Pinterest Myths

As you know I have a penchant for debunking myths – except when I’m promoting them. Now that the kids are back in school I’m going to hope the myth of having more time proves to be false. Already I’ve taken on some Pinterest projects to make my life more fabulous. (That last bit should be read with a hint of sarcasm.)

The recipes.

Pinterest recipes are a literal mixed bag of fantastic ideas, foodie impossibilities, Mormon casserole crap, and a fair share of alcoholic non-sense. Or at least the ones I seem to be drawn to and pin. Here’s the key to getting your recipe pinned on Pinterest, take a good picture of it. And here in enters the first myth. Food that looks good doesn’t necessarily taste good.

I used to work in television, so I knew this was true. You see, we used to say they could call this smellevision. Namely half of the folks on air have actually been up all night and haven’t showered in a while – especially when it is flood and fire season. But they can do wonders with MAC Studio Fix in the back of a live truck and make themselves look good from the waist up. Same is true for food photographed and pinned on Pinterest.

This comes as no surprise to anyone, yes?

I don’t usually take pictures of food. I’m not a food photographer and I usually like to eat up before I plate up and make it look all fancy. Plus, I’m not trying to make a career of food reviews. But I do like to share what I’ve learned. In fact, I’m a bit of an over-sharer.

This week I have made three (for reals) Pinterest recipes.

1.     The Pizzadilla from Budget Bytes.

2.     The 2-Ingredient Berry Cake from The Frugal Girls.

3.     The Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole from The Country Cook.

First things first, the Pizzadilla. Not a lot of mystery here. Basically it’s a quesadilla with Italian insides. Easy to make, easy to eat. My family ate it with no complaints. It whips up in about 4 minutes and you could basically use this model to get rid of any leftovers in your fridge. I say you should try it.

Next, the 2-Ingredient Berry Cake. I believe one pinner said something like, "this tastes SOOOOO good and is good for you." It got my attention because it had a cake mix (I’m a sucker for a cake mix recipe.) and it had pie filling. Also, it appeared to be easy. It was easy to prepare. It tasted good for about the first 15 minutes after you pull it out of the oven. After that, it was just a heavy pan of goo. I don’t for one minute think it’s healthy. If I were you, I’d pass.

And finally, the Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole. I am as enamored with tater tots as cake mixes. So, this was a no-brainer.  This is a slow cooker recipe but could be done in the oven. I messed up when it came to following directions – surprise, surprise – and completely skipped all steps following the layer ingredients in your slow cooker step. That means, I didn’t add all the ingredients and frankly I thought it tasted just fine. This recipe is not healthy. I made it using real bacon, and frankly I think the real bacon is what saved it when I forgot the other ingredients (milk). It’s not really pretty and it comes out kinda like a mash. We served it in bowls and the kids kept thinking it was scrambled eggs. At one point my husband asked, “Is there rice in this?” No rice, just completely unrecognizable components.  If that doesn’t scare you away, please know this did taste good and appealed to my Utah Pioneer roots. It tasted exactly like funeral potatoes with chicken and bacon added.

So, go you out into the world of Pinterest food boards and get your cooking on. But please, report back!