Saturday, October 24, 2015

Pin It and Do It: October Wrap-Up


The fall edition of Trish's  Pin It and Do challenge is winding down and I, for one, am glad she decided to reprise this popular event. Once again, I chose to go the foodie route. My recipes this month included an appetizer, soup, a few main dishes and a dessert. There is one more vegetarian main dish I plan to try, a butternut squash and quinoa casserole. The ingredients are on hand and if it's successful, I will include the recipe in a future Weekend Cooking post.

All photos come from the blog or website where I found the recipe. Links take you to directly to the recipe. Here we go:


Apple crisp is pretty basic. It's so much easier than making an apple pie (no crust), but every bit as delicious. Since I always make pie, I have no 'go to' crisp recipe. This one from Mommy Hates Cooking  blog was simple to make. I brought it to Sunday dinner at my sister's and every last crumb disappeared. My only complaint was that it was a little too sweet... but then I usually cut back on the sugar in apple pies, too. (my pin)



I love Italian Wedding Soup, but never make it myself. I found this recipe on Gather for Bread  blog and was especially drawn to it because of the slow cooker. The soup was delicious... except for the meatballs. They were too dry. The next time I'll use ground beef that is not so lean or have the meatballs spend less time in the slow cooker. I do plan to give this a second chance. (my pin)



My husband loves chicken pot pie and I've been trying to find the perfect  recipe for years. This one from the Food Network  appealed to me because it looked easy, uses puff pastry, and because I think turnovers are more fun. It's a great recipe and I wouldn't change a thing, but it was a little more work than a "fun" recipe should be. (my pin)



I made these for my book club earlier this month. We met at 4 PM instead of our usual morning meeting time and appetizers were called for instead of coffee cake. The recipe is from The Kitchen is My Playground and I chose it because who can resist spinach and stuffing? I'll make these again sometime during the holiday season! (my pin)



Back to chicken pot pie again. Because the turnovers were a little fussy, the word "easy" drew me  to this recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen. Still not quite as easy as I was hoping, the recipe was absolutely delicious - but with a whole stick of butter how could it not be? So filling, too! My husband loved it and I'll definitely make it again... just not very often since it isn't the most healthful recipe around. (my pin)



Finally, a truly simple and delicious dish! A rub of cumin, cinnamon, and kosher salt followed by a glaze of apricot preserves in the last ten minutes of cooking - that's all there is to this Simply Recipes recipe. It's an interesting twist on classic roast chicken and it looks so attractive on the serving platter, too. (my pin)


Links to other October Pin It and Do It wrap-up posts can be found on Trish's blog.

Do you use Pinterest?


Weekend Cooking, hosted at Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

32 comments:

  1. Pinned thevroatvchicken& spinach balls .,Key for me easy yummy😀

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  2. Wow, there so many great recipes here to pin! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Diane - You're welcome. I'm addicted to Pinterest ;-)

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  3. I agree with Diane! Pinning all of them!

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    1. Vicki - Hope they turn out just as well for you!

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  4. This post is making me so hungry!

    My wife and I collaborate on Italian Wedding soup. I make the meatballs and she makes everything else. The results are good.

    I really want to try to make something similar to those spinach balls.

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    1. Brian Joseph - The meatballs were definitely a disappointment. I may just go with my mother/grandmother's recipe next time. Love that you and your wife collaborate on this soup :)

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  5. Wow! You had a very successful pin it and do it! Apple crisp sounds perfect for this dreary rainy weather we have this weekend and I'm sure the girls would love it. You've also reminded me that I need to make some chicken pot pie. Yum! I love the idea of turnovers, but like you I'm not sure about the fussiness of actually making them!

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    1. Trish - It's definitely easier to throw the whole pot pie into a pie crust, but the turnovers were fun... bet your girls would prefer it that way ;-)

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  6. What a nice selection of recipes! I've never eaten Italian wedding soup -- sounds intriguing! And I love chicken pot pie too but never thought about using puff pastry. Thanks for sharing these!

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    1. Jama - Thanks you! These recipes all seem perfect for fall :)

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  7. I love those spinach balls! My sister-in-law introduced them to us years (decades) ago... and I have a sudden craving for chicken pot pie all of a sudden. :)

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    1. Audrey - You know, I was thinking the spinach balls were kind of a retro appetizer ;-)

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    2. I had never heard of them until she made them for us...but now I see them in community cookbooks. So they must be!

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  8. Spinach balls - interesting. Cheers from Carole's Chatter!

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    1. Carole - Perfect party food... easy to eat ;-)

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  9. I used to have a Pinterest addiction. Still peak now and then. I see where you have Out Stealing Horses on your sidebar. Excellent book.

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    1. Midlife Roadtripper - I don't pin as much now as I did a year or two ago, but Trish's challenge brought me back to it.

      Out Stealing Horses is such a good book. My book club is discussing it in a couple of weeks. Hope to finish today or tomorrow.

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  10. Ok...I am definitely trying the puff pastry pot pies....that's a mouth full...heeheehee...those little spinach things look great, too! I love fall cooking!

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    1. Patty - Those pot pie turnovers are definitely more fun to eat! I think those spinach balls were a thing in the 70s or 80? LOL.

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  11. I love Italian Wedding Soup. I made spinach pie this past week with feta. It was tasty. I loved Croatia and could easily return.

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    1. Esme - I love the combination of spinach and feta!

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  12. Great batch of recipes. Thanks for the commentary/evaluation too. The chicken turnovers look great too.

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    1. Beth F - This was definitely a seasonal cooking spree :)

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  13. Nice variety ; love pot pie in fall and winter but it is work!

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    1. Diane - I'm starting to think that there is really no such thing as easy pot pie ;-)

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  14. I love this challenge. I use pinterest and I often make the recipes that I pin. The crafting, knitting, and sewing projects? Not so much.

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    1. Patience_Crabstick - I use Pinterest for things besides recipes, too, but like you, it's mostly the cooking and baking I actually make :)

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  15. I love love love Apple crisp. I prefer to use almond flour for my topping - it adds a nice little flavor to the whole thing. Those spinach balls look yummy - I will have to try those.

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    1. Athira - My daughter bought almond flour the last time she was home and I bet it would be delicious in this recipe! May have to make some again this weekend and try it :)

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  16. You made some delicious things! I'll definitely have to try that roast chicken - love anything that easy!

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