Blue Apron Meals -2

I received my Blue Apron meal again a few weeks ago. This time it was Mexican-Style Tortas, Crispy Catfish, and Steaks and Roasted Potatoes. All of the food was super delicious and definitely something that I could make on my own if I was not the cook that I am! HA!!

I have to say that my favorite was the tortas. They were so delicious and paired with avocado made it even more yummy. The bread was super fresh and soft, I had to make a panini press using two pans.....note to self, get a panini maker......but it was still super good. 

The steaks and potatoes were very well seasoned. My husband loved the steaks. He even raved about them the next day to some friends. When he does this I know it had to be good. 

The catfish was good, but not my favorite. I am not a big fan of catfish. It tastes a little too fishy to me. I don't even really like fried catfish. I know I love my southern food and catfish it pretty high up there on the southern food list, but it's just not my favorite fish. The dish overall was pretty good. 

Will I keep doing Blue Apron? 

-Maybe. Maybe not. It's not a bad price for the amount of food you get. The ingredients are fresh and it keeps me from going to the grocery store and spending a fortune every week on fresh produce and meat. I like how everything is prepackaged and all I have to do is wash off a few veggies and chop. I might try doing this on a Sunday food prep day instead of after work. Then on the days I work, everything is done for me. We shall see. 

*not a sponsored post, just sharing what I love. 

Blue Apron Meals

I had a friend tell me about Blue Apron Meals. It is this awesome company that sends packaged ingredients straight to your door step with step by step instructions on how to put it all together and make a meal. The meals are super fresh and nutritious. P-diddy gave me a coupon for a few bucks off, so of course I had to try it.

 How it Works

Blue Apron sends you three meals in portions of two or four depending on your preference and family size. I picked 2 because I knew we could share with our little one. The meals are a little different depending on which portion you decide on. They ask you a few questions when you sign up, such as meat or vegetarian, and any allergies or special preferences you may have. Afterwards they give you a list of 5 different meals to choose from. You pick three, some of the meals cannot be added together, and then within a week, the meals are sent straight to your door. 

Here is What I Received

The first meal was Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp. This was absolutely delicious. The noodles and shrimp were super fresh and the basil on top was the "icing on the cake." We had squid ink pasta in New York, so we knew we would like this dish. No, the noodles do not taste like fish. They use the squid ink to dye the noodles that color. They taste just like regular, fresh, noodles. 

The next meal was Stuffed Poblano Peppers. People!!! This was my favorite meal. First you make the stuffing which consisted of pepitas, rice, hamburger, onions, currants, and some spices. You roast the peppers, then split them, de-seed them and then stuff with the mixture. It was delicious. 

Once it is done, the peppers are topped with a yummy cilantro cream sauce. Delicious! 

I really liked Blue Apron. The directions were super easy to follow and the food was really good. Throughout the directions they tell you to add salt and pepper and I would definitely taste each time I did this. I like seasonings so I wanted to make sure all of the food was seasoned enough to my family's liking. 

This isn't a sponsored post, I just really like Blue Apron and wanted to share my amazing meals I received from them! 

New York Eats

My Family and I recently went to New York. My main focus was to spend time with family, celebrate my little girl's first birthday, and EAT! 

New York did not really disappoint me. I have to say they didn't have a lot of places "right in your face" to eat like they do in the south. Things were pretty spaced out, but if you ask the locals and the concierge at the hotels, they will definitely lead you in the right direction. 

As soon as we checked in at the hotel, we were starving. We asked the front desk where a good pizza place was and she pointed us in the right direction. We went to Ray's Pizza and it did not disappoint. I ordered a pepperoni and mushroom slice and a vegetarian slice. It was super fresh and just what we needed to welcome us to New York. 

The next day Mom, GG, and I decided to get up early for breakfast. We walked to the local Pret A Manger for some organic coffee, burritos, and breakfast sandwiches. I had the burrito with a coffee and it was delicious. The burrito was filled with black beans, onions, red bell peppers and eggs. The coffee was divine and just what I needed to wake me up and start my first full day in NYC. 

On our way back we stopped at Magnolia Bakery (pic). Y'ALL!!! I want to take a bath in their icing. It is sooo good. It's a buttercream icing and it is to die for. I bought 2 red velvet cupcakes, a chocolate cupcake and a vanilla cupcake with pink icing and sprinkles. 

After walking the city a bit we decided to stop in to The Plaza Hotel and eat at the Todd English Food Hall. This place was recommended to me by a friend to try out. We ended up eating her for lunch and dinner....it was that good. For lunch I ordered a green monster juice with extra ginger, which I paired with a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery. I figured it equaled out.

They Hubby ordered the lobster roll. It was a little on the small side but it was really good. I had a bite and had to stop myself from asking for more and devouring his. He did let me have his pickle though. Ha! 

Lunch for me! 

After lunch at The Plaza we walked through Central Park and took GG to the Central Park Zoo. 

On our way out I saw a Wafles and Dinges and I had to try. This my friends is my Belgian Waffle with Nutella, fresh strawberries, and vanilla ice cream.....Life Changing. GG loved it. 

Later for dinner we went back to The Plaza and had dinner. I forgot to take pictures but we had salmon sandwiches and shared a bento box of chicken teriyaki with a seaweed salad. 

The next day we decided on something small for breakfast and some coffee. We knew we were headed to Little Italy for dinner and we didn't want to get too stuffed. We decided on Angelo's after reading a few great reviews. It was great! 

We ordered the Antipasto Italiano plate with sardines and endive. It was perfection. Mr. Lovely ordered the pasta with shrimp and crab. I opted for the Cannelloni filled with meat, spinach, and cheese. Mom had the chicken marsala. All of the dishes were delicious. 

Pasta with Shrimp and Crab

Cannelloni with Spinach, Beef, and Cheese

Chicken Marsala

We walked around Little Italy for a while and had dessert at one of the oldest restaurants there Ferrara. We ordered some classic Cannolis and ate them on a bench in front of a local deli. Perfect way to end the day. 

The next day we headed to Eataly to check out Mario Battali's wonderful Italian Market. 

We went to La Pizza and La Pasta and had a yummy lunch. I ordered the Tagliatelle with a short rib ragu. Mr. Lovely ordered the pizza with sausage and pepperoni, Mom ordered a pizza with sausage and mushroom. Best pizza we have ever had in our lives!!! Authentic.....or as close to Italian cuisine as I have heard it should taste. 

Yummy foccacia bread with different toppings.

This was quite a popular one!

The deli that has some of the best sausage I have ever tasted....even better,,,,,you can order any of the meats and have it shipped to you. 

They have a Nutella Bar......YES....A NUTELLA BAR!!! 

People!!!!! I was sooo full from lunch at the pizza and pasta restaurant, but I knew I could not leave this place without ordering something. I had the Fior Di Latte (sweet milk) gelato, in a waffle cone with nutella drizzled on top. Dying!! 

Our final night in NYC we ate outside at a quaint Italian restaurant. I had the salmon with spinach, tomatoes, and cauliflower. 

Mr. Lovely had the Pasta Diablo with shrimp. 

For dessert we walked to Junior's Cheesecake and I had the best strawberry cheesecake EVER!!!! 

We shared one slice, as it was so rich and delicious. 

I was so proud of GG. She ate all of the foods we had the whole time we were in NYC. She is turning into quite the foodie and I want her to try and taste everything. 

Obviously we ate more than this, but these are just some of the highlights. It was an amazing trip. I fell in love with this city, just like how I fell in love with NOLA. You can read about those adventures here: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3, 

I definitely plan to visit NYC in the near future. 

Lemon - Berry Rolls

Sometimes you have ingredients in your refrigerator and think....

"What should I do with all of this stuff?" 

Well you go to google, put in the ingredients that you have, and miraculously recipes appear.

I found this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything. 

It is a blueberry and lemon crescent ring. The recipe calls for a can of crescent rolls and delicious sweetened cream cheese with just the right amount of lemon juice for a kick. This is good friends. 

Here is the sweetened cream cheese. You have to mix it really good to give it a nice whipped and creamy look. 

Once you stretch out the dough, spread the cream cheese mixture all over and place the blueberries on top. I had to push the blueberries into the mixture a bit so they wouldn't slide when I rolled the dough up. 

Once the dough is rolled, slice using a serrated knife and place in a circle like above. 

Bake these puppies up at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Once they come out spread the icing on top. 

Blueberry and Lemon Crescent Rings

adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best)

1 tbsp. lemon zest

1 can Crescent rolls

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. fresh blueberries

Glaze

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. milk 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper. In small bowl, combine the cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar. Mix until well blended. Unroll the pack of crescent rolls and pinch the separation areas to make the dough combine and lay flat in one rectangular piece. 

Spread cream cheese mixture all over dough and top with blueberries. Push the blueberries into the cream cheese mixture a bit to make sure they won't move when you roll up the dough. Starting with the long side, roll the dough up until if forms a roll. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into slices. Place each slice on the parchment lined cookie tray, overlapping ever so slightly. Bake for 20-30 minutes. 

While this is cooking combine your powdered sugar and milk to make the glaze. 

Once the crescent rolls are done, remove from the oven and pour the glaze over them. 

Enjoy!

French Toast

I didn't forget to take a picture this time! Be proud....be very proud! It's a phone pic....but its a pic so don't get all judgy. I think the phone pic looks pretty good. I would cook this meal and eat it. Ha! 

We bought the bread at Costco after tasting devouring 5 slices with melted butter from the little vendor/samplers. Those people are dangerous. I pretty much purchase all the food they beg me to sample. It's a psychological thing that Costco does. Don't believe me...read this. 

The bread sat in the bag for about 2 days until I decided to slice it up, soak it in some egg and milk mixture, and fry it up in butter. I love my arteries. 

*Just wanted to mention that I use a large black cast iron skillet to make my french toast in. I find that it makes a better crust and cooks the toast better. 

*When adding the butter to the pan, be sure to turn down the heat each time you add more. If you add butter to the already hot skillet, it will burn the butter and your toast. You want to melt the butter, increase the heat, then add the bread. 

French Toast

4 slices of  2-3 day old french bread

1/2 c. milk (I used soy)

1 egg

1 tbsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. butter

Fresh Fruit of any kind

Syrup (warm this in the microwave or pan)

Powdered Sugar

Mix the milk, eggs, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Place 1 slice of bread into the mixture coating each side. Place in the hot skillet and cook on both sides. Repeat with remaining slices, stirring the milk, egg, and cinnamon mixture each time. Add butter to the pan as needed. Serve warm, topped with fruit, powdered sugar, and syrup. 

That Time I Forgot to Take Pictures...

So I made this awesome chicken tonight with grilled asparagus and totally forgot to take pictures of it. I promise it's good......and I will make it again.
I should smack my own self for not taking any pictures of this yumminess, but hey, life happens.

I am a mom now and if I actually combed my hair and my kid ate at least one thing nutritious it's a good day.

This my friends is a good meal. I grilled it all but it can totally be done on the stove or in the oven. I am going to give you the grilled version. If you want the oven version email me or leave a comment.

I was proud of myself with this meal. The best part....it was super easy!

Bacon and Mushroom Chicken

3-4 Chicken Breasts
5 Mushrooms (whichever type you like)
3-4 pieces of bacon
2 tbsp. Tuscan Sunset Seasoning (Penzy's)
1 tbsp. Red Wine
1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/2. c. Shredded Cheese (I used mexican blend because I had some left over from taco night)
Salt and Pepper
foil (enough to put the mushrooms in and put on the grill

Season the chicken with the Tuscan Sunset Seasoning and Salt and Pepper. Add Chicken to grill and begin to cook. Cut bacon into 3rds (cut 1 slice 2 times) Place on the grill and let cook. Cut up the mushrooms and put in foil. Add Red Wine, Balsamic Vinegar, and Salt and Pepper. Stir together and combine the foil to close shut. Put on the grill to cook. Remove the bacon once it is done to your likeness. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and place to the side. Once the chicken is cooked through place 2 tbsp. shredded cheese on top. Let the cheese melt a bit and add bacon and mushrooms on top of the cheese. Place 2 more tbsp. of cheese on top of the bacon and mushrooms. Once the cheese is melted remove the chicken from the grill and serve.

Enjoy!

Meatball Sandwich...Why not?!

Sometimes you just want a meatball sandwich. This recipe is simple, make the meatballs, throw them in the crockpot for a few.....then it's time to eat.

This picture does not do this sandwich justice. It's delicious. It cooks in the marinara sauce the whole time, giving it powerful flavor.

Meatball Sandwich

1 lb. hamburger (I used 93%)
3 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tbsp. onion powder
1tbsp. garlic powder
1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp. salt
1tsp. pepper
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I used Trader Joes brand)

Pour the jar of marinara into a crock pot and put on high. Mix all of the rest of the ingredients together and form into balls. Once the marinara starts to heat and bubble up, place the balls into the marinara. Some meatballs will be on top and the marinara will not touch them but that is ok. It will cook down and you will be stirring. Place the lid on and let the crock pot do its thing for 2-3 hours. Take the lid off and stir, being careful not to break up the meatballs. Let cook for another 2 more hours with the lid on.
Serve on your favorite bread, spooning the delicious marinara on top and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.

Pork Roast with Black Eyed Peas

I am super late with this post but.....hey, It's still January so you can, maybe, implement this yummy recipe next New Years! HA!!

I have Southern and Northern roots in my blood. Family from up North but born and semi-raised in the South. If I had to choose I would pick the South. Better food, friendly people, BUTTER!!

Now don't get me wrong, the North can throw down in the kitchen. I have been to many a fine restaurant, but there is just something about Southern comfort food that does a body good.

Every new year I make a pork roast, with sour kraut and black-eyed peas. This is all supposed to bring good luck based on Northern and Southern beliefs. Pork and sour kraut from the North and black-eyed peas from the south. I'm a pretty lucky girl by my standards at least.

This was good stuff here. Yummy food. Tasty. Delicious. Seasoned. Northern and Southern delightful.

Pork Roast

2 lb. Pork Tenderloin
2 sprigs Rosemary (remove from stems and finely chop)
3 chopped cloves of garlic
1 tsp Tumeric
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
1/4 c. Olive Oil

Wash and pat dry the pork tenderloin. Using a small paring knife make about 10-15 little slits in the top of the pork. This is to stuff the seasoning into the meat. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. Using your fingers grab some of the seasoning and begin to stuff inside of the little slits. Once all are stuffed rub the rest of the seasoning all over the meat. Place in a ziplock bag and let marinate for 2-24 hours. The longer the better. Bake uncovered in a small baking dish at 400 degrees until meat thermometer reads 140-145 degrees. Take out of oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice thin. Enjoy.