Pinterest fail: "Quick" Refried Beans (from dry beans)

Ok I'm going to go ahead and start by saying...don't do this. Don't do what I did. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. 

I found this recipe for "quick" refried beans and thought I had happened upon some great secret. I read through a bunch of reviews, some good and some bad, and went along with it. I had a thought in the back of my mind that said, "I think this is too good to be true." I should have listened to that voice. 

Ingredients:

• 1lb dry beans (I used pinto)
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 6+ cups water...add more as needed
• 1 can of tomato paste (what?!)

Directions:

Grind your beans in a wheat grinder. 

Or blender. Or both. 

Mix all of your ingredients together in a large pot. 

Taste test for about an hour while trying to convince yourself it will get better.

"Hey...the ingredients list on store-bought refried beans includes tomato paste! I'll add a can of tomato paste." Whatever you do, don't do that.

Once you've given up on it getting any tastier, or less crunchy, go ahead and dump it all into the trash can. You gave it your best, champ. Good game.

Le sigh.

Live and learn. Or live safely and learn from bloggers who tried the too-good-to-be-true stuff first. 

Anyone have a GOOD recipe for refried beans from dried beans? I promise I'll take the time to soak them.

Till next time,

Catherine

Pinterest Fail: Paper Flower Bowls

(via)

"Oh look how simple and cute that is! I've got to pin this and I'll try it before we next have friends over!" or "Oooh so pretty! I'll make these in just seconds before I host so-and-so's bridal shower!"

Lies and deception! Pinterest is full of them. 

Reality: 

Ok so that's the first attempt and I managed one good one but let me just tell you, it's not as simple as it looks! 

If you want to attempt this project, you'll need:

• Scrapbook paper, I used 12"x12" size. You'll need 2 pieces per bowl
• Ruler
• Glue stick
• Pencil
• Compass
• Scissors
• Stapler

Directions:

Pick two pretty pieces of scrapbook paper.

 Glue them together. Let them dry.

Find the center of the page, or as close as you can.

Use your compass and trace as large of a circle as you can. 

Cut the circle out.

Now cut the most wonky "flower petals" that you can. 

Now pull the sorry excused for petals together and staple them. 

If it doesn't work, pull out the staples and try again. Beautiful. 

Ok third time's the charm, right?

Now try again and actually cut even flower petals. This is another bad example. Don't cut 8 petals...it's too many. Cut 6. 

Staple the sides together. 

Ok so this worked...for the most part. It's functional, anyways. 

Alright, now for your third attempt, actually draw only 6 petals and carefully cut them out! 

Cut about a 1/2" line in between the petals. This helps them pull together better.

Don't staple them this high. 

It will look wonky. 

If that does happen, just pull out the staples and try again but lower.

Hey! That's not too bad!

Pretty cute, actually!

Hahahaha...yeaaa...

Moral of the story...don't believe everything you see on Pinterest! But don't worry, I'm here to try these seemingly simple projects and save you the time and disappointment! And hey, you can get a laugh out of my attempts too! 

So what do you think? Pinterest fail or success? Half-and-half?

Till next time,

Catherine

Pinterest Fail: Magic Eraser in the Toilet

You may have seen on Pinterest, the claim that Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers can eliminate toilet bowl rings. The claim is simple and sounds too good to be true! Well, for me, it was. Supposedly all you have to do is cut a small piece off of a Magic Eraser and drop it into the toilet. Leave it overnight and in the morning, your toilet bowl rings and stains will be gone! Just like that...magic!

Not for our toilets! I tried both and it did nothing!

Now don't get me wrong, Magic Erasers are great! I love using them for all sorts of cleaning. If they came attached to a stick then they'd be great for cleaning toilets but simply leaving it in a toilet overnight doesn't do the trick.

Well, what do you know...they did come out with a toilet scrubber Magic Eraser!

For anyone who has pinned this pin, go ahead and un-pin it! Unfortunately it doesn't work. But now that I've found out it doesn't work, you won't have to waste your Magic Erasers!

What's your favorite way to use Magic Erasers?

Till next time,
Catherine


      

Pinterest Fail: Veggie Turkey Tray

Just thought I'd share with you all a little Pinterest fail that I attempted on Thanksgiving. It was sort of spur of the moment as I was arranging the veggies that I spent all night cutting. I thought, "Oh I'll try and make it look like a turkey like I've seen on Pinterest! That will be cute!"

I had seen this one first and thought it would be cute to try! 

Or this one...

This one is great too!

Even this little one is cute!

This is what mine looked like. Yikes. 

Pinterest. Fail.

Such a simple task yet...not quite so easy. 

Do you like to make your veggie trays fancy or just functional? Have you ever dressed up a veggie tray to look like something else?

Till next time,

Catherine