Pinterest Tested #15

It’s time for Pinterest Tested #15! Last week, I mixed things up by testing out some Pinterest crafts. This week, I’m back to testing recipes and sharing my Pinterest Tested results.

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Marinated Chuck Tender Steaks @Jenn’s Food Journey

I’m always looking for new steak marinade recipes because my husband is a hardcore meat-eater. For me, steak gets kind of boring. Yes, I said it – I get bored with steak! So to help keep things new, I decided to try the steak marinade from Jenn’s Food Journey.

My results & tips:

1. I followed the marinade recipe exactly as written and opted to add the 1T. Sriracha hot sauce for some kick. Unfortunately, the marinade did not impart much flavor to the meat.
2. This recipe does come with a recommended dipping sauce from Bobby Flay at the Food Network, which I didn’t make. I think this NEEDS the sauce for flavor and this might have made the difference of this being a great steak meal.

Will I make this again? No. To me, this sauce did not add any flavor to the meat and we ended up using A1 Sauce to add some zing to the steak. If you plan on giving this a try, I recommend Bobby Flay sauce for added flavor.

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Pan Seared Broccoli @The Ramblings of an Aspiring Small Town Girl

This recipe came from a regular Merry Monday Link Party participant, Malia @The Ramblings of an Aspiring Small Town Girl. I love her easy and simple approach to cooking. In fact, this recipe didn’t even come with measurements! I know. A recipe without measurements may seem weird, but don’t freak out.  This recipe is easy to prepare and you just need to rely on your taste buds to get you through.

My results and tips:

1. Make sure the broccoli is dry. I washed the broccoli prior to cooking it and the excess moisture created steam that prevented the broccoli from getting a good pan sear.
2. I used three small heads of broccoli for this recipe and did three passes of lemon juice over the pan. The flavor was a little tart and I recommend doing a taste test after one pass of the lemon.

Overall, I thought this was a good recipe and will make it again. My kids didn’t like the initial tart flavor from the lemon but ended up going back for seconds. By the end of dinner, the broccoli was devoured. I’d say that this new way of cooking broccoli is a keeper.

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One Pot Tortellini and Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce @Yellow Bliss Road

If you’re a regular, you know that I love one pot meals. Anything that simplifies the cooking process and lessens the time spent in the kitchen is a plus. So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. It’s been pinned over 384,000 times and had a mix of good and bad reviews.

My results and tips:

1. The recipe author doesn’t recommend using frozen tortellini because it might add too much water to the sauce. I used frozen tortellini and had no issue with the sauce being watered down.
2. I omitted the onions because my oldest son hates them but recommend adding them for added flavor.
3. The directions have you cutting whole tomatoes with scissors, so I substituted diced tomatoes to skip this step.

If you read the comments for this recipe, there are some rave reviews and some that aren’t so stellar. Most of the favorable reviewers have added more ingredients or have slightly altered the recipe.

As is, I don’t care for the recipe. However, it does have the potential to be a good dish. I would skip the cream cheese entirely, reduce the cheese, and add more vegetables for added flavor. Hmmm…would those changes be considered a tweak or a new recipe?

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Have a favorite one-pot meal? Share the blog or recipe in the comments below.