Pinterest: It's like fantasy football for girls!

A few friends have already made a drinking game out of every time I say "I saw it on pinterest..."  Seriously.

Yes, just like a million others I became addicted to the website pinterest.com about a year and a half ago and it was an obsession for me for quite some time (who am I kidding -I still adore it).  I found an amazing source of ideas, recipes and even products that I fell in love with from there.  Friends who have created a pinterest account a little more recently keep saying, "Why didn't I try this sooner," and "Gee, thanks - I spent my entire weekend on that darn awful wonderful site!" 


I have enjoyed seeing some neat pins that my friends have tried doing through various blogs, facebook posts and repins and I have re-pinned many that I successfully tried and many more that I just dream about.  (Check out this really NEAT furniture renovation done from my friend Eliesa whose blog is called "A Pinterest Addict")  Some of my favorite go-to party ideas and family dinner recipes I have borrowed from pinterest and tweaked to my own preferences.  Today I am sharing with you some of my favorite ideas that I came across on pinterest that I tried and fell in love with (mostly recipes with a few miscellaneous pins that I couldn't resist sharing here too).  (There are a lot of highlighted links below so definitely check them all out.)

For those of you who have yet to delve into the pinterest world I will offer a brief explanation of what it is, how it works and why it is so valuable to so many regardless of your gender, family make-up, career or age.  For those who are already pinning away you can skip ahead to the next paragraph, I won't mind......















Pinterest is an idea sharing website via the use of photos.  Users can browse through pins via scrolling, or by searching for a particular word(s), or via category.  Pins can be about anything like recipes, hobbies, travel, art, fashion, home decorating, household tips, humor, photography,and events even such as a wedding or party.  Your home page defaults to recent pins from anyone you have "followed" which one normally does based on similar tastes you may have or because they are a friend/family member.  Users simply re-pin things they like (and can add on a comment about it) and of course you can pin original content to be shared.  (Did you notice when you hover your mouse over any of the photos in my blog there are some icons that appear on the top - click on the P and it will allow you to pin my picture and link it right back here to my blog post, neat huh!)  Users save pins onto categories made up of "boards" that you personalize with different titles and themes... the options are endless.  Popular boards that I find most practical are recipes, party ideas, holiday inspiration, gift ideas, my fashion/style preferences, dream home or dream vacation ideas, etc.  Several bloggers suggest that if you frequent a particular topic or interest that you have multiple boards dedicated to unique foods or recipe types and not just one singular board for food (e.g. appetizers, soups, cheese, drinks, dinner, brunch, etc).  Several good friends of mine who are guys absolutely LOVE pinterest too! 

I have been so inspired by pinterest that I started a crafting cabinet and have created some great homemade gifts for friends and family as a result.  Certainly, I have had a few failures along the way.... I doubt I will ever retry making that "English muffin bread" recipe again (hard and dry) nor will I attempt to make bath fizzy ball bombs (user error in these attempts no doubt but these didn't hold together terribly well), however, I will certainly continue to make my own Eucalyptus Foaming Bath Soap and make my own pickles and definitely hesitate to ever buy the GMO-laden store bought, god-only-knows-what-chemicals/preservatives are in them items and replace them with recipes such as :  homemade onion soup mix, homemade dressings and things as simple as ketchup and peanut butter.

A piece of advice to anyone re-pinning and definitely for those creating an original pin... please, please, pretty please be sure to include the original link on your pins..... don't tempt karma by posting a mouth-watering picture of your favorite dessert and then not link it back to the recipe or where to buy it.  There is nothing worst to a pinner than to see a picture like this

And not have a link back to where you can find the recipe.... which by the way was correctly done in this case, so I will endorse this great blogger for her great follow-through:  here is the original recipe on yumsugar.com  for great homemade Kahlua.  

Actually, many pins don't require a link if they are simply a tip or household decorating idea.  In fact, most smart companies who are in-the-know have their own pinterest boards and frequently run contests for best pin boards and certainly advertise their products via pinterest.  I have purchased several household goods simply because I saw them on pinterest and didn't know they existed and had a need for it.  A few of those neat items include the following:

This rack-it system for my home office, hangs on the wall and makes it so much easier than taking up desk space.

This adorable penguin top (which after seeing myself in photos wearing this I have decided to retire it, it's a bit odd having a huge penguin face on your front side making you look twice the weight you are) although it is still cute though.

This beautiful blouse/cover-up that I bought from Pyramid Collection after seeing on pinterest -and now I am a huge fan of this company:

Below are just some my favorite "food" pinterest recipes.  Some of these pictures are of my recreation of the pins and some are from the original pinners.   I hope you try these and let me know what you think..... certainly these barely scratch the surface but I tried to include a nice variety and some unique dishes for you. 


This Golden Rum Cake was delicious and definitely for those 21+.

Amazing Angel chicken - please note this is not on the low sodium side of the spectrum but it is melt in your mouth and an easy crock-pot family meal

Slow-cooker French dip is OUTSTANDING.  I kid you not...... simply delicioso.

Saltine Toffee - great for parties or as gifts for friends - extremely simple to make.

Homemade Kit-kats - please don't hate me, because once you try these you probably will be cursing me for the extra pounds and the addicition you will succumb to.

Rosemary Tomato Pesto -  a real winner even if you aren't a regular pesto fan.

Lavender Honey - such a sweet gift to drizzle in your tea or over ice cream or fruit

Chive compound butter made by anaturalnester.com.

 

Funeral Sandwiches - (seriously that is what they are called, and therefore I was intrigued and now my husband is in love with these).  You don't need to be grieving to make a tray of these for your family dinner or next party - they are simply called this for their ease of making ahead for a crowd.

I have quite a few other personally-tried-and-tested pinterest ideas that I have shared in earlier posts here on my blog, here are a few links back to the post with the recipes on them that have been favorited by some of my friends and fans:  (when you click on the link look for the photo or words on the post page that you want to see and it will then lead you to the recipe/instructions)

Pickles

Homemade Ranch Dressing/Dip Mix

Homemade magic shell (also a great chocolate fondue dip)

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

White Chocolate Cake Batter Truffles

Homemade Coasters *This was a big project in the end, but so very very cool!

Raspberry and Caramel coffee/tea syrup

Rosemary Lemon Syrup

If you would like to "follow-me" and friend me on pinterest, here is the link to me and my ever-growing boards. 
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A beautiful quote and piece of art I came across (wherelse) on pinterest and found she sells these on etsy- check her out! 

 

What are some of your favorite recipes or ideas that you found on pinterest?