Enchilada Casserole

To start off, I just want to say of the dozen or so things I've made so far for this blog, this is by far my husband's favorite dish.  It's not super healthy, although I don't think it's terrible for you and it's gluten free if you use corn tortillas.  It's basically a Mexican lasagne with tortillas instead of noodles.  I didn't make this recipe exactly right, I definitely took some liberties, but it turned out delicious.  A few days after I made it, my husband made an entire second casserole, but he used the leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken. That, by the way, turned out great too.

Here's the original pin:

Chicken & Black Bean Casserole

I forgot to take a picture of it cooked.  It was just too delicious.

This recipe is pretty easy and quite adaptable. I didn't have the cumin, coriander or garlic powder so I used red chili pepper and onion powder.  Also, didn't bother to buy fresh cilantro, I just used dried.  This recipe is plenty flavorful, so no harm done.  You start by cooking the chicken with a little oil and the dried seasoning, then pull it apart. I had my husband buy the groceries for this recipe and he couldn't find diced peppers so he bought a second can of enchilada sauce, which ended up being just fine.  The second can was medium rather than mild, so it gave it a little punch while keping it edible, even for Nugget.  Apparently, you're not supposed to mix in the enchilada sauce in with the other ingredients, but I did and it was fine.  I combined the chicken with the beans and sauce.  Then begin layering in a casserole dish like you would a lasagne... sauce, sour cream, cheese, tortillas... repeat. I also didn't reserve any cheese for the end, I just pulled off the tin foil a few minutes before the cooking time was up.

                 

Like I said, this has been my husband's favorite Pin I've done by far, and I thought it was great too.  Spicy but not too spicy, and I do love a good casserole.  There are tons of changes you can make to adapt to your taste: change the cheese, level of spiciness, beans, meat (the turkey version was delicious too).

Cost: Fairly reasonable for a full meal for a family plus freezer leftovers.

Time: Not long.  You could certainly prepare it the day before and pop it in the oven after a long day at work or just do it day of, it's maybe only 20 minutes of prep.

Difficulty: Very easy, very tasty... a perfect combination.

Aesthetic Appeal: Doesn't really matter.  Anytime cheese is bubbling on top of a meal, it's a good thing.

Life Enhancement: It certainly enhanced my husband's life.  It would be a nice casserole to bring a sick friend or someone who just had a baby, so that's nice too.

Polka Dot Finger Nails

I've always liked keeping my nails polished but I'm not what you'd call "good" at it. I'm a little messy, kind of impatient and don't have a very steady non-dominant hand so nail art is a challenge to me.  When I saw this, I thought it looked pretty simple so I decided to try it.  Results: not terrible, I must say.

Here is the original pin:

Polka Dot Nails

Original Pin                                                                    My Pic

So I started the way you would any manicure, clear base coat then color.  I thought this green and blue looked pretty good together.  You need pretty dense colors to make this work.  Anything too transparent wouldn't bee seen.  I tried to choose 2 colors that were the same tone and intensity.  I think color choice is everything here.  If you use the wrong colors it could just look weird.  After the clear base, 2 coats of your nail color.  After that, wait awhile before doing the dots so it doesn't get gummy.  The original blogger said to use a cuticle pusher, but I used the back of a pin.  I guess that's why my dots are a bit bigger.  I've seen many variations of polka dots on Pinterest, some with variable sizes of dots.  You probably just need to use a couple different tools for the dots.

Use the end of a pin stuck into an eraser to make your dots 

As you can see below, I'm pretty messy, but the next day after I'd peeled off the excess polish, it looks pretty nice.

Overall, I think this is pretty cute.  It's pretty and easy to do.
Cost: Really just the nail polish.
Time: Doing your own nails always takes a bit of time.  I do it after Nugget is in bed while watching tv.  It's about the only time during the day that I know I won't be interrupted.
Difficulty: Easy.  Like I said, I'm not so good at neatness, but this turned out nice.
Aesthetic Appeal: Well, that's the whole point, if they're not pretty, it's not worth doing.
Life Enhancement: Worth doing.  Hard to mess up. Something a little different than single color nails.

No Flour Banana Muffins

I have been flirting with gluten free for a few months now, and while I have decided that it's not for me (I'm certainly not celiac, but I had other issues that I thought might be influenced by diet) I do think it's probably a good idea to try and limit flour from my diet. While I was on the bandwagon I tried many recipes and some turned out pretty good.  I'm constantly looking for less "carby" breakfasts that I can prepare ahead of time and have available quickly in the morning. And sometimes... you just don't feel like eggs again. This Pin hits the mark and I think they're pretty tasty.

Here is the original Pin:

Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Muffins

Their Muffins                                                   My Muffins

I followed this recipe closely, using regular sugar as I believe that artificial sweeteners are the devil. Basically you mix the bananas with the eggs, then add the yogurt, oatmeal, sugar and baking soda. From my dabbling with gluten free, I learned that oats are naturally gluten free but are often prepared and packaged with gluten products, so if you are celieac (you probably alreay know this) or are very sensitive, you have to purchase oats that specify that they're packaged in a gluten free facility.

Ok, so I'm not exactly the neatest baker.  Maybe I'll get better?

I like this recipe.  The muffins were tasty and I think they're ripe for variations.  Certainly seasonings like vanilla or cinnamon would be welcome.  I'm not sure if adding fresh or frozen fruit would change the chemistry enough to ruin the texture.  As is, the texture is a little on the chewy side, not light and fluffy like an ordinary flour muffin, so don't expect it to be airy. You definitely need paper muffin liners and you'd be wise to let them cool for awhile otherwise they can get pretty sticky.  They were delicious with peanut butter and Nugget definitely approved.

Cost: They're great for using up ripe bananas, so score! The only thing I bought especially for this recipe was the yoghurt. My husband bought fat free instead of low fat, but that didn't seem to be any trouble.  They would also be fine with the nice thick 10% we buy for the little one.

Time: They're muffins, nothing fancy.

Difficulty: My only difficulty was pouring them into the tin without making a mess. Maybe you have steadier hands?

Aesthetic Appeal: They're not light and fluffy with a round crunchy shell like you'd find at a coffee shop, but they certainly don't look bad.

Life Enhancement: If you're celiac or just trying to cut down on refined carbs, this recipe is great.  It should fulfill any craving you might have for breakfast baked goods.

Healthy Chicken Casserole

Food on Pinterest, by and large, is divided into two categories, super, rediculously healthy food that may or may not fall into a "diet" category like vegan or gluten free or... the reason why America is fat, gooey, sweet, deep-fried monstrosities. It's like Pinterest people have those little angels and devils on their shoulders like you see in cartoons. These Pins represent what we aspire to be and what most of us really are (and eat). I, myself try and live mostly on the angel side (hence this Pin) but that's not to say I don't sometimes enjoy some good devil food.  Closer to Christmas you'll see that a lot more.

Here is the original Pin:

Balsamic Chicken

Original                                                                      Mine 

The first problem I have with this pin is it's name.  There is but a mere teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and it is not noticeable at all. First tip for this recipe... add more balsamic... it's delicious and flavorful.

The only things that I altered about this recipe was that I used a yellow onion instead of a red one (because that's what I already had at the house) and I used garlic from a jug instead of peeling and chopping the little bulbs.  I swear none of my cooking would have any flavor if it wasn't for those jugs of prepared garlic.  To start, you brown off the chicken.  I used smaller pieces instead of whole breasts because that's what I could find, and I used a little olive oil instead of cooking spray. When the chicken is cooked through, you place it at the bottom of a casserole dish.

Then you make your pesto topping with the basil, garlic, oil, etc.  Blend until smooth. 

Add the pesto to the casserole dish, then the onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.  Any number of other veggies would be fine in this recipe.  I think spinach would be especially nice.

Cover and put in the oven for about 40 minutes. While it was cooking I put some brown rice in my rice cooker and it timed out pretty well.

Overall, this recipe is definitely healthy, as for tasty... it's pretty good, but not great.  It tastes like you're eating a healthy meal, which isn't a bad thing, it's just not particularly inspirational.  If I were to make this again, I would try and up the flavor a little bit... more garlic, some salt, and definitely more balsamic vinegar.

Cost: About what you'd expect to pay for a home cooked meal.  I had to buy the chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms and basil, but I already had everything else. It's about 4 portions, so we were able to put some leftovers away for lunch for Nugget another day.

Time: Maybe 10-15 minutes prep, then 40 minutes cooking.

Difficulty: I think it would be difficult to ruin this, but there's any number of things you can do to make it better.

Aesthetic Appeal: The red tomatoes and green pesto make it a fairly attractive meal.

Life Enhancement: I think this recipe is a good base for future ideas rather than an excellent meal as is.  It is very healthy, no doubt... gluten free, low fat, but the seasoning needs to be bumped up to make it memorable.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies

Happy Thanksgiving! When I saw this Pin, I thought, what a great idea! They're pretty simple without being boring.  I thought they would be perfect cookies for bringing to work on Thanksgiving because they are a beautiful combination of the flavors of the season; pumpkin, cinnamon and oatmeal.

Here's the original Pin:

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

With this recipe I stuck pretty close to the directions.  I sometimes play it fast and loose with savory meals, but with baking, if I make changes, I end up with the wrong texture or consistency.  It's science, I tell ya! Like many cookie recipes you start with mixing all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another. Then you whip the two bowls into one and fold in the cinnamon chips.

When I make cookies, and especially if I'm sharing them with a group, I like to keep them small. I consequently took a minute off the baking time and they turned out perfect! I had no major mishaps to amuse you with so I'll get right down to the grading.

Overall I think that they're nice little cookies.  They're not too sweet and a very nice firm but chewy texture. I will say though, Nugget really didn't care much for them.  She kept reaching for them on the cooling rack, but would then pick them apart and feed at least half to the dog.  I think she's just more of a chocolate lover!

Cost: No more than an ordinary cookie recipe.  The only annoyance is I need to figure out what to do with the rest of the canned pumpkin before it goes south.

Time: Mix, mix, combine, plop, bake.  At about 10 minutes per cookie sheet, the whole batch took about an hour to mix and bake. Oh, and at this small size it makes almost 80 cookies... enough to share and enough to keep at home.

Difficulty: They're really pretty simple drop cookies, no extra fancy steps.

Aesthetic Appeal: They have a little bit of a festive orange tinge to them, but they're not terribly impressive to look at... but no matter, they're tasty.

Life Enhancement: I think I would definitely bake them again in the fall or winter... maybe even add them to my list for Christmas cookies.  I like making a large variety of cookie flavors for Christmas... gingerbread, peppermint, etc.  It would nicely fit into the pumpkin slot.

Creamy Peanut Bars

A lot of the recipes I tend to look at on Pinterest err on the healthy side.  There are plenty of terrible things in the world to eat if you're so inclined so why spend the energy to make more? Well, the answer to that is Thanksgiving, a holiday that is synonimous with copious amounts of delicious, usually home made food.  Thanksgiving is also a holiday that I have spent with coworkers and not family for the better part of the last 10 or so years.  So... I thought it was a good opportunity to make something ooey, gooey sweet to bring on Thursday to share with my coworkers.

Here is the original Pin:

Salted Nut Squares

Like the original blogger says, they're pretty easy and no bake. I think I actually followed this recipe pretty closely.  Usually I'm changing things a little here and there depending on if I read the recipe correctly or forgot something at the grocery store.  The only thing I really changed was quantities a little bit.  I hate recipes that don't use the quantities that are available in "normal" packages.  I used 1 bag of peanut butter chips which equals 1 3/4 cups of chips instead of 2 cups, and I used the entire container (minus the ones my husband snatched) of peanuts.  I figured those amounts were good enough.

You start with a layer of peanuts on the bottom of your pan, about half the nuts, then you combine the butter and PB chips until they melt.  

I melted the chips and butter on a very low heat until they got melty. When I added the condensed milk and marshmallows, the pot wasn't hot enough to melt them, so I returned it to the low heat even though the recipe said not to.  Eventually it came together into a smooth goo.

The instructions said not to line the pan with anything.  I would disagree.  I think that before you lay the first layer of peanuts on the bottom, you really should line with wax paper.  My biggest complaint about this recipe and the reason why I possibly won't bring these to share is because they were a giant pain to get out of the pan.  I tried slicing and removing the pieces after it had been refridgerated but they refused to come out.  I put it in the freezer for a few hours and they were a little easier to remove, but they were still a sticky mess.

Overall, they are tasty enough but too sweet for my liking.  If I don't bring them to work, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them.  They're not bad enough to throw away but they're not pretty enough to share.

Cost: Peanuts, condensed milk, peanut butter chips... all things I don't normally stock at my house, so they had to be purchased especially for this recipe.

Time: It took maybe 20 minutes plus a couple hours in the fridge/freezer.

Difficulty: The difficulty came in the removal of the squares.  Also, I had to be really careful with the melting of the peanut butter chips.  I have a terrible habit of burning instead of melting things.

Aesthetic Appeal: If they would come out of the pan, they would probably look nice, but instead I got kind of twisted, sticky messes.  Boo!

Life Enhancement: Not too much. They taste all right, but are chock full of sugar and don't really seem worth the calories to me.  If I want something terrible for me I want it to be extra special.

Coffee Sugar Body Scrub

I've seen many enticing body scrubs at Sephora but I've never been tempted to buy them because they are so expensive, so when I saw this I thought it was a great idea.

Here is the original Pin:

Mud Scrub

It was very easy to make.  You just mix up the 5 ingredients in a bowl. I used pumpkin spice coffee, brown sugar, grape seed oil and instead of peppermint extract, I used almond extract.  I think it would be fine without any extra extract, but it wouldn't be as fragrant.  The original Pin suggests using it on your face, but it seems much too abrasive for that. I've read that coffee is supposed to be great for firming skin.  I'll let you know...

Overall, I thought this was pretty good.  I don't often use scrubs, mostly because they are so expensive. I think having this readily available might encourage me to exfoliate more, which is great, especially in the winter.

Cost: Nothing compared to buying it in the store.  I used all ingredients I already had at the house.

Time: Next to none.

Difficulty: See above.

Aesthetic Appeal. It looks a little like dirt, but it really does smell divine.

Life Enhancement: If it helps me (cheaply) get through the winter without dry, flaky skin, it will enhance my life greatly.