Blue Apron

We're still celebrating Corey's safe return, today we did it by enjoying a nice fancy meal at home via "Blue Apron". This is something my bff Nicole recommended and introduced me to. She sent an email thing where I could try 3 meals for free. And Nicole and I are basically twins as you can tell, so I knew if she liked it I probably would to (and I do!) Last week I got my first package ~ they send you all the ingredients and the recipes with instructions for 3 meals (with pictures too! It's like "how to cook" for dummies beginners!) I ordered the two servings each option. I was a little bummed when it arrived last Thursday after Corey left, cause I mostly wanted to do it for him, but now I was left with these fancy meals with fresh ingredients that I was pretty sure the kids wouldn't be brave enough to try, but they would go bad if I didn't use them, so... what to do? I decided to just make them and eat them myself unless the kids did want to give them a try. And I knew I'd have to order some again to try with Corey around.

I showed Mel what it was about and she seemed excited and made the first meal last Saturday - Crispy Fish Sandwiches. I helped with the prep, but then had to take Ethan to the store, so I was gone while she cooked it. Whenever I see capers I think of Corey sharing the first time he tried them, he didn't know what they were and after trying them just thought to himself "...well those are nasty little peas!" Funny. Mel burned the fish when she fried it, but it wasn't too bad. Joseph and Mel and I ate the sandwiches, I ate the coleslaw by myself over the next few days. I made a rule for myself that I couldn't make recipe 2 until meal 1 was gone. I made the Moussaka Eggplant lasagna Monday, thinking the kids could have it as an option with our regular Costco lasagna, cause lasagna is a good thing on Mondays that I can have cooking while I take Hyrum to band.  As I ate it that night, the kids thought it was alien food. They acted like the eggplant was sliced up monkey brains. Joseph couldn't even look at it, too horrifying. I told Corey via skype that I'd probably save some of it for him when he got back. I did still have half of the pan left yesterday when Corey got home, so I heated that up for him and I for lunch. Lasagna with meat and noodles and eggplant, golden raisins, and oranges... It was very interesting, not bad, not amazing, but pretty good! Plus it's fun to have something new to try. I had told the kids during the week that I might be receiving meals from Blue Apron regularly, and if they ever want to have any of it, they had to first prove that they are mature about food and can try new things - and prove it right now by eating some of the Moussaka. They all refused except Hyrum, who bravely dished himself up a bowl. He ate half of it with his brothers looking on making bets that he wouldn't finish it. He did good until he saw the layers of eggplant. Joseph ran away covering his mouth, running to the toilet as if he were going to upchuck. Hyrum couldn't finish it, but he gave a valiant effort and showed up all his brothers. Hyrum, we'll let you have a bite of our fancy meals. So Corey and I both enjoyed the Moussaka yesterday for lunch.

Today Corey recovered a bit from his jet lag while I made the Pan Roasted Chicken with Saba Grape Sauce with roasted fennel and sunchokes. Seriously, I had never heard of these things before. I've never ever cooked, eaten, or even seen these things in a grocery store. Or if I have I didn't notice - my brain must not have identified them as food for humans. But yesterday I ate roasted turnip! And some roasted fennel bulb! And sunchokes! Never even heard of them before, and now I've eaten them. My circumference of darkness is expanding cause I'm learning new things and am now aware of what I was unaware of! How are your sunchokes sweetie?

There's my plate of turnips, fennel bulb, and sunchokes and my cute dinner companion. The Rosemary leaves had turned a bit brown, but there was enough to make it work. I threw some avocado on there just for fun. So, since it's still new and exciting, I give Blue Apron two enthusiastic thumbs up. We'll see how it goes over the next month and if I notice any other pros or cons to it.