Potatoes anyone?

I know I've mentioned that pintrest is my go to recipe place, but I discovered a nuance today I wasn't expecting. The recipes I use all the time are few in number. I went to see if I could use any of my discovery hidden recipes and I either didn't have the energy or the ingredients to make any of them. Nor did many sound like reasonable dishes for my family to eat for dinner tonight.

Better than fries! Cut potatoes almost all the way through, drizzle olive oil, butter, some sea salt, and pepper over top and bake @ 425 for 40 minutes. delicious and pretty.

Source: thetruthnetwork.com via Alayna on Pinterest

So it appears that when a recipe is something I'm likely to add to the mix I'll probably do it sooner rather than later.

This sliced baked potato is super tasty . It's been on the go to list for a while.   The one on the left is my dish from last night.  I think it could have used a couple more minutes in the oven, but it was still a winner!

The best intentions

I love my cast iron skillet.  I mean I love it.  Part of why is because it is easy to clean.  That is only when you can take care of it right away.  More often than I care to admit, I do not get to it immediately. That means I am struggling to get all the cooked on bits off, without loosing all the good flavor I've cooked into it.  I happened across this a few days ago and gave it a shot the last time I found myself in this situation.

Salt Scrub. Here's the best way to clean cast iron: Scrub it with coarse salt and a soft sponge. The salt, a natural abrasive, absorbs oil and lifts away bits of food while preserving the pan's seasoning. Rinse away salt and wipe dry.

Source: marthastewart.com via Alayna on Pinterest

This one worked great!  I did actually forget about it until I was already into my regular process. When I remembered, I poured a bunch of salt into the pan and everything came up easy peasy! 

Go to recipes

I mentioned in my first post that Pintrest is my go to place for recipes now.  Most of my staples come from there, although if I am actually seeking out something specific, I use other tools.  It is where I often get my inspiration for a meal though.  It is also why I am careful about how I pin recipes.  I want to know if a recipe is good.  I also want to try new things I see, so I keep them separate.  Last night, I made a modification of a go to recipe.

4-6 raw chicken breasts, new potatoes, green beans (fresh or canned-really any green veggie would work. Broccoli is good, too). Arrange in 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then top with a melted stick of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Source: Uploaded by user via Alayna on Pinterest

As it happens, my family loves it no matter what veggies I have on hand and thought the added cheese was great!

What you already knew

I often am browsing recent pins find myself torn between thoughts of "Who doesn't know that?" and "Oh, yeah!  I totally forgot about that!"  Two sides of the same coin really.  It isn't always new information that pintrest brings to my attention, its often old information.  Something I had discarded but now would find useful, or just simply forgotten.  A great example on the "Oh yeah" side of things was this one that showed up recently:

How to Regrow Green Onions

Source: blog.junbelen.com via Alayna on Pinterest

I hope I still remember this next time I buy green onions, so I can totally use this to not buy any more!  Plus, if you freeze what you don't use then you doubly are saving yourself time and money.  I am always looking for ways to keep things on hand for recipes and this is a great one.