Know what’s SUPER FRUSTRATING? Writing and scheduling a post, only to find out that only the title posted. Also, I have tried THREE TIMES to make this work with photos and WordPress is being a jerk today. Hear that, WordPress? GET IT TOGETHER.  Head —> Desk. So I guess I’ll write it again. If I can remember what I said. And you might not get photos. I’m sorry. Hm…I think it went something like this:

I adore Pinterest. (Find me here.) If asked to pick a favorite feature one might think it would be hard, but for me, it’s not. I love the recipes the most. I really like to cook and I love find variations on old favorites, brand new ideas and decadent looking desserts. Since I challenged myself to actually do some of the things I pinned, recipes have been the most frequent. Each time I sit down to write my grocery list/meal plan, I also open my Pinterest and try to use one new recipe each time. Some have been busts, but I’ve found some really great ones recently that are going into the arsenal. I especially like this since I find I tend to get into food ruts and make the same thing over and over.

Below are three of my more recent favorites. All photos are credit of the original poster. I’d love to be one of those bloggers who take pretty photos of their food, but I never remember to take them until I’m about halfway through and by then…meh. I just want to eat.

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs by Handle the Heat

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This simple meal was quick, easy, and the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. My only recommendations would be to double the spice mix if you’re making a large amount of chicken. I made five thighs and just barely had enough spice to cover the last one. I also suggest using the cooking time as just a loose guide, and use your eyes and nose as the real timer. The original recipes calls for a seven-minute cook time, but mine took more like 15. Once you’ve unsuspectingly taken a bite of raw chicken, you try not to do it again. On top of being good, this was a really affordable meal. I bought seven thighs on sale for under $4. Yum!


Corn Cakes with Tomato Avocado Relish by Annie’s Eats

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I made these as a side to go with the spicy honey-brushed chicken, and I’m so glad I did. They are delicious! I used 2.5 cups frozen corn (thawed) instead of off the ear and regular milk instead of buttermilk because that’s what I had on hand. The result was a perfectly portioned cake of yum that paired really well with the relish. A relish that is so tasty, you could eat it straight out the bowl with a spoon…which I did! The cakes are a bit dense, so they are super filling and would work equally well as a side or a light lunch/dinner. I yielded about 11 cakes, so Owen and I finished the rest of lunch the next day. He liked it all, too! (Toddler approved!) I didn’t put any ranch dressing on top, as I don’t think it needs it.

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken by Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

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I’m a big fan of slow cooker meals in the winter. With minimal work, you have a healthy meal that makes the house smell good all day. This one is no exception. The recipe calls for chicken thighs, but I had 1.5 pounds of chicken breasts in the freezer so I used those instead and halved the sauce recipe. Since breasts have less fat than other cuts of meat, I also cooked them closer to seven hours in the hopes that they would be come super tender. While they still turned out really yummy, they never reached that pull-apart goodness I hoped they would. If that matters to you, I would follow the recipe exactly and use the thighs. I served this along side couscous and broccoli and Michael mmm’d his way through it, requesting I make it again in the future.

So there you have it, some of my recent favorite food pins. I’ll do another round up in a few weeks because I truly believe good food is to be shared. Happy eating…and pinning! (PS – if you’re on Pinterest and I don’t follow you, please leave your user name in the comments so I can. Especially if you have a food board!)

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