2014 Pinterest Potluck Recipes

The name of my main Pinterest food board is Pinterest Potluck. It's not food that I would take to a potluck (well, I could), rather the board looks like a potluck with all it's varied pins.  

One of my goals in 2014 was to make at least one Pinterest recipe per month. Each month I added a new recipe to this post that I had found on Pinterest and tried, along with my thoughts, comments, changes. I was mostly successful. Towards the end of the year, I was feeling less energetic and didn't get around to trying anything new in November (also reflected in my Pinterest Project goal as well).  I'm still pleased however to have a few new recipes that I have added to my favorites list.  Here it is December 30 and I'm still undecided about my plans for 2015. Do I continue the same plan--1 new Pinterest Recipe per month-- or do I put a new criteria on it? I guess that will be determined soon enough. Stay tuned.

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole   |   December

Image Source: Allkindsofyum.com

Very easy and got rave reviews at work Christmas potluck! They thought it was just the right amount of spice. My only variation was to do less cheese and to do a blend of Pepperjack and Cheddar. The pepperjack gave it a little extra kick without a lot of effort. I cooked this overnight, but I didn't sleep well--worried that it might run out of juices and start burning... So about half way through the night, I got up and added a little more milk- just in case. Not sure if that was really necessary, but it gave me a bit more peace of mind. The only thing that really needs to "cook" overnight is the eggs and hashbrowns -- and so I was okay to have my programmable crockpot switch to warm after 4 hours. It was adequately cooked by the time I got it to work. {Will probably make again}


Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili   |   October

Image source: queenbeecoupons.com

So easy and it turned out great! I needed something quick to pull together for a farewell potluck we had at work today. I was too tired last night to make the hot bacon potato salad (see below), so I looked around my Pinterest pins hoping for something easy with ingredients I should already have on hand... bingo! I even had some thawed chicken breasts that I needed to use up, so win-win. I ended up throwing a 3rd chicken breast in --partly because I wasn't sure what else I'd do with it, but also because I knew that not many people had signed up with substantial dishes (fruit salad, cupcakes...). So I got up early this morning, threw everything in my programmable crock pot and set it for high at 4 hours, and then continued getting ready for work. When it was time to head to work, I unplugged it and took it to work for it to finish cooking in the break room. The aroma wafted through the medical practice where I work (I felt a little guilty for those patients who had to fast prior to their stress tests). It turned out fantastic! Everyone enjoyed it. Because of the extra chicken, it turned out more like a stew. I think it could've used a little more spice, so next time, I'm going to try adding a packet of taco seasoning in addition to the spices in the recipe (or maybe two packets and skip it all together??)  {Will definitely make again}



Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder  |   September

Image Source: browneyedbaker.com

Disappointing. I was expecting a "fuller" flavor to this soup. While it was mildly spicy and definitely NOT low-cal, I was left wondering what key ingredient was missing. You will need to love corn to enjoy this soup, and think you could easily leave out a can of the sweet corn and never miss it. I wish I had cooked the potatoes a little longer. {Probably won't make again}




Pumpkin Cheesecake  |  August

Image Source: ladybehindthecurtain.com

Very good! This was my very first cheesecake and it turned out great! I took it to a potluck dinner and it got good reviews. I was a bit disappointed with the homemade caramel sauce and didn't attempt the sugar pecan garnish. But overall tasty and easy to follow recipe.  {Might make again}





Hot Bacon Potato Salad  |  July

Oh, so amaaazing! In general, I'm pretty neutral about potato salad and have never ventured to make it before. However, at a potluck in June, I discovered that potato salad in a heated form, is rather quite good. I got the recipe from the lady who made and pinned it to Pinterest. It's now one of my favorite dishes! I got good reviews when I took it to a family function over July 4 weekend. YUM! {Will definitely make again}




Spicy Black Bean Salsa  |  June

Image Source: Ro-tel.com

Not your traditional salsa! I ended up modifying this recipe because I felt it lacked a little something after I made it (and doubled the corn). A friend made a similar black bean/corn/rotel salsa with Italian dressing (similar to THIS recipe), so I ending up adding a fat-free Caesar Italian (all that I had on hand). I thought it ended up okay, I still think it lacked something or maybe I had too much onion (I quadrupled the recipe and just chucked a bunch of onion in). I made WAY too much for a Saturday afternoon potluck...so took it to work on Monday for another potluck... and people at work ATE IT UP! I was surprised that it even was good after day one. So that's a win.  {Might make again}

Image Source: Budget Bytes

Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas | May

So good and flavorful. Easy too. This recipe calls for homemade taco seasoning which they link to in the recipe, but I found that a packet of store bought was just as good.  Recipe did not specify what kind of cheese and all I had was Kroger brand Hot Pepper Blend shredded cheese-- which probably added to the flavor. {Will make again}

Image Source: Budget Bytes

Salsa Chicken Casserole | May

So easy and very tasty. No changes. Didn't have any green onions, so left them out. {Will make again}

Image Source: myrecipes.com

Ohio Buckeyes | April

These tasted DELICIOUS! Just a like a Peanut Butter Cup! However I really struggled with the application of the melted chocolate. My PB balls kept falling apart. Did not look as pretty as the ones in the picture. Need to look around for tips on dipping in chocolate! {Might make again}

Image Source: aspicyperspective.com

Spicy Pumpkin Soup | April

Although it was spicy, I didn't think the flavor was that full or satisfying. I didn't have a fresh jalapeno and was forced to use canned, which was probably the difference.  I also didn't make the topping. it wasn't appealing for me.

I modified soup:

• added another 15 oz. can of pumpkin (total 2)
• added 3 oz. can of tomato paste.

Even still after the modifications and putting it over rice, I still wasn't completely happy with it.  {Probably won't make again}


Chocolate-PB Eclair | March

LOVE this easy dessert! This is one I added to Pinterest via my blog. {Will make again}

Image Source: Kitchenmeetsgirl.com

Hot Chocolate Mix | February

This a recipe for hot chocolate mix. No carregeenan!!! It's a little chalky due to the cocoa powder, but flavor okay.. {Probably won't make again}

Image source: Allrecipes.com

Quinoa & Black Beans | January

This turned out really yummy! I love to eat this in a soft taco shell. {Will make again}

My version/changes:

• I use chicken bouillon to make broth
• Added: 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. paprika and 1 can Rotel mostly drained and pureed -- add at same time spices are mentioned in the recipe. It adds a touch more moisture/liquid which I haven't figure out how to get rid of, but in the end you don't really notice.

Let's Kickstart!

Please take a moment and watch this kickstarter video that was created by my friend Rogers Hellman. He's an IT guy that I know from church, who has been working on developing an eMR (electronic medical record) that is ideal for the developing world and the inherent issues and challenges in the field of healthcare delivery. It's a pretty powerful tool with some neat features!


Here is the Kickstarter Project page.

This is going to make a difference in so many people's lives in Nigeria and Tanzania, and hopefully save some lives too!

As someone who lived in Liberia for a year (yes, the very same country that is in the center of the 2014 Ebola outbreak) and who ended up going to nursing school because of my experiences in Liberia... I have seen the extremes!

This software not only benefits the local clinics (storing and tracking medical record data), but also can provide real-time data to epidemiologists who could easily spot and track clustered diseases and enable the ministries of health to act immediately! Too bad Rogers' work wasn't already implemented in the countries that have been affected by the Ebola outbreak!

I do have an ulterior motive for sharing. I think this kickstarter project is bigger than just raising funds for the Nigeria and Tanzania installation. I'm hopeful that somehow, someway, just the right person will discover Rogers work and help take it to the next level. Personally, I am way more excited about building interest in this software and hoping to see it installed and put in hundreds of clinics in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, etc...   I wish I had more connections to help facilitate people learning about this software. So I'm starting with you.

Here are some questions for you...

Do you know someone interested or already involved in providing healthcare services in developing countries?
Do you know someone interested/already working in the field of epidemiology?
Do you know someone who has connections in the world of health NGOS or funding parters like the World Bank, UNICEF, USAID?
Do you know someone who is working on a similar project?
Do you know a software engineer who has an interest in aiding the developing world?
Do you know a medical student or PhD student in epidemiology who is looking for study data?
Do you know anyone working in a rural clinic in Africa or South or Central America who would be interested in implementing some sort of  electronic medical record system?
Do you know anyone who has a particular passion for a specific country, like Nigeria, Tanzania, Liberia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Haiti?

If so, I want you to share this Kickstarter project with them. I'm hoping it might spark some interest. Imagine the possibilities. This might be just the solution that your friend or the friend of your friend is looking for!

Sure. Of course. Rogers would very much like you and your friends to also contribute money to this kickstarter project to help the clinics in Tanzania and Nigeria. Of course. So please share, please tweet, please like, please pass along!

Thank you!

August Pinterest Project | Plaid French Memo Board

I've been wanting to do this project for probably close to a year.  And I'm so happy it's done and I can now enjoy it! (Mine is on the right).

Below is the picture that inspired me on Pinterest.  I was disappointed that it was simply just a photo on a designer blog. But thankfully there were plenty of french memo board DIY tutorials on Pinterest. I located this tutorial on Bennyville Blog that does a good job walking through the details.

I had been looking for fabric for this project for quite some time. Perhaps for over a year. Last week I finally found some fabric on Etsy that I liked. Paid more than I would have liked, but no regrets. And thankfully I have a fair amount of leftover fabric to employ for future projects. Yay!  ;)   If I could've found a similar red/black/white plaid somewhere, I certainly would have gone for that. But like I said, it took me quite a while to find fabric that I would be happy with. The photo really doesn't do the fabric justice. It's a really dark navy (almost black looking) with dark green, white and a small bit of yellow. I had thought about doing yellow ribbon but felt that it would've stood out and overpowered the board. So I went with white, which is, of course, one of the predominant colors. Also, I cut the fabric so that the plaid would lay diagonal on the board. It was challenging because the pattern is not square but more rectangle. But I was able to easily manipulate the ribbons to form squares/diamonds, so the rectangle issue is not all that noticeable.

Supplies
12" x 36" back-stapled traditional canvas by Artist's Loft (Michael's).
Basic quilt batting (I purchased by the yard- enough to wrap around the back edge of canvas).
3/8" grosgrain ribbon -- 10 yards was plenty for me (used maybe 8?)
Fabric (enough to wrap around back of edge of canvas on all 4 sides)
Staple gun, staples

I'm not going to go through my project step-by-step as the tutorial is linked above and the directions are very adequate. Certainly since my board is oblong, I did have to spend some time figuring out how I wanted to run the ribbons. I used straight pins to anchor the ribbons on the edge of the board where I wanted them (my ribbons are about 4.5 inches (mid-ribbon) apart. At the point I felt that everything was properly laid out, I stapled the ribbons to the back of the frame so that no staples would be visible. And I certainly feel that her instructions of criss-crossing the ribbons certainly helps to keep the items on the board without needing buttons or pins at the ribbon intersections.

I still have to add hardware for hanging. Currently it is just resting/sitting on my thermostat!!!

Pros:  It's a pretty simple project if you use the pre-made canvas! Very customizable in terms of colors/patterns, ribbons, board shape, etc...
Cons: None!  I love it!  Might choose to make another one!

July Pinterest Project | DIY fly paper

I had a fly living in my apartment for two weeks. Every day I hoped I find him dead on a window sill. So one day I looked on Pinterest to see if I could find any fly capturing solutions that didn't require a fly swatter. I found instructions for making your own fly paper using brown paper bag, twine, honey, sugar and water.

So you basically heat up the honey, water and sugar until liquidy (but not burning) and then dip the brown paper bag into the honey mixture and then hang up to dry. I chose to recyle a brown paper bag from Chipotle (you know, the ones that look like gift bags) and cut out the center of the bag front keeping the handles intact. That way I didn't have create a means by which to hang the paper. It was very easy to make the honey mixture, melt it and apply it. Most frustrating party was that it was ridiculously very slow to dry... hours and hours! BUT it IS really sticky.  Unfortunately my fly was not at all interested in my fly paper.

Pros: Easy to make!
Cons: Didn't work. Waste of time and resources. I ended up throwing my DIY fly paper out after 2 days (and deleted my pictures off my camera)!!

I ended up accidentally "catching" the fly in an empty plastic 2 liter lemonade bottle that I had saved, hoping to use for a future Pinterest project. oops!

June Pinterest Project | Set-in Oil Stain Removal

Okay, so my June project wasn't of the creative variety, but it did require hope that all would work out in the end!

So it being June now, I decided it was time to make the final clothing swap in the closet. Out with the sweaters and in with the capris! It was long-overdue, but life has been a bit crazy with the change of jobs. Nowadays I rarely wear anything other than scrubs during the weekdays (except PJ's). Thankfully the new job outside of the hospital means that my scrubs don't feel gross after working all day. So I rarely change clothes after work. Yay for less laundry!

Anywhoo, I'm getting off track.

All that to say... I've been slow to pull out my summer clothes. And to my horror, I discovered a favorite t-shirt and a favorite blouse BOTH had an unmissable oil stain on the front. The blouse was one that had been packed away since last fall! So, as I have grown accustomed to doing, I checked Pinterest and found a method to try. Honestly, I was doubtful, but I had a enough hope to give it a try. And boy, am I glad I did!

I had totally planned to take before and after photos and document my success (or failure) here, but in my excitement, I completely forgot! So you'll just have to trust me!

Follow the link above for the detailed instructions. But the gist is that you use WD-40, baking soda, a toothbrush, and Dawn dish soap, in various steps, to remove the set-in stain. I followed her steps exactly and it worked!

There was a time when I wasn't sure I wasn't doing it correctly (baking soda being rubbed into WD-40/oil stain), but apparently I was doing it right. It was just hard to tell amid the dust of baking soda all over my blouse. 

I will say that I used name-brands of everything except the baking soda.  WD-40 with a straw device. Check.  Dawn dish soap (blue). Check. A box of baking soda and a used toothbrush. That's it!

I'm so happy to have rescued two of my favorite tops!  Definitely worth a try on stubborn oil stains--even if you've already washed/dried the item multiple times.

Another win for Pinterest!

2014 Goals | An Update

The last two months have been about change. I bought a car, turned 40, and have recently just changed jobs. The good news is that I no longer work night shift. I am about two weeks into my new job at a cardiology clinic. No nights, no weekends, and no holidays! I do work 5 days a week which is an adjustment, but overall I expect my quality of life to improve (especially socially, physically, & emotionally).

I had hoped to do an quarterly update about how I'm doing with my 2014 goals, but alas, here it is early June...so this will have to do for a six month update.

So how am I doing with my goals?

1. No fast food (alone) -- I've been 99% faithful. I snuck and got a Shamrock Shake twice during March... but I see that more as enjoying a rare dessert that just happens to come from a fast food place.
2. No soda -- Been tempted, but 100% faithful.
3. Trade Smart University Classes -- I started but didn't get very far. My goal is to restart classes in late July once I'm feeling more comfortable in my new job.
4. Save $15K -- Well, this goal was to help facilitate the purchase of a "new" car. With rumors that my nephew would need a car this summer, I got busy and found one in April. I borrowed $$ from my parents to be able to pay cash. I bought a 2011 Honda Civic and I love it!  I am still paying insurance on my old car. Not sure when the hand off will take place. For the time being its parked at my parent's house. I'm hoping to pay off my parents in August.
5. Read through the Bible in a year -- 80% faithful. I did really well until early May when my birthday, a bunch of night shifts lined up tight, I went on a trip to NYC and then came back and changed jobs two weeks later... I am behind right now about 17 days. My hope is to play catch up over the next week. 
6. Increase MJH contribution % -- Never got around to it...new job!
7. Host Pinterest Potluck x2 -- Still on my to-do list. Thinking this is another good plan for the summer.
8. Camping Trip -- Still on my to-do list.
9. Birthday Party/Celebration -- I had a small party at a local Indian restaurant. Due to a variety of circumstances, I decided to forgo something larger. My hope is to organize/host a scavenger hunt (and camping trip) later in the summer to extend the celebration of my 40th.
10. Decrease TV/movie watching -- bleh. no progress.
11. Explore Changing Churches -- I think it was February when I joined a small group...so for now I'm planning to stay connected to my Church Family--the one I've been with since 1997.
12. Dating -- Still single. ha!  Not going to share a whole lot here, but I'll say that I ended up rejoining one of the sites I had given up. Not sure why as I rarely go on, rarely browse. Same for the other site. Dating and getting psyched up about dating while working night shift was hard. Now that I have my evenings "free" I'm hoping more opportunities come my way. But at 40, there are fewer and fewer single people. But I still believe there are some good ones left.
13. Journal Entry +1/week -- 85% faithful. Some weeks more than one entry. Other weeks none. When I'm busy, this is what falls by the wayside.
14. Bible Reading Daily -- See above. This is probably what I'm most disappointed about. But I won't give up!
15. Gym 2x/week and Walk 2x/week -- I estimate 65-75% faithfulness.  During colder months I was pretty consistent. But I've gotten a little slack since early May. But now with new job and evenings free, I have NO EXCUSE! I've been thinking that I'd like to incorporate strength training, so I've been thinking that perhaps I'd go to alternating cardio and strength days with my weekends off. Not sure yet.
16. Pinterest Project/month-- I missed my February deadline, but did two projects in March. So I'm at 100%.
17. Pinterest Recipe/month -- 100% faithful. This has been surprisingly easy to do! In April and May I've done TWO new recipes a month.
18. Lose 3-4 lbs/month -- No real progress here. Need a kick in the pants and maybe a gym or running partner!

Well that's it. Overall positive progress. Definitely on a good trajectory. Still time to make positive changes or progress.

May Pinterest Project | DIY Car Trash Bag

In April I bought a 2011 Honda Civic. So when you've got these plates on your car you better show you mean it! I must say that I love the way the landscape is mirrored in the chrome in this picture.

So for May, I decided to incorporate plaid into the interior of my car by making a plaid car trash bag.

I'm not going to share the step by steps here in my blog, but will link you back to the Pinterest Pin/tutorial that inspired me. That is HERE. Below are the pros/cons to the tutorial/design and my thoughts.

Pros: Best feature, aside from the plaid, is the use of boning around the top of the trash bag. Boning is the same stuff they use around the top of the nursing drapes for breast feeding moms.

Cons: The tutorial had me using interfacing on the straps and then having to turn them right side out after sewing. Almost impossible. I ended up having to go on to YouTube to find a demonstration of some techniques. I ended up using a shish-kebab stick to help, but even that wasn't as easy as it looked on YouTube. Also the instructions were pretty vague, not a true tutorial. There was no indication of seam allowances or direction of fabric when folding. I just figured it out as I went along and made adjustments as necessary.

Thoughts: If I need to make another trash bag, I'd probably look for another pattern or tutorial. Adjustments: I end up squaring off the bottom of my bag corners (sewing triangles across the bottom on the inside), which I think looks better. Overall, I'm happy to have a plaid trash bag...and be able to check off my May project! Again I was cutting it close, so was sorta rushed.