Plated Review

No new recipe this week, but that's because I've spent the week taking Plated for a test run. If you haven't heard of Plated, it's one of the food delivery services that have become so popular these days (similar to Blue Apron and Home Fresh).  After three meals, I must admit that my official review is a resounding "Meh…".  

There are many pros and cons to using a service like this.  

1) Pro: Pre portioned ingredients delivered right to your door. No guess work! And no grocery shopping. 

2) Con: Too much waste.  The food is delivered in a cooled box, and you can potentially reuse the ice packs.  There's no way I would be able to keep the ice packs if I used this as a weekly service though.  On top of that, the amount of trash that is produced when you have individual baggies for things like a garlic clove and a small piece of ginger is significant.  I probably threw out a grocery bag worth of packaging with each meal. 

Mushroom Pappardelle.  I ended up adding cream cheese to the sauce because I was under the impression that it was a creamy pasta - not so much!

3) Pro: You know what you're spending up front. 

4) Con: Cost. The standard fee for 3 meals for 2 is $75.  It seems that no matter what buy, I always spend $100 on my weekly grocery run.  That always includes breakfast and lunch, and typically one or two random household expense items, like shampoo, vitamins, or a cleaning product. 

Stir-Fry Quinoa - with Chicken! 

4) Pro: Opportunity to experiment with recipes or ingredients you wouldn't normally think to use. 

5) Con: Selection.  Most weeks have 6 to 7 options for recipes to choose from.   I really struggled with choosing because there were things I wanted from different weeks.  I settled for two vegetarian options, even though it's incredibly rare that we don't eat a protein for dinner.  I ended up supplementing our Quinoa Stir-Fry with grilled chicken.

Beef Rendang

6) Pro: Portion control

7) Con: No leftovers! Mike and I must be little piggies, because none of the recipes above were quite enough for us.  I ended up adding a salad and we usually had dessert as well. 

8) Pro: All of the ingredients arrived super fresh on Saturday, and remained fresh until I cooked my last recipe Thursday night.

9) Con: The ingredient's weren't prepped!  For weeknight cooking, I typically go for quick and easy recipes.  I understood that I would need to chop onions, sure, but I was under the assumption that the ingredients would be cleaned prior to being sent.  Let me tell you, cleaning 12 oz. of wild mushrooms on a Monday night was no fun.  And the Quinoa required so many vegetables be washed and chopped.

All in all, I'd say this is the first and last time i'll be trying one of these services.  Props to Plated for providing quality ingredients and creative recipes, but I'm not sure i'd be able to justify the cost.  If you're new to cooking, or like experimenting with unique and international recipes, this might be worth a try from time to time.  

I'll be back with a new recipe next week! 

Happy Weekend! 

Target Giveaway!

Hi All!  I'm teaming up with some great bloggers this week offering a $175 gift card giveaway to Target!  Check out my last post which includes some of my favorite products (all ones that I use regularly) available at Target, and discover some really fun blogs along the way.  Good luck!

  Brittany // Magen Christina // Angie Helen // Amy Lindsay // Kippy Jamie // Sarah a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Book Club: Camille Styles Entertaining

For Christmas, I treated myself to this beautiful book, Camille Styles Entertaining, penned by the author of the wildly popular Camille Styles blog.  When I get a new coffee table book or cook book, I like to devote enough time to reading it so I can devour every page.  I finally had time to sit down and enjoy CSE this weekend and I must say, it did not disappoint. 

Entertaining is about so much more than the food.  It's about personal touches that make something memorable, whether it's fresh flowers in a comfy guest room for your weekend visitors, a special menu for a holiday celebration, or a simple family dinner.  Camille Styles has a true talent for creative an elegant touches that make a lasting impression and enhance her simple but irresistible recipes. 

The aesthetic of the book was very inviting but I also enjoyed the forward to each chapter. The chapters and recipes are divided into seasons, and each season begins with inspiration by texture, scent, color, and taste.  Using that formula, you can easily design menus and palettes based on your own inspired senses. 

While some of the table settings and themes are a bit far fetched, it's all about choosing the details that excite you the most and executing them in your own way. 

I'm most inspired by the spring and summer menus and party themes.  Now if only the weather would cooperate... Happy reading! 

French Beans with Slow Fried Shallots

I'm forever brainstorming side dishes that are simple enough for weeknight cooking, yet elegant and impressive enough to serve at a dinner party.  My requirements for both are simple ingredients, and minimal hands-on cooking involved. 

Believe it or not, these French Beans with Slow Fried Shallots meet both criteria.  I absolutely love French Beans (also known among the fancy people as haricots verts), which are really very similar to green beans, but doesn't "haricots verts" sound so much more sophisticated? French beans are a bit more narrow than a standard green bean, and they roast up to crisp-tender perfection in the oven. 

Now on to these slow fried shallots. O.M.Gosh, these are delicious.  The only challenge with this recipe is not eating all of the crispy shallots before you have time to top the beans with them.  With no breading required, all you need to do is heat some olive oil, add the shallots, and let them simmer away until they reach the golden brown realm of perfection. 

This dish is prepared is prepared from start to finish in under fifteen minutes, with only a few stirs required! 

Ingredients (Serves 4):

*1 c. shallots (from about 1 large shallot), thinly sliced

* 1 lb. french beans

*1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

*salt, pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.  Arrange the french beans on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 10-12 minutes, or until crisp-tender. 

Use your fingers to separate the rings of the shallots.  Heat a small skillet over medium heat, and add the remaining 1/2 c. olive oil.  When the oil is shimmering, drop one piece of shallot in and if it sizzles, the oil is ready.  Add all remaining shallots and slow-fry for 12 minutes, or until the shallots are golden brown.  Remove the shallots with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain.  Season lightly with salt. 

To serve, top the french beans with the shallots.  Enjoy! 

Japanese Clear Soup

One of my favorite things ever is Hibachi.  I love the whole experience - the ginger dressing that I just want to put on everything, the funny chef's squirting saki at you, the onion volcano…even that familiar puffy, wanting to die after eating so much sodium  and so many carbs feeling.  

Jokes aside, one thing I truly love about the standard Hibachi menu is the clear soup.  It's full of that ultra savory umami flavor, with a subtle crunch of crispy onions.

Given the arctic temperatures we're experiencing here in Wilmington, I thought i'd try my hand at making an at-home version (and save myself the calorie overload of the full hibachi meal).  The results were absolutely delicious, and surprisingly super healthy.  

This is a soup that is incredibly simple to prepare.  Essentially, we're just taking chicken and beef stock, then increasing the savoriness and almost turning it into a mushroom stock by simmering it with vegetables and mushrooms.  I'm serving mine for dinner with Chicken Shumai and Asian Salad.  Yum!

Ingredients (makes 4-5 cups):

*4 c. chicken stock*

*3 c. beef stock

* 1 c. water

*1 carrot, halved

* 1/2 onion, peeled

*1 garlic clove, smashed

*1 tsp. soy sauce

*4 oz. button mushrooms

*3.2 oz. shiitake mushrooms**

Garnish:

*french fried onions

*sliced mushrooms

*sliced green onions

Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.  Strain off all of the vegetables.  Serve broth with garnishes above.  Enjoy! 

*I like to use regular stocks, but you could also use low sodium versions of each and season to your preference.

**If you can't find shiitakes, substitute another variety of mushroom.