Pinterest Recipes I Tried and Loved

My goal for the month of February was to try two new recipes. I have all these recipes pinned on my "dinner" and "healthy snacks" board that just sit there and look pretty. Throughout the year I want to try new things every month - including recipes. Here's what I've tried recently.

Zucchini Pizza Poppers

I found this recipe from fellow blogger Krysten who writes at Dash of Herbs - a weight watchers friendly foodie blog. It's a recently new endeavor of hers, and I think she's doing a fantastic job. So many of the recipes she posts sound absolutely delicious - and they are generally a healthier alternative to something I would normally eat.

Firstly, I love anything pizza related so I knew I just had to make these. Secondly. these were so easy to make. Just slice the zucchini, add marinara, and sprinkle the cheese - bam you're done. Confession time: my husband really really does not like green vegetables. He will tolerate green beans and he really loves field peas, but anything else, he will just turn his nose up and add more mashed potatoes to his plate. When he tried these he said "They aren't that bad." That's a victory in my book.

Jalepeno Popper Dip

I found this browsing pinterest one day and knew it would be a huge hit. I enjoy spicy foods and my husband LOVES spicy foods. I first made it last year at our pumpkin carving party and it was a huge hit. The best thing about this dip is that you can alter the amount of peppers you use to vary the heat. We even made it one time with a habenero pepper thrown in and it was HOT but really flavorful.

I use neufchetel cheese rather than cream cheese and low fat plain greek yogurt rather than sour cream and it still tastes great, I also generally skip out on the parsley . I highly recommend this dip for your next party.

  

Cajun Pasta (O'Charley's Copycat)

I hadn't been to O'Charley's in years and at our new place, there's one less than five minutes away. I was really craving some good pasta one night but Olive Garden (my usual pasta go-to) was packed so we headed across the street to O'Charley's. I tried their cajun pasta with chicken and it was awesome. I immediately started scouring pinterest for a copycat recipe and found this one from food.com.
I usually cook the onions and peppers separately because even though I like jalepenos, I'm not a fan of a lot of peppers in my pasta. So I usually add more to derek's portion than to mine. I thought it would be hard to make but it's surprisingly easing and now one of my favorite meals to make. I usually add grilled chicken rather than shrimp.

Stuffed French Toast

A little over two years ago, I went on a family vacation with my mother-in-law's family. Me plus about 17 virtual strangers in one house on the beach for a week - it actually turned out to be a pretty awesome trip! One morning all the ladies went out to brunch at the cutest little restaurant called Maggie's European Bakery. (Side note: we actually went to celebrate Derek's little cousin's "first moon" which totally took me by surprise. I had no idea we were celebrating this special occasion until one of the aunts made a toast to the young lady "blossoming into womanhood." Anyone else had an experience like that?)
Back to the point: at Maggie's European Bakery, I ordered/ate the most delicious breakfast I've every had in my entire life - stuffed french toast filled with whipped cream cheese and blueberry spread. I seriously still dream about this amazing french toast but for some reason never have attempted it. This year on Valentine's Day, I decided to change that. I used blueberry plus whipped cream cheese mix for me and substituted honey in place of fruit for Derek. It was absolutely delicious, and using the waffle maker rather than a skillet was pure genius. 

What recipes have been a hit in your house recently? Suggestions are greatly appreciated - I love trying new things!