My Blue Apron Review

Last week, I blogged and bragged about cooking steak dinners from Avril-Bleh's Meat Market.
Well this past week, I was back in the kitchen!

Have you ever heard of Blue Apron?

Blue Apron is a meal-making home-delivery service that ships fresh ingredients and chef-designed recipes right to your doorstep. I call it "Meals for Dummies".
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Every thing you need to create 3 healthy, fresh and seasonal meals (including the step-by-step recipes) magically arrives on your doorstep with the help of a eco-friendly refrigerated box. The Meat and Fish or Vegetarian meals you receive are based on your own personal dietary preferences, and the properly proportioned ingredients are always “in-season” and “guaranteed fresh” from local farms and artisans. Each ingredient is washed, packed, sealed and labeled. Each meal is between 500-700 calories and will introduce you to new ingredients, flavors and cooking methods you never knew existed.  The three meal plan for two people costs $59.94 (including shipping).

• Could this be the answer to my "I suck at grocery shopping" problem?
• Could this be cheaper than eating out every night?
• Am I a good enough cook to really make the meals?
• Will I make one meal and never get around to making the others?

Well, thanks to Blue Apron's generous "free meal for friends program," I received my first Blue Apron delivery last week!

I asked my friend, Tracey, if she'd be interested in test driving the Blue Apron delivery with me. She is loads of fun, a great cook and loves trying new things. By recruiting a Blue Apron Buddy, the "fun factor", my confidence, my commitment to making all of the meals went way up, the workload went way down and Tracey's husband, Mark, was willing to photograph the process....BONUS! Tracey and I love to try new things and aren't afraid of any ingredients. Mark....not so much. Like Captain John, he has a salt, pepper and butter kind of palate. So, Tracey added a "Protein" to our menu and prepared Grilled Salmon with Butter and Lemon Pepper and corn on the cob.

This was our Blue Apron menu (I chose the vegetarian selection):

OUR BLUE APRON VERDICT:

My expectations were set pretty high and my first Blue Apron experience EXCEEDED those expectations! Blue Apron just does a great job of helping you have a fun experience as a chef--without any of the annoying stuff like meal planning, recipe selection, shopping, measuring and waste.

The Fusilli Con Buco Pasta, a lemony, buttery, zucchini pasta dish garnished with fresh mint, was slightly bland but really came alive when eaten with the Kachumber Salad, an heirloom tomato, cucumber, mint and red onion salad with a lemony Masala spice dressing.

The Palak Paneer, is a classic Indian dish that combines sauteed spinach, Paneer (an unaged cheese), garlic, ginger and warmed Indian spices with yogurt. The result is creamy, flavorful and delicious!

Tracey's Grilled Salmon with Butter and Lemon Pepper was outstanding and a great addition to the menu. Tracey and Mark lived in Alaska for quite a while and they claim this is their favorite way to cook fresh salmon. She says she just tells Mark to rub butter on the salmon plank, stick it on the grill (skin side down), sprinkle with lemon pepper and flip it when it looks browned. 

The Blue Apron process was so much fun, pretty darn easy and very convenient!  Tracey was a big part of that--she had all of the bowls, knives, pot & pans and utensils ready. The only ingredients not included were salt, pepper and olive oil--and again, Tracey took care of all of that!

 

The ingredients were super fresh, high quality and perfectly portioned. Because the amount of food that shows up is exactly the right measure of each ingredient, there are fewer moments of realizing that you really weren't able to come up with three more meals that use up that bunch of cilantro this week, and end up throwing the rest away.

The Blue Apron Recipes are printed on a single two-sided sheet of paper with great photos and well-thought-out instructions.  But even better, they are laid out for simplicity, speed and minimal use of pots/pans/dishes. As someone who tends to use every dish in the kitchen when I cook and not always getting the timing of different steps right, I really appreciated the tips.

Because the Blue Apron folks pick the meals for you (within your stated dietary constraints), you're likely to try new tastes and combinations of ingredients that you wouldn't necessarily seek out yourself, like the Patak Paneer, which was our favorite.

Blue Apron is NOT for picky eaters and not for single households. The recipes often include unusual ingredients, mystery spices and creative combinations of tastes and textures---great for Tracey and I but not so good for Mark or Captain John. The portions were generous-too much food for two people. 

I'm going to order Blue Apron meals ONCE every month and plan to continue sharing the "prep, chop, cook and eat" duties with friends. More frequent deliveries and cooking solo may sour the fun and anticipation.

Is it worth the cost?  I say "Yes!"--- but share the experience with family and friend for a true Great Plate Experience!

For more information on Blue Apron, check out their website and be sure to look at their wonderful selection of recipes.  After a few more deliveries, I'll be getting my free meals for Friends, send me a comment if you're interested.

Click HERE for our Blue Apron Recipes.

 Fusilli Con Buco Pasta

Palek Paneer with Naan and Kuchumber Salad

Vegetable Nicoise Salad

The Meal of the Week

Ali the Butcher at Avril's

This week's Gr(eat) Pl(ate) Meal of the Week was so good that I actually had it 3 times this week!
The most surprising part about this meal was not that I had it 3 times but that I cr(eat)ed 2 of the 3 meals in my own kitchen--and cooking doesn't happen very often in my cramped little kitchen.

A little background on why I don't cook:
1)   I am NOT a fan of grocery shopping-- I don't enjoy it and I'm not good at it. I usually run into the grocery store, get overwhelmed and walk out with something like 10 yogurts (or whatever is on special in large quantities), a head of cabbage and cream cheese. What can you make with that? A few weeks later, it all goes in the trash.

2)  Captain John has fairly limited and simple food preferences--beef, potatoes, bacon, bread and desserts. So, it's easier for him to pick the restaurant and order what he wants.  He really enjoys a gr(eat) steak so Capital Grill and Jeff Ruby Joints are popular choices and McKendricks Steakhouse in Atlanta is a favorite.

So here's what happened:
I was given a "Thank You" gift of 2 hand-cut beef tenderloin filets and 2 twice-baked potatoes from Avril-Bleh's Meat Market in Downtown Cincinnati.  Captain John was on a trip and unavailable so I asked my next door neighbor, Denny, to join me for a steak dinner to thank him for rescuing me when I got on the wrong bus. (But that's a whole 'nuther story.)

With the main course taken care of, I went to out to hunt and gather another side dish and dessert. I went to Granny's Garden for fresh corn...too early for corn, ended up with peaches. I drove through Frisch's and got an Apple Pie...they do a great apple pie! With time running short, I ran into Remke's and got 6 ears of corn for $2.99 and 10 bottles of Ice Sparkling Waters...I'm a real sucker for those weekly specials.

I told Denny to come over around 5:00 on Sunday and he promptly showed up at 5:00. He was smartly dressed in dress shirt and pants, socks and hard shoes...ready for a "Steakhouse" steak dinner. Imagine his surprise when my dining room table is all set and I'm barefoot, wearing my "good" sweatpants and my "I'm kind of Awesome at Ping Pong" Tee Shirt. My bad.

Meal of the Week #1
I fired up the George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine, turned on the oven for the potatoes and boiled water for the corn. I put the lovely filets in some Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce for a few minutes, popped the potatoes in the oven and made a last minute decision to steam the corn on the cob.

Twenty minutes later, everything was done and cooked to perfection!
The meat was charred on the outside with perfect grill marks and tender, juicy and flavorful. One word: WOW! The twice-baked potatoes were hot, fluffy and topped with a bubbly, melted cheesy goodness. The steamed corn was sweet and summery with a generous schmear of butter and salt. We were both members of the "Clean Plate Club".

Even though we were kinda full, we went in for the dessert round. I cut slices of Frisch's Apple Pie and Denny ran next door to grab his container of Homemade Brand Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream. It was a perfect pairing and perfect ending to a great meal.

Jump forward a few days:
Captain John was due back in town on Thursday night but he finished up too late to catch the last flight in. On Friday Morning, I'm about to board my bus to go Downtown and John called to say he just landed in CVG and could use a ride. I picked him up and I googled "Avril Meat Cincinnati" as we headed Downtown. Avril-Bleh Meat Market on Court Street was easy to find and everything I hoped it would be and more. True Love at first sight!

Captain John studied the different cuts of beef and ordered a New York Strip Steak. I'm totally sold on the Filets and Twice-Baked Potatoes. So, It's off to work and I was only10 minutes later than usual.

Meal of the Week #2
While I was at work, John made dinner plans with his friend, Ed. Ed is a Rib-Eye Kind of Guy so John went back to Avril-Bleh's and got some Rib Eyes and more Twice-Bakeds for a cookout at Ed's House.  The Rib Eyes were very good but give me the filet!  Dessert: Regina's Brownies  Yum!!!

The next day, we decided to go out for lunch and a matinee at the Esquire Theater in Clifton.
Great Lunch at Sitwells Coffee House, home of The Best Tiramisu. I had the Salami, Cream Cheese and Cucumber Sandwich and John had "The Best BLT Ever", we shared the Tiramisu. We both loved the movie--- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

Meal of the Week #3
Like I said earlier, Captain John likes his steak.
With an Avril's NY Strip and another Tenderloin Filet with my name on it in the fridge, we decide to fire up the Lean, Mean Grilling Machine. We're out of twice-bakeds so we microwaved some Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes Singles.  The Bob Evans "Heat & Eat" potatoes are surprisingly delicious and they are a favorite of Johns.  (If John says "It's Good", then it's really good.)  While John is manning the George Foreman, I play "Becky Home-Ecky" and make a batch of Chocolate Crackle Cookies (Krusteaz Mix) for dessert.

While Krusteaz Crackle Cookies from a mix and Bob Evans Microwave potatoes aren't exactly "Home Cooking", it's a giant step in the right direction.

Since being introduced to Avril-Bleh's Meat Market, I've rediscovered my kitchen and how meat is supposed to look and taste--it's supposed to be displayed proudly in a case and wrapped in butcher paper by the butcher who cut the meat (like the lovely Ali in the top picture).

I'm on the lookout for more "Mom and Pop" gems like Avrils, Granny's Garden and Stillwells Coffee House.... and more Great Plates to share!

Strawberry Shortcake Saga has Happy Ending!

A few weeks ago, I was crabbing about the changing climate of biscuit-style strawberry shortcake. Since then, I've had several concerned readers express sympathy, suggest alternatives and make me some very delicious non-biscuit-style versions.

Let's turn back the hands of time for just a minute.
My strawberry shortcake obsession started a few years ago when I started dating Captain John. Captain John is a fellow "foodie". He loves to research and visit interesting places to dine and as a pilot, the world is his oyster (unfortunately, John doesn't eat oysters). John doesn't eat a lot of things...but, if it's steak, bread, potatoes or dessert--he's looking for perfection.

Before John, I didn't even know about biscuit-style shortcake. I was familiar with my mom's torte-style shortcake, I've had the poundcake-style shortcake and I knew you could buy little yellow spongy cake cups for shortcake at the grocery store. Then, I started dating Captain John and everything I knew about shortcake changed.  If Strawberry Shortcake is on the menu and the server says "biscuit", we're going to order it!

So, leave it to Captain John to hunt down one of our favorites.

He was on a trip that took him to Van Nuys, California and there was a Nordstroms nearby.
Before Junko, John didn't know about the wonderful world of Nordstrom Cafes--where food AND fashion are done well! Since Junko, John knows that he can get a reasonable priced, consistently good, well presented and satisfying meal in a comfortable setting. 

On our last visit to Nordstrom Cafe in the Kenwood Mall, outside of Cincinnati, we had our hearts set on the Triple Berry Shortcake. We were heart broken when we were told that it was taken off of the menu.  I think that was the "last straw" that prompted my shortcake rant.

So, imagine my surprise when I hear the Ting! Ting! of an incoming text message and see this message from John:

And there it was....The Triple Berry Shortcake from Nordstrom Bazille Cafe in Van Nuys, CA!

In defense of the almighty Nordstroms, they currently operate 16 styles of restaurant operations from coffee bars to upscale fine dining joints and the menus seem to vary at each location.  Must try them all and visit the shoe departments while I'm there.

Here's a link to  the Shortcake recipe from the Nordstrom Flavors Cookbook.