pinlicious no. 2: the best snickerdoodles, oriental peanut dressing & a very cheesy dinner

Pinned it. Made it. Loved it. 

Here they are, ten more recipes that passed the taste tests of five of the strictest judges in the world.

My children.

#1: Homemade Pretzel Bites

These are absolutely wonderful. And I don't make them nearly enough. In fact, I better make them this week. Like, maybe today...

#2: Snickerdoodle Brownies

I love snickerdoodles. BUT I'm not such a fan of the crunchy variety. So, this soft, moist, super delish variety is the BEST! And my family adored them. Really, if we had to pick a favorite recipe on this list, it would probably be these. 

#3: Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Pancakes

My family loved these. And I....well, I thought they were too sweet. But this could be due to the fact that I didn't much semi-sweet chocolate chips and used milk chocolate instead. My kids couldn't say enough how much they loved them. And they made my house smell divine all day. 

#4: Oriental Chicken Salad




I already blogged about this salad, but it was so good that I had to mention it again. I love this stuff. Seriously, it has become my very very favorite salad.

#5: Oriental Peanut Dressing

And, look, it's the same salad! BUT I just wanted to point out that this salad dressing is wonderful and great and fantastic all on it's own. I mean, not that you'd want to eat it with a spoon (hmmmm.....) but that it would be great on any salad. I made a double batch of it last night and plan to use it on my salads all week. 

This makes me very happy. 

#6: Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Ok. So, when I said if our family had to pick a favorite recipe they'd pick the snickerdoodle brownies...well, I don't know. They might just pick this chicken. It was so fast and easy and tasted soooooooo good. We had it with mashed potatoes one night. And then had the leftovers on toasted english muffins the next. The kids loved it!

#7: The Best Macaroni and Cheese Ever 

Besides the fact that this uses up loads of cheese, it is super great. I doubled it a made a big batch. We had it for two dinners, which I love being able to do. In fact, I read somewhere of someone (vague much, Erin?) who calls that planned overs, not leftovers. 

#8: Orange Julius 

Yeah, this recipe, or a version there of, has been around forever. But I hadn't tried it for a long time. I made it one day after school and my kids slurped it up super fast and wanted more. I also thought it was good, but not nearly as tasty as the mall variety, of course.

#9: Chicken Ranch Tacos

Even though the original recipe doesn't use a crock pot, this works really great in one. Someone pinned the idea of throwing the chicken into your slow cooker, with taco seasoning, a ranch salad dressing packet and a can of chicken broth. Cook it on low for 3 hours or so, shred and cook a bit longer. Serve on taco shells and....yummo! So fast and easy. Love it.

#10: Red, White & Blueberry Trifle

Alright, so this most definitely is not the time of year to go buying fresh blueberries or strawberries, but this trifle is super great, so file it away, pin it or print it out and make it this summer. My cute sister-in-law, Mikki, made this for a 4th of July barbecue and it was such a huge hit! We adored it. 

So, we added one salad to our list this time. Hopefully next month I can do better than that! I really need to try out more of the fun and different veggie recipes on Pinterest. And then hope the masses will taste them!

If this list has made you hungry for more great recipes, check out my pinlicous no. 1 list from last month...

pinlicious no. 1: Cinnamon Rolls in Every Form & Making Cauliflower Taste Good

Pinned it. Made it. Loved it. 

Welcome to the first episode of Pinlicious.  I love to try new recipes and Pinterest is a food lover's dream. But let's face it, there are some recipes floating around on Pinterest that look great but....uh....taste decidedly awful. 

So, this is where I chat about the recipes we've not only tried but actually loved! 

#1: Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts

Ok. These were seriously yummy. But I didn't have any refrigerated pizza dough. I tried using Grand Buttermilk biscuits and they worked great! Although I wouldn't use any of the smaller biscuits. They'd end up  way too tiny. The whole family loved this one and it had a unanimous vote onto The Family Favorite List. 

#2: Peasant Bread (aka The Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make)

This really is so easy! and not only that, it tastes fabulous! I made it in the glass bowls like the recipe suggest, but next time I want to try using regular loaf pans. 

#3: Cinnamon Bun Scones

I made these last night. I worried I stirred them too much and they'd end up all tough. But they didn't! They were very very tender and yummy! And even my not-big-on-biscuits-or-muffins husband loved them. That's saying something right there.

#4: No-bake Cheesecake

This pie was a huge hit at Thanksgiving! Especially since I topped it with homemade berry jam. Yummo!

#5: Baked Cauliflower

Who knew there was a way to make cauliflower taste good that didn't involve frying?? We've had this loads of times and do you want to know the truly surprising part? The kids (at least most of them...ok. Some of them) actually like this too! Especially dipped in fry sauce. 

#6: Jam Tarts

I made these last year for Zoe's birthday party. Mmmmmm! And they're tiny. So, you can easily pop loads into your mouth before you realize how many you've eaten. 

Ok. Maybe that's not such a good thing...

#7: Coconut Chicken

This was a huge hit out our house! And I've made it quite a few times. I've even tried baking the chicken instead of frying and that was really great, too. This is easily one of my very favorite chicken recipes.

#8: Poppy Seed Chicken

Oh my! Where has this easy and delish casserole been all my life? This is another very popular dish at our house. I always want there to be enough for leftovers the next night. But in order to make that work I have to stop everyone from having seconds! And it's very hard. 

#9: Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles

Such a clever and wonderful popsicle recipe. They're so different and fun. We all love these! (As do the neighbor kids)

#10: The Best Biscuits (no joke...they really are!)

Now let me tell you how good these are. Not only are they excellent right after you bake them. (oh. so excellent) But then the next day when you think most biscuits have dried out....they're still soooooo good! 

This might have something to do with the copious amounts of butter used in the recipe. 

Mmmmmmmmmm.

#11: Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

I think the picture does a great job of speaking for itself there. Because, yes, that bread really is as great as it looks. Awhile back I some of this for a friend. It was such a fun and impressive looking bread to give away. 

#12: Cinnamon Roll Waffles 

Have you noticed anything in this list, yet? Yep, I'm a sucker for a recipe that has anything to do with cinnamon rolls. And these waffles are no exception. Oy! They're wonderful. And who says you can't have dessert for breakfast?

Thus ends the first episode of Pinlicious. And....I've realized I need to try some new salads or fruit dishes or maybe throw in a carrot or two for next time! And possibly....(much as it pains me to say)...less cinnamon roll-y treats. 

What about you? Have you tried any recipes from Pinterst that have been a hit? I'd love to hear about them!