pinterest for something a little more jazzy then plain old sugar cookies. But still something that wouldn’t require me to leave the house for more ingredients. That’s when I found Averie Cooks and her crazy delish Sugar Doodle Cookies. Be sure to check out her blog for all sorts of yum! These guys are sugar cookie/snickerdoodle hybrids.

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As always, I like to write out the recipe here in case of a future dead link, and because I tend to either shake things up at least a tiny bit or not have fancy things like electric mixers (and have to improvise):

You will need:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons cream or milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

I actually made a double batch, which got me about 45-50 cookies. So the recipe above will get you about 2 dozen.

To prepare:

  • Beat the butter on low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes with a hand mixer.
  • Add the sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the egg, cream, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Add the flours, baking soda, salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
  • Transfer dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. ( I did the minimum 3 hours and they came out just fine.)

To bake:

  • After at least 3 hours, preheat oven to 350°F, line a baking sheet with  parchment, or spray with cooking spray.
  • Form heaping mounds  and place them on the baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until pale golden and edges have just set, even if slightly undercooked in the center, as cookies will firm up as they cool.
  • Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing.

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Super easy and SO GOOD- they’re really simple and plain looking but at soft and buttery and sugary and delightful. I brought a batch to work and they were gone in about 2 hours. The second batch stayed at home and was eaten in about 2 days. I’ll diet in January?

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