Pinterest Recipe Review: Southwest Pasta with Poblano Cream Sauce

Recently, I found the picture below on Pinterest and thought this recipe sounded delicious. I thought it would be the perfect compliment to the brisket the Boy had on the Traeger, and whipped it up last night. Since then I have had tons of you asking for the recipe.

The recipe comes from the Cook Like a Champion blog.

Picture via here.

This is what my finished product looked liked.  

I didn't include the black beans since the Boy isn't a fan of them. 

The meal was pretty good but I think it could use a few tweaks. Also, as the original recipe mentions the heat definitely builds, but I think the heat came more from the Rotel rather than the poblano peppers. Something you might consider if you make the recipe is switching out the Rotel for cherry tomatoes and some jalepenos. I felt that the salad didn't have a fresh enough taste and I think that might help. Also, I used can corn. Next time I am going to try and find fresh or I'll do frozen, to give it a "fresher" taste. 

Overall, I would give this recipe a B+, but I think I'll give it another shot with a few of my teaks. 

Easiest Way to Clean Your Microwave

Suzie Homemaker

This Thanksgiving weekend has been full of food, time spent at the farm getting cattle ready for picture day, and doing a little fall cleaning around our house.

I love to cook and I am pretty good at keeping things tidy, but please don't look in our microwave. However, today was the day to get it clean! Thanks to Pinterest I combined a couple suggestions and crossed my fingers that things would work out because a word to the wise not everything on Pinterest works out!

Yes, this is our microwave. Please don't judge. 

Put a microwave safe bowl filled with water and a couple tablespoons of vinegar into the microwave. You can also do the two count pour with the vinegar to measure. The vinegar is to help capture the smells that will be released from the steam cleaning. Close the door and let your microwave run for five minutes. 

Remove the bowl (caution it will be HOT!) Then take a wet cloth and begin to wipe. I was pretty impressed that by just wiping no hard scrubbing this is how clean the microwave was. I decided I didn't feel like scrubbing today so I out the bowl back in the microwave for another five minutes. 

The extra five minutes did the trick! The tough spots wiped clean the second time. A perfectly sparkling microwave.

101 Update: Pinterest do and don't recipes

Working on my inner DIYer.

Who is a Pinterest fanatic? I am, I am, I am. A big part of my addiction is the recipe section. And since trying 10 new recipes was a 101 in 1001 goal of mine Pinterest was the perfect place to scope out new recipes.

However, things don't always turn out like those perfect food photography shots. So here a few ratings on my latest Pinterest recipe tries.

                                                                   Source: crystalcattle.blogspot.com via Crystal on Pinterest

Raspberry Delight: A++++
This recipe has been so far my biggest Pinterest success. I have made it twice already and people are asking for it again. Winner. You can find the recipe here.

                                                                        Source: treehugger.com via Crystal on Pinterest

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Grilled Strawberries: B

They were ok. I think I'll stick with grilling peaches as my fruit of choice. They kind of tasted like strawberry jam, and they make your grill really sticky.

                                                                Source: frostedbakeshop.blogspot.com via Crystal on Pinterest

Watermelon and Strawberry Lemonade: A

I forgot to take a picture of this when I made it, but I loved this recipe. (Maybe it was the vodka I added). It is a little unusual to drink watermelon. There is definitely a texture to the drink, but I really enjoyed it.

                                                                 Source: livinglight58.blogspot.com via Crystal on Pinterest

Rachel Ray's Southwestern Chili Con Queso Pasta Bake: B+

The recipe was pretty good, but not nearly as good as the picture looked. It makes a huge quantity so in our two person household we had tons of leftovers. Also, it definitely has some kick to it. I would probably turn back the amount of jalepeno I and chili powder used next time.

                                                                          Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Crystal on Pinterest

Crock Pot Cheesy Ravioli Recipe: C

I was hoping this recipe would really turn out and would be a good option for me to make at the state fair. However, I don't think this recipe tasted any better than boiling Ravioli and pouring sauce on top of it. I cooked the recipe the minimum amount of time and it was still quite mushy. This won't be a repeat recipe in our house. 

What Pinterest successes have you had? Did you know that there is a website called Pinterst Fail? Definitely worth checking out. 

Also, there has been a lot of discussion on my blog post yesterday about USDA School Lunches. I hope you'll check it out and weigh in. Happy Wednesday! 

DIY: Jute Monogrammed Wedding Letter

Thank you Pinterest inspiration. 

I had been eyeing a very similar wreath to the one I created, however my thrift (a better word than cheap) self said, "Self you can make that yourself." And so I did.

Don't be fooled this project takes a little while (more than an hour in my case). But it was a great way to fill the time while the Boy was at bowling.

I didn't take any step-by-step photos, but here are some tips.

- I bought my styrofoam letters online here They shipped out super quick. Mine was 12" tall and 1" thick
- You'll want to wrap the letter in jute twine. I bought a HUGE roll from Burlap Fabric.com (you should see all the other cool stuff I got for the wedding! However, that is for a later post). Pick a really thick jute, because that will mean less wrapping, and trust me by the end you'll be glad!
- You'll need a hot glue gun, I went through one of the super long sticks. Choose the low setting on your gun otherwise the styrofoam will melt a little
- whatever decor you want to use as an accent

I started in the middle of my letter, and began wrapping toward the top, and the did the bottom half, trying to put most of the glue on the back side of the letter. The jute is easier to work with if you cut it into 2-3 foot sections.

I love this jute stair runner.

Have you been inspired by all the burlap and jute decor that has been popping up? I am so glad that we choose it as one of our wedding colors. p.s. It is exactly one month until the big day! We can't wait.

How to package beef

Clever marketing, clever design

Source: lovelypackage.com via Crystal on Pinterest

I love this unique packing from Swiss food retailer Migros. Made me smile, hope you smile too.