If you would have told me when I graduated from high school, that when I became a grandma I’d be pinning recipes, great ideas, and gardening tips, to an electronic bulletin board in the sky, I would have thought you were crazy. But it’s true, I now do all those things. An electronic world we never dreamed about as teenagers, is now commonplace, providing convenience and valuable ideas at the touch of a finger. As a grandma, I love Pinterest, and if I were still a teenager, I’d love it too! What a great age we live in.
Pinterest takes me to craft workshops, quilting events, food fairs, celebrations, and model home shows at just the click of a mouse. I don’t have to travel 5 hours to be invigorated, inspired, and motivated to try something new. This electronic scrapbook/bulletin board replaces boxes of recipe cards, scrapbooks of news articles, stacks of magazines we “might’ use some day, and file cabinets full of good ideas. It is easy to use, quick to find, and fun to explore. It might even replace reading and movie watching on a rainy day -- it’s that intriguing! If it doesn’t replace them, you can at least get recommendations on what to read and watch from cyber friends whose opinion you value!
Pinterest has the intrinsic ability to connect even people in isolated San Juan with the best Blogs in the world, along with recommendations from family and close friends. No matter your interest --photography, child care, gardening, health, frugal living, decorating, exercise, health, etc. -- you’ll find dozens of ideas each time you visit. And just think, you can save each one by just “pinning” it to your personalized bulletin board.
From Pinterest I’ve learned more about things I already had a passion for, like sprouting seeds, making soap, and ways to save money (as well as spend it!) and ways to streamline my life. Just last weekend I ran into Rosalie Payne in Walmart in Price and she told me she’d discovered how to make summer porridge or Muesli on Pinterest, and how that fits well into her healthier life style. Of course, I went home and tried it too.
http://interest.com is a web site that generates energy, positive change, and is highly motivational. Often the links provide step by step video “how tos”. It may even get you back in the kitchen and cooking again. It is wonderful rubbing “cursor shoulders” with creative thinkers, and kindred spirits you don’t even know, but who motivate and teach you.
Here is a recent recipe I found for a gourmet tinfoil dinner:
Foil-Pack Chicken and Broccoli Dinner
- Oven to 400 (or use hot coals outside)
- Spray 4 large sheets of heavy-duty foil with oil.
- Combine 1 pkg chicken stuffing mix with 1 1/4 c. water.
- Spoon 1/4 of the stuffing mixture onto the center of each foil sheet.
- Top stuffing with a 6 oz. chicken breast half.
- Top chicken with 1 c. broccoli florets
- Sprinkle with ¼ C. cheese and 1 slice of bacon, crumbled (if desired).
- Drizzle with 1 T. ranch dressing
- Bring up foil sides and fold to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside
- Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake 25-30 min.
- Remove packets and let stand 5 min.
- Cut sits in foil for steam before opening.
Pinterest is truly fresh, frugal and fun! For sure you can tell when you’ve become converted (or obsessed), when you move your laptop into the kitchen, so you don’t have to print the recipes!
