Pinterest is addictng. Very addicting. Very, very addicting.
But it's also a great place to find new recipes....
For those who haven't used it before ~ Pinterest is an on-line bulletin board. See a picture you like on the Internet? Pin it to a board at Pinterest so you can find it again.
I've got Pinterest boards for all sorts of things ~ quilting, knitting (although my Ravelry queue is really primary for that), pretty pictures of Scotland and Maine, and recipes. Lots of recipes ;-)
Haven't used Pinterest before? Some suggestions for organizing your boards:
1) Think out your categories beforehand. Yes, you can add boards as you find new interests/obsessions ~ but moving pins from one board to another is a bother, especially in quantity. My recipe categories: baking (breads, rolls, and such), dessert, meat, vegetarian entrees, vegetarian sides, soup, salad, Shabbat friendly, and holiday specific. I've also got boards for beverages, kitchen gadgets ('cuz we all like our toys, right?), spices, Scottish foods, and a general catch-all (because ~ no matter how good the categories, there are always a few things that don't fit.....). Oh, and the fancy cakes board is to drool over ~ I'm not likely to make anything like these ;-) Categories chosen because they fit both how my brain works and the 'slots' I look to fill when planning a menu.
2) Boards can be secret ~ so if you are planning a party, you can keep the menu a surprise.
3) I try to click through before pinning recipes, as there are some repinning sites (less common with recipes than quits, it seems), so I prefer to make sure I actually link to the recipe and not an intermediate link.
4) One thing I'm not always the best at doing (especially if I'm using the phone app) ~ changing the description to my own words. Makes life easier in the long run to comment about what appeals to me about the recipe, as well as the name. But I too often forget to do this :-(
Now, some recipes (name of each is linked to the pin with a picture) ~ I've tried several dozen recipes I've found on Pinterest. Most have been very good ~ these have entered my standard rotation ;-) One common bit about these recipes: all are quite flexible and can be adapted ~ they are basic ideas to work from ;-)
Zucchini pizza:
Just cut a zucchini in half lengthwise and trim a little off the bottom so it sits still in a baking dish.
Scoop out the center where the seeds are with a spoon.
Brush the surface with a mixture of crushed garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange halved grape tomatoes into the grooves, sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Remove and place diced fontina or mozzarella in between the tomatoes, place them back in, but now under the broiler until golden and bubbling.
Remove and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan.
Spinach quiche cups:
A little olive oil (for cooking the mushrooms)
1 (10 oz) package fresh spinach (I used the baby ones) --- about 284 grams
4 eggs (if the yolks are quite small I use 5 eggs)
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I use mozzarella or the Italian Blend)
1 (8 oz package) mini-bella mushrooms, chopped
1-2 Tbsp, heavy cream or half-and-half (optional)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
*Variation - If you don't fancy mushrooms, try asparagus or bell peppers with the spinach. Also, add some onions to the mix. I add some when I do not use mushrooms.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat a little oil in a large skillet. Saute the mushrooms until they are soft, about 5-6 minutes. Set aside.
Place the spinach in a deep pan or in the skillet that you used for the mushrooms. Add a little water, 1/4 cup should do it. Using medium heat, cook the spinach just until wilted, about 3-4 mins. Use either your hand or a spatula to pack in the spinach. Drain the excess water really well (especially if you decide to use frozen spinach instead).
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until combined. Add the cooked mushrooms, spinach, cheeses and cream (if using) to the eggs. Mix well. Season to taste.
Divide evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
Bake for about 20 to 23 minutes, or until it's well set and a tester/toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Leave in the pan for a few minutes or just until it's cool enough to handle. It was so easy to remove them from the pan! They practically pop-out!
Sprinkle with a little more cheese on top, if desired. Mark enjoys them with rice on the side!
Tomato and watermelon salad:
Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
1 small cucumber, peeled
1/2 small red onion
3 heirloom tomatoes (about 12 ounces total), cut into bite-size chunks
3 1/2 cups peeled seeded bite-size watermelon chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size chunks
7 ounces French feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see note)
1 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: Whisk the vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil to blend well. Set aside.
MAKE THE SALAD: Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then, using a spoon, scrape out the seeds. Cut the cucumber halves crosswise into thin half-moon slices. Using a mandoline, cut the onion into 1-inch-long paper-thin slices. Toss the sliced cucumber, onion, tomatoes, watermelon, bell pepper, cheese and mint in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Serve immediately.
Do-Ahead Tip: The vinaigrette can be made up to 1 week ahead. Store it in a tightly-sealed jar and refrigerate. Let the vinaigrette stand at room temperature until the olive oil liquefies, about 20 minutes, before shaking to blend.
Indian potato pie ~ from the BBC website, so measurements are European-style.... but I managed anyway ;-) Fortunately, not a recipe that needs precision.
700g potatoes, sliced
400g sweet potatoes, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 thumb-size piece ginger, grated
1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and garam masala
pinch dried chilli flakes
200g frozen peas
juice 1 lemon, plus extra wedges to serve
small bunch coriander, chopped
25g butter, melted
275g pack filo pastry
½ tsp poppy seeds
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan of cold, salted water, then bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer for 5 mins, add the sweet potatoes and continue to cook for 8 mins until just tender. Drain really
Fry the onion in the oil until soft, add the cumin seeds for 1 min, then stir in the garlic, chilli and ginger with the remaining spices. Cook for a further 2-3 mins, then turn off the heat and stir into the potatoes with the peas, lemon juice and coriander.
Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Halve the filo sheets, and use two-thirds of them, overlapping, to line a 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin with a little overhang. As you lay in each sheet, brush with melted butter and keep the rest covered with a clean tea towel. Spoon in filling and press down lightly. Cover with remaining filo, then fold up overhanging sides and scrunch up pastry near the edges.
Poke several slits in the top of the pastry and brush with more butter. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds.
Bake for 40-45 mins until golden brown. Serve either hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges.
What's for dinner tonight?
What are your favorite sources for new recipes?