Successful (and not) Pinterest Recipes

I probably could have titled this post "Cooking with the Space Ball (me)" because I have to say before you read my successful and unsuccessful recipes that the unsuccessful were all my fault and not the fault of the recipe or the creator of the recipe.  I am horrible at eye-balling when I shouldn't (which is basically always), misreading ingredients, and substituting ingredients when I don't have the exact ones called for in the recipe.

Now that you know, here is what I've been up to in my kitchen thanks to Pinterest! 

Successful

2 ingredient cookies from the Burlap Bag

Made with bananas and oats, I will really liked these - especially with chocolate chips added in and I think cinnamon would be another great addition although I did not use it this time.   I also used 3 bananas because mine were small and I didn't have quick oats so I used whole oats.  I may get some quick oats for next time because mine are very... oaty.  I made a few plain, a few with chocolate chips and a few with white chips because Jason can't have chocolate.  YUM and HEALTHY!  I'm giving the whole "gluten free" thing a go these were perfect for that!

Healthy Lunch Snack from Girl Who Loves Everything (I named it because it didn't have a title)

I used leftover salmon I'd baked the night before, added 1 boiled egg and probably a quarter of an avocado, maybe less, with a dash of salt on top.  It was DELISH and filling!  I ate 16 plain Lays kettle chips, which is 1 serving, to go along with it and a small cup of Eloise's apple juice because I hadn't made any green tea.  It was the perfect lunch!

Spaghetti Squash with Grilled Chicken, Sundried Tomatoes, Broccoli, and Peas from R&T.

I'm counting this one as a success even though I made a few mistakes and left out the chicken and peas (I was using it as a side dish with salmon and Jason doesn't like peas).  It is also not one of those dishes you throw together and then leave...which are the kind I usually make.  But I'd make this one again in a heartbeat.  It was DELISH and my very first go with spaghetti squash (which is just so cool - the squash, not me).

Homemade Taco Seasoning from Rachel Cooks

This was a huge success and very delicious! I was a little nervous about it, but it tastes just as good if not better than what comes in the little packets at the grocery stores.  The only ingredient I left out were the crushed red pepper flakes because I don't like that much spiciness, but other than that I actually followed directions and measured and such. 

Unsuccessful

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars from The Pioneer Woman

This was all my fault.  I changed too many variables and misread the amount of butter so they didn't really become bar-like at all - more like strawberry oatmeal casserole, however it tasted pretty good when servd with a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt.  I used only 1 stick of butter instead of 1 and 3/4.  I used whole wheat flour, although I have no idea if that made it more crumbly.  I didn't have strawberry preserves so I used Welch's Natural strawberry spread.  And I eyeballed the rest.  And I didn't pat it down.  I'd love to give these another go but Jason said there's too much butter and since I'm no longer using light butter he doesn't want all that.  But I think I could be successful with these if I followed the instructions.

Zucchini Chips from Table for Two

What I did wrong here was I did not have silicon baking mats or parchment paper and as usual I didn't let not having what I needed stop me.  So I put tin foil over my baking pans and let that be that.  ha.  I cut the zucchini slices really thin - maybe too thin - and brushed olive oil over them with my NEW pastry brush (I felt so sophisticated).  I didn't have kosher salt so I got out the old salt shaker and went at it.  My chips turned out really tiny and thin and they taste like fried okra to me.  Not bad, I guess, but not the lovely, appetizing looking chips the Table for Two recipe page.