Pinspiring Meals - Helpful Tips for Actually Making All Those Recipes You've Pinned

Pinterest is one of the greatest inventions for housewives that has ever come about. It provides a bounty of advice, ideas, instruction, and inspiration for anyone who uses it. While it provides us with plenty of good ideas, we know that all dream of making amazing meals, wearing adorable outfits, going DIY crazy on our home décor, our pins usually sit there while we live the same old boring life. You have probably found hundreds of meals, desserts, or side-dishes that you would love to make (and had every intention of making when you pinned it),  but you find that all those pinned recipes sit idle, while you continue to eat the same boring meals, day after day. If you’ve been dreaming of more exciting dinner for years, but have yet to put your plans into action, read ahead for a few tips that will help you to finally make those unused recipes:

Pinterest + Grocery Store = Success

One of the biggest problems with trying a new recipe, especially when you are already busy, is taking the time to get prepared. If you haven’t decided on a particular dish to make for dinner, chances are you will be missing some vital ingredients. Additionally, preparing ahead of time includes knowing exactly what it will take to make the dish, the necessary steps and even the amount of time. Sometimes you want to make a particular Pinterest dish, but you don’t have the ingredients on hand, so you just make another boring standby dinner. Here’s an idea—pull out your phone and get on Pinterest as you walk through the isles of the grocery store, and pick out the ingredients you’ll need to make one or two new dishes. That way, you’ll be sure to use the recipe you have pinned, because you have the ingredients for it.

Dinner Group

Sometimes making a new recipe requires a little motivation. Form a group of others who want to spice up their recipe book and are looking for ways to make dinnertime less boring. You can have a dinner group of just mom’s or even couples once a week where everyone brings a new recipe every time. You can divide the meal up and assign people to bring a new appetizer, soup or salad, meat dish, sides, and dessert. If nobody makes the same thing twice, you’ll be overflowing with new recipes you can try on your own family. The great thing about Pinterest is that you can share pins, so if someone likes your recipe, you can just send them the pin for it and they have it instantly. If your group is still learning the ropes around the kitchen, it might be fun to hire a chef that does private cooking parties to give the group a few lessons. This will make the meals at future dinner parties even more enjoyable.

Pick One Night a Week to Be Your “Experiment Night”

Part of the reason it is difficult to actually make those Pinterest recipes we have been fantasizing about is because of time. We are busy, and making a new meal takes a little extra time and effort than just whipping up something you have made dozens of times. Everyone gets tired of the same boring meals week after week, so choose one night a week that is most convenient and make it your night to shake it up a bit. You don’t have to change the entire menu, but you can add a new side dish, a new way to prepare chicken or even a luscious dessert you found on Pinterest to surprise the family. If you set aside one night that is experiment night, you know to plan a little extra time for preparation, and the recipe will get used.

Holidays, Birthdays, and Parties

Pinterest is a haven for themed recipes. You can find hundreds of thousands of dishes, desserts, and sides that are perfect for a particular season or holiday. If you’re looking for an excuse to try a new recipe, holidays, birthdays, and parties are the perfect venue for themed or out-of-the ordinary dishes. The thing about special events is that they are usually planned out far in advance, so you have time to plan out the recipe and even time to practice. If you’re trying a particularly tricky recipe, you might want to try making it a few times to see how it turns out. That way, if something goes wrong, you don’t have to show up to the event empty handed or force guests to eat something that didn’t turn out right. For parties and occasions that have a theme, making a themed dish just adds to the fun of the event for everyone.


When you have collected a number of pinned recipes and you don’t know where to start, the easiest approach is to choose something simple. Read through the recipe, choose a time to make it and just jump in. Once you have tried some of your new pins, you might be surprised that they begin making it to your dinner table more often. Don’t let all your pins sit there just waiting to be explored—put them to good use and make meal time infinitely more exciting!


 

[author image=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/_/focus/photos/public/AIbEiAIAAABDCK6Wrsaj1a_sLiILdmNhcmRfcGhvdG8qKDcxZTIxZjMzOTlmYjdlZDhlMjZkZDI5OTRmOGIzOWQ1NjZhNWY0M2MwAebYQ4Qp4-7Z4SzXj3sf8v2SGQ-I?sz=64″ ]This article was written by Dixie Somers, a freelance writer who loves to write for business, finance, women’s interests, or home and family. Dixie lives in Arizona with her husband and three beautiful daughters who are the inspiration for her writing. [/author]

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