What's for dinner?

A catalog of food.

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Meal One Hundred Twenty-Six.  Crushed Peppercorn Steak with Creamed Kale and Potato Wedges (June 24, 2017) 

Meal number 3 of the latest HelloFresh box - I mean, steak is always a win and you can’t really go wrong with it ever (unless you overcook it - shame), but this meal, of the three was the least good. 

First, I made some changes: because of allergies, the only way that I am able to cook potatoes is by baking them in aluminum foil, so there was that. Also because of allergies, one the meals used cauliflower instead of potatoes. Next, I am leaving on vacation soon and need to clean out the fridge, so I added some mushrooms to the kale (never a bad decision). And last, I made a mistake and added all of the sour cream to the peppercorn sauce, and so had none left to add to the kale. This was a good mistake too though, the kale didn’t really need it (especially with the mushrooms).

So ultimately, this one tasted good - it was steak, duh. But of the three meals, the other two were definitely more interesting, and I think, tasted better. 

HelloFresh Recipe:  https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/crushed-peppercorn-steak-590c7ed2171c5805cc1781c3?week=2017-W25&locale=en-US

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Meal One Hundred Twenty-Five.  Pork Dumplings with Quick-Pickles Slaw and Soy (June 23, 2017) 

Meal number two in the HelloFresh box, and another winner. Dumplings are easy to make, but they are so time consuming. It’s fun though, every now and again, and these were delicious. 

I initially did not trust that frying them for two minutes would not be enough to cook the pork, but it totally was. And the mixture/frying was amazing and awesome and delicious. The cabbage slaw was good and tasted good with the dumplings, as did the soy sauce mixture. 

Again, I likely would not make this a second time - I mean, maybe. If I was feeling some festive foodstuffs. But it took a decent amount of time overall. But it tasted real good. I guess go make it once and then decide for yourself. I’m undecided.

HelloFresh Recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/pork-diy-dumplings-590c7d0d2310a861e1243781

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Meal One Hundred Twenty-Four.  Lobster Ravioli with Maitake Mushrooms in a Bacon Crumble Cream Sauce (June 22, 2017) 

Got another HelloFresh box and according to this first meal it is a super winner. This was really delicious. I am still, I’m a little ashamed to say, on the fence about lobster. But these lobster ravioli were so super delicious.  I am also still on the fence about sour cream, but the more times I have it in things that taste good, the more I am inclined to admit that I probably like it. 

Bacon is bacon, I mean it always elevates a meal. It’s the reason I’m not a vegetarians, keep it real. And mushrooms I love and will always love. Ultimately, this was a decadent meal and it tasted awesome. I won’t likely make it again, because I don’t believe it could be easily recreated without some high quality lobster ravioli (Trader Joe’s are not going to cut it, sorry Trader Joe’s), but if you can find such a thing, I fully recommend it. It was a delight. 

HelloFresh Recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/lobster-ravioli-with-maitake-mushrooms-5944000599052d21d73852b3

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Meal One Hundred Twenty-Three. Salmon with Cilantro Lime Rice and Peach-Corn Salsa (June 3, 2017)

I didn’t follow a recipe for this one - I made it up! I’ve learned how to cook!  None of this was overly difficult, and certainly not original, but all the same - I made it up. It’s brown rice with garlic, cilantro and lime, peach-corn-jalapeno-tomato-onion salsa (also with cilantro) and pan-seared salmon. 

It was delicious. Boom, drop the mic.

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Meal One Hundred Twenty-Two.  Creamy Chicken Pasta with Broccoli in a Lemon Basil Sauce (May 28, 2017)

This was delicious. I would add a little less lemon zest and/or juice next time - it was a bit overpowering, but this will definitely be made again. It would be excellent as a shared dish with dinner friends. It was extremely easy to make, fast and it tasted extremely good.  I tried to use vegan cream cheese, but couldn’t find any that wasn’t outrageously expensive or processed, so instead I had organic low fat cream cheese.  I also could not find gemelli, so used whole wheat fusilli instead.  I can’t say that the changes affected the dish much either way - it was delicious, and I suspect it would be delicious with or without the changes. I recommend this, 100%.

HelloFresh Recipe:  https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/creamy-chicken-pasta-58e6603cd56afa71220915b3

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Meal One Hundred Twenty-One.  Honey-Rhubarb Chicken with Asparagus & Fingerling Potatoes (May 21, 2017)

Well this one was just ok. For starters, I made mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, what with the allergies. I think I didn’t steam the cauliflower quite long enough to mash because it was a but chunky. Still tasted fine, but not my best attempt. I also added the thyme to this, since there were no potatoes to bake it with. 

The asparagus tasted as anticipated, nothing new to report there. 

And the chicken with the rhubarb? I don’t think I have ever had rhubarb before, and while I liked the sauce, I can’t say that I still know what rhubarb tastes like. The sauce itself was very sweet (which makes sense, since I’ve only heard of rhubarb in pies), and it tasted a bit like applesauce to me. It was good. Pretty rich, tasted good on the chicken, etc. I’m curious to eat rhubarb again and continue the experiment, but I don’t know that I’d bother to make this sauce again. For one, we aren’t often sauce eaters? But for two, I just don’t know that it would be worth it. The sauce on the last meal, with the figs, was better. I’d make that again first. 

Blue Apron Recipe:  https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/honey-rhubarb-chicken-with-asparagus-fingerling-potatoes

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Meal One Hundred Twenty.  Drizzly Balsamic Fig Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Arugula (May 14, 2017)

Yum yum, another delicious Hello Fresh recipe, made at home. I added rosemary to the chicken and baked it in the oven, rather than pan fried. Otherwise, I followed the recipe precisely. It was delicious! The balsamic fig sauce was amazing. The rest was pretty standard fare, but all of it tasted really good together. It didn’t take long to make, and was a rather easy dish to put together. I will make it again, for sure. 

HelloFresh Recipe:  https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/drizzly-balsamic-fig-chicken-582636825ca153405516c1e2/

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Meal One Hundred Nineteen.  Spicy Pepper & Ricotta Calzones with Cucumber & Romaine Salad (May 9, 2017)

Well, third meal of the latest box is cooked, and it too was a success.  Calzone! How can you go wrong with calzones?! Well actually, you can go wrong, if you burn it. I came rather close to burning mine, but it was a photo finish and I caught it in a nick of time.

This was a lot of preparation, I’m not sure I’d bother to make my own calzones again, but it was fun as a one time kind of thing. The recipe itself tasted good.  Ricotta was great, the pepper mixture was good. Olives kind of dominated the flavor, but I didn’t mind. These past two meals I think have taught me that I no longer dislike olives. The pepperoncini got a little spicy, but it wasn’t bad. The salad helped to cool the spicy, overall. Altogether, I rather enjoyed it.

Blue Apron Recipe:  https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/spicy-pepper-ricotta-calzones-with-cucumber-little-gem-salad

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Meal One Hundred Eighteen.  Seared Chicken & Creamy Couscous with Olive & Raisin Sauce (May 8, 2017)

Oh my, this was delicious. It was easy to make, although the pan seared chicken always takes longer to cook than these recipes say it’s going to take. Anyways, the couscous with tomato paste, creme fraiche, celery and garlic was awesome. The chicken tasted like chicken. And the olive, raisin and verjus sauce was also awesome. I don’t even know what verjus is. I also don’t usually like olives, but I loved this meal!

Blue Apron Recipe: https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/seared-chicken-creamy-couscous-with-olive-raisin-pan-sauce

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Meal One Hundred Seventeen. Lemongrass Burger and Cabbage Slaw with Sriracha Mayo and Pickled Carrots (May 8, 2017)

Another Blue Apron box: meal number one off to a good start! This was easy to make and very interesting. I was dubious about the whole thing, to be honest, but the flavors together were really good. Textures also. I like the lemongrass, I’ve never used that before. The sriracha mayo was also good, and I don’t like mayo. And the pickled carrot, cabbage and cucumber added some crunch and good flavor. I don’t know if I’d make it again, mostly because I don’t know where to get lemongrass, but it was great! 

Blue Apron Recipe:  https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/lemongrass-burgers-cabbage-slaw-with-sriracha-mayonnaise-pickled-carrots

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Meal One Hundred Sixteen.  Tortellini Gratin with Kale and Parmesan Breadcrumbs (April 26, 2017)

Another super easy meal to make, and it tasted good.  I followed the recipe pretty exactly, except that I added fresh basil to it at the end. I also neglected to check if there was potato starch in the tortellini, because why would there be? And these particular tortellini definitely had potato starch. So poor John could not eat the dinner, and ended up with an itchy throat by the time we realized the starch was there. Wanh wanh. But on the whole, this meal was good, and I would likely make it again with different tortellini.

HelloFresh Recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/tortellini-gratin-with-kale-and-parmesan-breadcrumbs-563a77fd4dab71c03b8b4567/?back=/recipe/all

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Meal One Hundred Fifteen.  Peach & Nectarine Orzo Salad with Feta, Cucumber and Mint (April 24, 2017)

Another good vegetarian dinner that would also work well as a side dish brought to a dinner with friends! I did not use nectarine because all of the nectarines at the grocery store were a bit too ripe. I also used green squash instead of cucumber, because I don’t love cucumber. Finally, I used basil instead of mint, because I had basil in the fridge that needed using up. So, in other words, I made something completely different from the recipe. Oh well. It was delicious, and it was easy to make!

HelloFresh Recipe:  https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/peach-and-nectarine-orzo-salad-575591cdf8b25ebe4c8b4569/

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Meal One Hundred Fourteen.  Beef Tenderloin Skewers with Charred Sweet Corn and Chipotle-Lime Butter (April 8, 2017)

Oh yeah, here it is. HelloFresh back in the house with the deliciousness.  I’ve been feeling a bit like the recipes lately were underwhelming, not worth second helpings, not the most awesome cooking in the world. This one though, so simple - I mean, if I’m going to get poetic I would say it is elegant in its simplicity, and yet so delicious! 

Kebobs are always delicious, albeit a good amount of more or less unnecessary extra work (I mean, it tastes just as good not cooked on a stick, let’s keep it real).  Corn on the cob is also always delicious, especially when it’s baked. Add the oregano and chipotle powder to the red pepper/shallot/steak mix though? Add chipotle-lime-butter to the corn on the cob?! Oh man, it’s a win. This meal was good. It was really good. 

Next time I would use a little less chipotle powder (a little too much heat for my tongue’s preferences) and I will, fingers crossed, have a grill and cook it on a grill. I also just had the brilliant idea to add either parmesan or cotija cheese to the corn on the cob as well. Oh snap. And otherwise, yes. This was a yes.

HelloFresh Recipe:  https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/beef-tenderloin-skewers-575eb341fd2cb907378b4567/?back=/recipe/all

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Meal One Hundred Thirteen.  Zesty Corn & Red Bean Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Feta and Tomatoes (April 4, 2017)

This one was ok. It was pretty good. It was simple to make - I burned the sweet potato a tiny bit, but not so much that it tasted bad. I could’ve put more seasoning on the sweet potato though, and it would’ve been better. Definitely a fast meal to make. Nothing fancy, pretty straight-forward, and it was filling. I’d probably make it again. And I will probably use the leftovers to make a quesadilla. 

HelloFresh Recipe:  https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/zesty-corn-red-bean-salad-574d9970fd2cb96d6f8b4567/?back=/recipe/all

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Meal One Hundred Twelve.  Honey Mustard Chicken with Baked Veggies (April 2, 2017)

Well this was a straight-forward meal. It tasted good and was easy to make, but it wasn’t much to write home about. The honey mustard marinade did not work out the way the picture implies that it will - I suspect I did not have enough marinade to chicken ratio? I’m not sure. It generally tasted like honey and mustard, or it hinted at the two, but it did not taste as good as it would have if the honey and mustard had actually baked on to the chicken like it was supposed to. As it was, it worked more like a liquid baste than a sauce. The vegetables were, again, straight-forward. But they tasted good. It was a healthy, easy, good tasting meal. I probably won’t bother to make it again, but that is no fault of the meal’s. It just isn’t the type of recipe that you really remember to bother with. Meh, is probably the best way to describe it. Underwhelming, but good for today. 

HelloFresh Recipe:  https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/honey-mustard-chicken-582c2691383a7f44a522dbd2/?back=/recipe/all

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Meal One Hundred Eleven. Bok Choy and Black Rice Veggie Bowl with Marinated Radishes and Mushrooms (March 28, 2017)

This was a rather interesting thing. I stupidly always assumed that black rice would taste the same as regular rice, only black, but I was completely wrong. It definitely has its own flavor, and I rather liked it. The pickled radish were a nice touch, as were the cashews. And bok choy is always great. As I mentioned before, rice/grain based vegetarian dishes sometimes leave me feeling like I needed something else to go with it, like it should be an accompaniment and not a meal unto itself. This one walked that line, but ultimately I think stood on its own well enough. I don’t know if I’d make it again, although it was good and it was really fast and easy - it might have been the first meal that actually only took me the boasted 30 minutes that these recipes always say they are going to take to make (but never do). But I think I will forget about it in a few weeks and thus never make it again. Until I re-read this blog post some five years down the road and say oh yeah, that was good, I’ll make that again now! 

HelloFresh Recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/bok-choy-and-black-rice-veggie-bowl-58920a407d69bf763576f6b2/?back=/recipe/all

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Meal One Hundred Ten. Gorgeous Green Farro Bowl with Asparagus and Zucchini (March 27, 2017)

Back to making my own meals using HelloFresh recipes - going the vegetarian route this time. This meal was great. Very filling - it was rich, and didn’t taste like it should be a side dish (as rice and grain based vegetable dishes are wont to do in my opinion). Definitely stood on its own two feet as a stand-alone vegetarian dinner. It kind of tasted like a risotto to me, without the correct rice - I think because of the richness of the flavor and cheesy goodness that was added. It was fast and easy also, a win. I’d make this again. I would also make this as a side dish to bring to someone else’s dinner, for example. Like oh hey, you need me to bring something? Here’s an awesome farro dish to pass. Done.

HelloFresh Recipe:  https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/gorgeous-green-farro-bowl-588bad904348d251886c2ea4/?back=/recipe/all