I've had the app "Pinterest" since I was a young teen. It's an app that has been there for me through many seasons of life and bored rainy days. It looks as if my life were all wrapped up in pins: wedding dreams, optimistic fashion icon of the future, the next Chip and Joanna Gaines, DIY goddess, faux Sephora makeup artist, philosopher of quotes, comedian, and -- what this post is really about -- food. When I left the nest for college two years ago I knew I would miss homecooked meals and treasure them whenever I went back, which was more weekends than I originally planned on. What did surprise me was my new interest in cooking and trying new foods. You see, when you figure out the cafe's weekly menu you grow tired of BBQ sandwiches and fried chicken even if it is good. I loved coming home to steaks and baked potatoes, roasts and green beans, and so on. Still, I felt like cooking new dishes and in particular, desserts.

If you're like me, you're nothing of an artist. And if you're nothing like me and you are an artist:

I thought that to cook a delicious side dish, sear a perfect steak, or frost the perfect cupcake that you had to be an artist. Every dish and dessert on Pinterest looks as if it were kissed by an angel or 3D printed into life; they all demand honor and respect on their perfect crystal cake plates.

Newsflash: You don't have to be an artist or a chef. You just have to know how to read. I'm not a chef -- obviously -- but I have found a few recipes on Pinterest that I not only enjoyed crafting together but actually tasted good, too! All I did was read and follow the directions. So, without further ado, here are a few recipes I loved to make and bake:Holy cow. These tempting treats were crafted with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, and easy enough to let your toddler stand on a stool to help! When I first started wanting to cook, I started simple with cookies. This recipe didn't disappoint, and I wasn't left in dismay trying to figure it out. If you can mix ingredients, you can make these. The only problem is trying not to let the gooey chocolate chips drizzle down the side of your mouth and eating the whole batch at once!

We all have days where we want to sit and eat an entire bag of chips with cheese dip. Don't get me wrong; I love cheese dip, but some days I like something with a little more flavor. Hello, roasted garlic and bacon spinach dip! Again, this recipe was so simple. The instructions are cut and clear, and the ingredients list is short so it won't blow your weekly grocery budget! My only air of caution is to go easy with the garlic; the chef here must have liked it extra garlic-y because it does pack a punch. But the bacon? Who doesn't love too much bacon?

Moms and dads do so much, including cooking dinner! Sometimes it's nice to be able to cook for them, and to learn to cook a good piece of meat all on your own! If your mouth didn't water just reading this recipe, you're nuts. I was intimidated by cooking something a little above my skill level, but with just four ingredients it's hard to go wrong. Make sure you've got enough bacon because depending on how big the tenderloin is, you may need more than the recipe called for. As far as temperature and time, I only needed a few extra minutes to cook the meat all the way through. It cut tenderly with a fork and as with all really delicious recipes, it melted in our mouths.

OK, so this picture is of how my mini pancakes turned out because, well, look how cute! I wanted to bring a brunch dish to a Christmas get-together that wasn't so traditional or messy to pack and travel with, and as always, Pinterest had an idea for that: mini pancakes! The recipe isn't hard to follow as it's really just like making regular Bisquick pancakes, just smaller! Instead of the suggested fruit in the recipe, I substituted strawberries and blueberries, stuck a thin kebab stick through the fruit and pancakes, and tied a festive ribbon around each one! The only thing I would do differently if time allows is to wait to add the fruit and powdered sugar until ready to serve, and add maple syrup. These won't disappoint.

Hello, beautiful. These are apple rosettes. They please your sweet tooth and make your kitchen smell like Christmas -- which is exactly when I tried these out! Granted, this recipe takes patience and practice, but they are a unique dessert to serve at your next party! My fault with this recipe was that I accidentally missed a step (to refrigerate before cooking) which seemed to affect the way they cooked. Regardless, they looked and tasted great, and I really need to try this recipe again soon.

If you're needing a quick, satisfying recipe to quell your family's appetite, look no further. This creamy spinach and sausage pasta takes only 30 minutes to cook and really fills you up. The perfect blend of cheese and spinach combined with sausage and your favorite noodles will have you hoping for seconds in a pinch.

We started with chocolate and we're ending with chocolate. Is there any other way to end, anyway? Most recently, I followed the recipe to make a tasty peanut butter-chocolate dessert. Easy to make with everyday ingredients that refrigerate and allow you to indulge every calorie -- because it's worth it. My mistake with these was forgetting a baking sheet, so the bottom of the brownies stuck to my pan -- but no worries; I freed them from their sticky life and ate a couple before sharing them! This recipe is made in a 9x13 inch pan, so it's a dessert big enough for a neighborhood Fourth of July cookout!

Not all recipes on Pinterest are successes; I've had several failures and "Why in the world do these exist?" moments after eating a disastrous side dish. Regardless, these made my family, boyfriend, and me pretty full and happy at the end of a clean plate. If you're interested to see what else I'm attempting to bake and cook, follow my Pinterest page and share your own successes; I'm always in the mood to try new recipes!