cooking with Pinterest (again!)

i've waxed poetic about my love for pinterest here before, especially as a recipe repository and inspiration to cook more frequently. here are some of my recent favorites!

Parmesan Crusted Goat Cheese with Basil Oil (pin/source)

If you like goat cheese, MAKE THIS RIGHT NOW. it is not hard (really!) and has one of the most amazing result:effort ratios ever. mine honestly looked just as good as the one in this picture, and it took about 15 minutes TOTAL to make. DO IT.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tikka Masala (pin/source)

i'm not always a Pioneer Woman recipe fan, but i was surprised & impressed at how tasty this was (again, without being super difficult). it does reqiure garam masala - the reason i'd never tried tikka masala in the past - but when i found myself with some as the result of an awesome bday gift, i took the plunge. definitely worth it, and i'll be buying more in the future to remake this.

Chicken Pot Pie (pin/source)

admittedly not the most appealing photo, but HOLY COW is this delicious. chris and i both had about 6 servings the first time i made this (because yes, there have been multiple makings). i use storebought dough as suggested in the recipe (hello, lazy) but if you went the extra mile to make your own, i imagine that would be even better.

Taco Dip (pin/source)

do you have a superbowl party to attend this weekend? do you need to bring something to share? i suggest this dip, which is as addictive as crack. and probably tastier than crack, too. this is from a "skinny recipe" website, which i completely ignored and used full fat sour cream and cheddar cheese. i only use about 1/2 the taco seasoning packet, which is plenty for me. each time i've made this, people have camped out next to it and stayed, methodically eating, until it was gone. bonus (for some people): it's vegetarian! no actual meat was harmed in the creating of this taco dip.

and now... desserts!!

Chocolate Graham Cracker Toffee Bark (pin/source)

(aw. poor little runty-sized photo.)

i made a few modifications to this - i used dark chocolate (because i like it) and i tried two different toppings: chopped hazelnuts and heath bar toffee bits. both were SUPER DELICIOUS. i ended up methodically eating all the "scrap" pieces that weren't pretty enough to make it to the presentation platter. and then also every single piece that was leftover after the party. and i think dreamily about making some more of it.

Peanut Butter Fudge (pin/source)

do you have a potluck to attend? is it the same weekend as a giant party you're also throwing, which also happens to be 1 week before christmas and also during a really busy time at work, and as a result you just have no! time! to cook something for that potluck? MAKE THIS! it takes like 10 minutes and tastes like FAR MORE than 10 minutes worth of effort. score.

and finally:

Chocolate Tarragon Merlot Truffles (pin/source)

these things, my gosh. they're decadent - and as required by anything i attempt, not hard! the physical rolling of the truffles is the hardest part - i had some frustrating, chocolate-covered moments as my ganache became too room-temperature and melty - but the payoff is worth it. i brought a bag of these to the bar where i watched the giants/green bay game and offered some to our server, who i'm pretty sure would have let us walk out without paying after that.

SPEAKING OF THAT GAME. you guys remember i'm a giants fan, right?

you could say i'm a little excited for this weekend. :)