2014 Pinterest Challenge - February

Who doesn't love Pinterest?  If you're like me, you have "pinned" a million items, but actually completed about 2!  This challenge is to help us check a few things off of our list.

The rules are simple:

Complete a minimum of 1 pin each month and blog about it.  This must be done and shared by the last day of every month.  It can be anything...a book, craft, recipe or anything else you saw on Pinterest.

What if you don't have a blog?  There is a Facebook group and you can post your results there!

At the end of each month when your blog is complete, link up here and share with the world.

Your pin didn't quite turn out as planned?  Share that too...let's admit...everyone likes to see pins gone horribly wrong!

Last but not least...make sure you give credit where credit is due and link back to the original pin!

If you have a blog, add it to the comments at the end of this post.

For those of you interesting in participating or just following along,

 ask me to add you to our Facebook page!

Please also link back to this post somewhere for others to find

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I did a few different things at the beginning of the month.

I already posted the recipes I tried to the Facebook group.  Here is a list of what I tried this month:

Chicken Alfredo Ravioli Bake

This one was pretty good.  It made more than we needed, so perhaps next time I would cut it in half instead.

Cheesesteak Sandwiches

This one was NOT a winner.  I'm not sure what it was.  While I liked the method they used of wrapping the prepared sandwiches up tightly in foil and putting them in the oven for 20 minutes, the taste was not great.  I used provolone cheese and it was very strong.  Other times I have made Cheese Steak sandwiches, I always use BBQ sauce.

Easy Garlic Chicken & Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

This one was well received.  Brian really liked the chicken, which is saying something because he is not a chicken person.  I tweaked the recipe and added onion in with the garlic. I won't do that next time.  As for the potatoes, they were ok as far as mashed potatoes go.

I also used Pinterest to help with Valentine's Day.

The first thing I did was for the kids.  We started it February 1st and carried it on until Valentine's Day (mostly)

Heart Attack

Abby's Door

Hayden's door

I made Brian participate in this one too.  He resisted at first and over thought what needed to be written, but got into it near the end.  This one did end earlier than planned.  We tended to forget to be honest.  Hayden didn't care about this or notice them really at all.  Abby on the other hand was SO excited each morning to wake up to a new heart or two.

Pinterest is great for classroom treats, that is where I found the idea for

Valentine Dipped Waffer Cookies

The kids really liked these and they were simple to make.

I participated a little bit over at my other blog, feel free to pop over and check it out!

2014 Pinterest Challenge - January

Who doesn't love Pinterest?  If you're like me, you have "pinned" a million items, but actually completed about 2!  This challenge is to help us check a few things off of our list.

The rules are simple:

Complete a minimum of 1 pin each month and blog about it.  This must be done and shared by the last day of every month.  It can be anything...a book, craft, recipe or anything else you saw on Pinterest.

What if you don't have a blog?  There is a Facebook group and you can post your results there!

At the end of each month when your blog is complete, link up here and share with the world.

Your pin didn't quite turn out as planned?  Share that too...let's admit...everyone likes to see pins gone horribly wrong!

Last but not least...make sure you give credit where credit is due and link back to the original pin!

If you have a blog, join up at the end of this post.

For those of you interesting in participating or just following along,

 ask me to add you to our Facebook page!

Please also link back to this post somewhere for others to find

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So, what started as a humble idea has grown to over 20 participants.  How cool is that! 

I've decided I'm going to attempt to do this challenge with both of my blogs.  You can see what I accomplished on the "health" side of things by clicking on my link below (Diary of a Fat Girl) in the Link Up List.

The first Pinterest item I decided to work on will progress as the next 12 months go by.

I attempted it last year and life got in the way and I had to push it aside, but I'm determined to try it again.

You can find the details of this challenge over here

I'm on week 5 and the balance so far is $ 15.00.  I have seen some other blogs where people do it in reverse or randomly.  That way you don't have to try to put in the largest amounts during the most expensive time of the year.  It's not too late for anyone else that wants to do this challenge too.  It doesn't need to be started only in January.  I mean, everyone could use some extra dough at any time of the year!

The second thing I decided to try was a recipe.  My food boards are on over-load and I have probably only made about 3 things.  We tend to stick to the same 'ol, same 'ol around here.

I made this:

Baked Perogie Casserole

We all love perogies and I thought it might be a nice introduction to a new recipe.  We had it for Sunday dinner with ham.  I changed this up just a little.  I used an herb and garlic cream cheese instead of the plain it calls for and I also fried up some bacon and onion and sprinkled it on top before baking.

I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe.  I thought the perogies might be soggy due to being cooked in a bit of liquid, but they did crisp up a bit.  They probably would have crisped up more if I had used a less cheese.  They were a bit doughier then when I fry them, but it was a nice alternative for when you just want to pop everything in the oven and forget it for an hour.  I would make this again for sure.

I also made dessert that night

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Freezer Pie

I was drawn to this for a couple of reason:

1. Hubby LOVES Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
2. I had half of the ingredients on hand
3. It was SUPER easy!

The original calls for a chocolate crust, but the store only had shortbread in the ready made (I was keeping it simple, remember) and I used light pudding and cool whip.  The kids really liked it as well.  Perhaps this is the reason why I gained .50 lbs instead of lost! 

So that my friends is my January edition of the 2014 Pinterest challenge!