Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

It’s ABOUT TIME… my long promised Meal Kit Comparison post. We tried Sun Basket, Gobble, Marley Spoon, Green Chef, Purple Carrot, Dinnerly and Freshly. We rate and review each of these meal kit companies, recipes and respective ingredients below. I learned A LOT and report about it after making and trying the aforementioned and 100+ Blue Apron meal kits.

Meal Kit Comparison – Starts with Sun Basket

Sun Basket — Fast Chicken Salad with Kale, Kiwi and Apples (Recipe 1). Top photo. The Kale arrived pre-cut. I found myself picking out the inferior, dry pieces. I would rather chop it myself. I usually remove the stem/center, but it was included in the chopped Kale. The provided dressing was just okay. And the Coconut Flakes would’ve been better toasted, seemed like an after-thought garnish. We (Matt & I) rate each recipe starting with this one.

Sun Basket Recipe 1: Matt 6 1/2, Shelly 6 (Out of 10).

Sun Basket — Greek Salmon over Zucchini Noodles and Wilted Greens (Recipe 2). I tossed out the pre-chopped Greens due to a bad smell. The Salmon was dry, though not overcooked. I liked the Tomato and Olive Relish. We liked the Zucchini Noodles, but they’re hard to stir and preserve as ‘Noodles’ when cooking. That’s fine, but good to know.

Sun Basket Recipe 2: Matt 6 1/2, Shelly 5 1/2.

Sun Basket – Mediterranean-style Cod with Artichoke Hearts and Kalamata Olives (Recipe 3). Cod quality wasn’t that great. Potatoes didn’t have much flavor though Salt and Peppered. I liked steaming the Fish over the Vegetables. Learned how well this cooking method works. Dish was easy to make and clean-up.

Sun Basket Recipe 3: Matt 6, Shelly 6.

Sun Basket Overall — Menus are just okay, not as exciting as others, seemed somewhat repetitive with ingredients. Though Menu is international, which is good. Website is friendly and easy to use. Choose (3) out of (18) different recipes/meal kits. Recipes arrive in booklet form. Also within it are all the recipes you didn’t choose, which is nice. Best recipe score was 6 1/2.

Meal Kit Comparison – Trying Gobble

Gobble – Nice packaging, similar to Blue Apron. Received one incorrect recipe card, but was easily able to print the correct one from Gobble’s website. They provide smaller recipe cards than other companies.

Gobble – Pan-Roasted Chicken in Three Peppercorn Sauce with Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes (Recipe 1). Potatoes were not good. Gravy made up for it. Chicken was tough, though not overcooked. Odd cuts of chicken were provided. Not as pretty as the online photos.

This is how the Mashed Potatoes and Gravy arrived (below). No bueno.

Gobble Recipe 1: Matt 7, Shelly 6.

Gobble – Louisiana Shrimp with White Cheddar Grits (Recipe 2). Had to further devein the ‘deveined’ Shrimp. Like the Mashed Potatoes in Recipe 1, I don’t like unloading grits from a plastic bag to heat them in the microwave. Also, I didn’t like the pre-cut trinity. It looked a bit degraded in freshness, translucent Onions.

Gobble Recipe 2: Matt 7 1/2, Shelly 7.

Gobble – Brazilian Black Bean Stew with Roasted Squash and Swiss Chard (Recipe 3). I had to toss-out the provided Swiss Chard. It was too dried out. It’s scary not knowing what’s inside a compact bag of pre-cut Greens. Good thing we’re growing our own Swiss Chard. I love the idea and components of this recipe, but the pre-made beans and rice were just okay. I plan to re-create this recipe sometime. Our score for this recipe is below. Best overall recipe score was 8.

Gobble Recipe 3: Matt 8, Shelly 7 1/2.

Meal Kit Comparison – Trying Marley Spoon

Marley Spoon – Box was delayed a day, because company didn’t have enough ice to ship. Recipe card photos are dull in color and paper is un-glossed. Nice packaging. Largest, tallest box received.

Marley Spoon – Cheesy Roasted Pepper Panini with Goat Cheese & Spinach and Side Salad (Recipe 1). Too much filling for the Panini, it overflowed. A Bun for the Panini Bread is not the best option. No photo.

Marley Spoon Recipe 1: Matt 8, Shelly 8.

Marley Spoon – Cilantro Chicken and Rice with Bell Pepper and Lime (Recipe 2). Flavorful, but wouldn’t garnish it with raw onions again. It’s unnecessary and over takes the dish. Having to use a blender or food processor is a first for a boxed Meal Kit. Good thing I have one.

Marley Spoon Recipe 2: Matt 7 1/2, Shelly 8.

Marley Spoon – Four Cheese Ravioli Alla Norma with Crispy Garlic Breadcrumbs (Recipe 3). It was super easy to make and very good.

Marley Spoon Recipe 3: Matt 8, Shelly 8.

Overall… good quality, nice packaging, tasty meals and good recipe selections. Marley Spoon costs about the same as Blue Apron, my long-time favorite Meal Kit company (so-far). Best recipe score for Marley Spoon was 8.

Meal Kit Comparison – Trying Green Chef

Green Chef also offers Paleo, Vegan, Keto and Gluten-free meal kit options. Very nice packaging. All looked good, though much was pre-prepared.

A pre-cut Red Pepper was provided for a recipe. I want a whole one. There are small Red Bell Peppers. Pre-cut Onions too. I don’t like that either. They degrade, but I used them, and it didn’t ruin the meal.

Green Chef – Harissa Spiced Tuna Steaks and Apricot Tomato Sauce, Kale Pistachios and Couscous (Recipe 1). The Tuna was nice looking. Recipe said to cook the Yellowfin Tuna 3 to 5 minutes per side, but was too long for the thin Fish provided. I cooked ours 2 1/2 minutes per side and it was still overcooked, as expected, but all was flavorful.

Green Chef Recipe 1: Matt 8, Shelly 8.

Green Chef – Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps with Quinoa, Toasted Nuts and Seeds, with Lemon Pesto Aioli (Recipe 2). I liked the Couscous with the Vinegar, Agave and mixed Toasted Nuts. The Dressing was just okay, pre-made. Homemade would have been better.

Green Chef Recipe 2: Matt 8, Shelly 8.

Green Chef – Cheese Steak Stuffed Pepper with Provolone Cheese, Spiced Potato Hash with Red Peppers (Recipe 3). Uneven, pre-cut Onions and Grated Cheese were provided. The small Onion pieces burned a little while cooking. Not a good thing. However, not a bad flavor overall. Our score for this recipe is below. Best recipe score was 8.

Green Chef Recipe 3: Matt 7, Shelly 7.

Meal Kit Comparison – Trying Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot – All was fresh and impressive. Some stuff was pre-cut, but mostly whole ingredients. Only the hardest thing to cut, the Squash was pre-cut, which was helpful. A booklet of all recipes was provided, as like Sun Basket. Only six recipes to choose from online at this time.

Purple Carrot – Black Bean and Polenta Casserole with Chile Butter (Recipe 1). The large bag of Spinach was very fresh. I was a little nervous about the Vegan Cream Cheese and Vegan Butter provided for this recipe, but didn’t notice a difference. That was nice to discover.

Purple Carrot Recipe 1: Matt 7, Shelly 7.

Purple Carrot – Autumn Bibimbap with Gochujang Brussels Sprouts and Sesame Aioli (Recipe 2). I didn’t use the Kimchi or Vegenaise (Mayo instead). I didn’t like the color of the Vegenaise, yellow-ish. I liked the Brussels Sprouts with Gochujang. The Fried Rice ended up too hard. Seems 5 to 7 minutes is too long not to stir the Rice. I don’t know. Kind of a weird recipe, which I like, but it didn’t work properly.

Purple Carrot Recipe 2: Matt 6 1/2, Shelly 6.

Purple Carrot – Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Cranberries and Hazelnuts (Recipe 3). A beautiful photo of this recipe is on Purple Carrot’s booklet cover. Had to toss out the Broccoli Rabe for this recipe, since it didn’t last a week. Used Swiss Chard from our garden instead. Added leftover sauteed Onions before the Squash. All was tasty with the Dried Cranberries, and had good texture with the Toasted Hazelnuts.

Purple Carrot Recipe 3: Matt 8 1/2, Shelly 8.

Recipes were grouped in plastic bags. I prefer no bags, loose ingredients or in paper bags, because all seems to stay fresher longer.

Vegan Butter and Cream Cheese work okay. You won’t notice the difference. Though I’m still sketchy on Vegenaise (Mayo’s substitute). Someday perhaps, or not. Best recipe score was 8 1/2.

Meal Kit Comparison – Trying Dinnerly

Dinnerly – Spinach and Ricotta Calzones with Tomato Garlic Dipping Sauce (Recipe 1). Crust was large and could have used more filling. I added Peppers to the filling too, and could have added more. It had a good flavor and texture.

Dinnerly Recipe 1: Matt 7, Shelly 7.

Dinnerly is one of the least expensive Meal Kits available. You download the recipe cards from the internet, instead of them being provided. The menus make me think that I might as well make the dish myself and save even more money. Easy ideas. Dinnerly’s website functions just like Marley Spoon’s. The companies are related. Dinnerly is budget Marley.

Dinnerly – Sausage and Kale Soup with Pasta and Parmesan (Recipe 2). It was just okay. A little bland. It made a lot of Soup. I added Beans for extra credit. I like the ‘extra credit’ options listed on the recipe cards. Helps company keep costs down, while suggesting something you might already have in your pantry.

Dinnerly Recipe 2: Matt 6 1/2, Shelly 6 1/2.

Dinnerly – Banh Mi Burger with Pickled Carrots and Cucumbers (Recipe 3). I didn’t like the provided Chipotle Mayo, weird taste. Would rather make my own combination.

Dinnerly Recipe 3: Matt 7, Shelly 6.

Overall… everything was just okay. With the right recipe choice, it could be a good dinner option, due to its price. And now I want to try Every Plate, Dinnerly’s budget meal kit rival I just discovered. I will amend this post after we try it. Best recipe score was 7.

Meal Kit Comparison – Trying Freshly (Not a Meal Kit, a Pre-Made Meal)

Freshly – Choose between 30 meals. Just heat in the microwave and eat. They arrived nicely packaged between three layers of ice packs. They are best heated in their respective packs, and then plated, to keep moist.

Freshly – We, mostly I, tried 6 different meals. Balsamic Turkey (Meal 1). The Vegetables were dry, cut too small and bland. The Turkey was tough. The Balsamic Mushrooms were good. Matt 6, Shelly 5. Pork Al Pastor (Meal 2). It was flavorful, could use a tortilla or chips for varied texture. Matt 6, Shelly 7. Moroccan Style Tagine (Meal 3). It was just okay. Had to pick out a few tough Vegetable Skins, and the small Onions in it were hard and not satisfying to eat. Seemed like a heated, frozen meal I’ve had before. And not any better. Shelly 5.

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Freshly – Buffalo Chicken and Cauliflower (Meal 4). Chicken was tender and good. Cauliflower was just okay, a little bland. Shelly 6. Southwest Chicken Bowl (Meal 5). It should have been tasty, but it was bland and dry. Needed Salt and Pepper and more sauce. The Corn in Freshly’s dishes seems once frozen or canned, not fresh. The Vegetables, Beans and Quinoa were dry too. The Chicken was tender and well cooked. Shelly 6. Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash (Meal 6). The Meatballs where okay. Sauce was very good. On a side note, I finally decided I don’t like the texture of Spaghetti Squash. Shelly 5.

What I learned from all…

I want to prepare everything on my own. I don’t want to receive anything pre-cut. I never purchased pre-cut items in the grocery store. Also, few ingredients can be combined to make something great. And, I can save money not buying a Meal Kit every week. I can make simple, fancy meals on my own from what I’ve learned from Blue Apron, elsewhere, and from this Meal Kit Comparison. I also saved money taking advantage of the introductory offers from each of these companies. You should too. See their pricing below.*

Meal Kit Comparison Pricing:

Sun Basket – Introductory offer is 50% off = $25.

Gobble – Introductory offer is 30% off = $42. Generally $79/week.

Marley Spoon – Introductory offer = $30.75. Generally $61.50/week.

Green Chef – Introductory offer is 40% off = $38. Generally $79/week.

Purple Carrot – Introductory offer $25 off. Generally $72/week.

Dinnerly – Introductory offer is $30. Generally $40/week.

Freshly – Introductory offer $45 for 6 Meals. Generally $60/week.

*PRICES are estimated and subject to change. See respective websites for up-to-date pricing and other information.

One of my favorite Salads is a Nicoise Salad — I made the pictured with Salmon instead of Tuna.  Matt and I split one perfectly pan fried fillet.  One can make this Salad without a recipe, as most ingredients are grouped on the Salad, instead of tossed together.  Nicoise Salads include Hard Boiled Eggs, Potatoes, Haricots Verts or Green Beans, Nicoise or Kalamata Olives, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Butter, Boston or Romaine Lettuce, and optional Capers — That’s what I use to make mine.  I toss the Lettuce with a mixture of Lemon Juice, Olive Oil and Whole Grain Dijon Mustard, then layer the rest of the ingredients on top (as shown).  Salt and Pepper is added to all.  It is SO GOOD to eat and easy to make.  I usually have most ingredients on-hand.

I’ve made hundreds of Blue Apron meals, which we LOVE to eat.  It’s hard to pass up their unique, diverse, ever-changing tasty menus and the price is right too.  Blue Apron’s cost is lower than most Meal Kit Delivery companies.  Though due to curiosity and first-box discount incentives, we previously tried Hello Fresh, Plated and Home Chef and their respective reviews and comparisons to Blue Apron are linked in this sentence.  Now, we are underway trying several others — Sun Basket, Gobble, Purple Carrot, Green Chef, Marley Spoon, Freshly, Dinnerly, Factor 75, Balance/Bistro MD, Munchery, Global Belly, Takeout Kits, Shaker & Spoon (a cocktail club) and Burgabox (if they get back into the game).  Did you know there were so many?  This is far from a list of all of them, but some we plan to try.  After all has been delivered, prepared and consumed, a report of pros, cons, costs and more will be posted here on Nibbles of Tidbits.  We just finished (3) Sun Basket meals and (3) Gobble meals are scheduled to be delivered this week, and (3) Marley Spoon meals the week after that, etc.  Yes, our review is underway and I have a lot to say.  I already miss Blue Apron, but will definitely be fair.  Stay tuned.

Pictured:  Chicken Salad with Kale, Kiwi and Apples (Sun Basket)

Home Chef is another company that offers the delivery of weekly meal kits.  I’ve previously reported about a few others — Blue Apron, Hello Fresh and Plated.  And now, here is Home Chef.

Our Home Chef meal selection included Coconut Jasmine Rice Bowls with Fried Plantains and Corn Pico De Gallo, Fig and Goat Cheese Flatbread with Walnuts and Caramelized Onions & Brown Sugar Salmon with Ranch Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans.

The recipe cards came with a nice white binder and they were 3-hole punched on good card-stock.

Each meal is grouped in its own sealed, handled bag with a straggler or two in the box, and the meat is under ice, which is convenient and good.  All received with this shipment was fresh.

However, the Naan received for the Fig and Goat Cheese Flatbread was folded into its meal kit bag and thus cracked in a few places.  I had to carefully place them back together before topping and baking them.  They ended up tasting great, but it was mostly due to the Caramelized Onions, Fig Preserves, Goat Cheese and Arugula — An amazing combination.

We liked the Brown Sugar Salmon too, though mine didn’t end up as gorgeous as the one on the recipe card.  Not uncommon, but the sweet, tangy flavor it was anticipated to have was there.

Home Chef’s price is comparable to Blue Apron’s — The Home Chef cost is $59.70 a week for (3) meal kits for (2) people and Blue Apron’s current cost for the same is $59.94.

We like Home Chef, and we like Plated and Hello Fresh too, but Blue Apron is still our favorite weekly meal delivery kit company.  Aside from these meals and the others I’ve tried and reported about, Blue Apron meals have been prepared in our kitchen on a weekly basis for about two years now.  I like Blue Apron’s unique meal options and that all is made from scratch.  It’s extra time and labor in some cases, but worth it in flavor.  I like Naan, but would have preferred fresh Pizza Dough with the winning combination of Caramelized Onions, Fig Preserves, Goat Cheese and Arugula.  Pizza Dough would most likely come with a similar Blue Apron meal.  I have no complaints about any of these companies and I am still willing to try others, if the menu is right.

Yes, Nibbles of Tidbits is still live.  And continuously eating — Mostly out and microwavable frozen meals while the kitchen was being remodeled, but now I’m cookin’ up a storm, as I like to say, though you wouldn’t know that from here lately.  All of that is sure to change having this beautiful, inspiring kitchen.  We just love it.  And food looks great here too.  I created this short, before and after video to show the dramatic change.  We set up a temporary kitchen in the garage, thought up a new design, selected a contractor, materials, colors, products and style, and hoped for the best.  We are very pleased with the final results, which shall be starring here.  We’re happy to present Nibbles of Tidbits’ new kitchen and we are thankful to/for all who made it possible.

We love Chili’s Skillet Queso and Chips on Chili’s Appetizer Menu.  And now I can make it perfectly at home.  Well, we think so — That’s six of us here who have tried it several times.  I searched the internet for a good copycat recipe and found five.  Enlarge photo above to view them. I took all into consideration to subsequently create my own, slightly different than the other’s variations, based on what I know about its actual flavor and texture.  My Chili’s Skillet Queso copycat recipe is posted below.  For the Dip only.  Chili’s Chips are too good to copy.

To make Chili’s ‘Skillet’ Queso Dip as easy as possible, I combine all ingredients in a small crock pot and occasionally stir — Technically this recipe should be called… Shelly’s Crock Pot Queso Wannabe Chili’s Skillet Queso, which is a long, dumb sounding name, but that’s what it is and how it tastes.

However, for the authentic Chili’s Skillet Queso and Chips experience, I serve the Queso in the small skillet below and pick-up Chili’s Chips to go, since I cannot re-create their thin, delicately crispy texture.  I’ve previously posted about Chili’s amazing Chips and Skillet Queso Dip here.

Shelly’s Crock Pot Queso Dip Recipe — A Copycat of Chili’s Skillet Queso Dip

Ingredients:

16 ounces of Velveeta Cheese (Chopped into small chunks)

(1) 15 ounce Can of Spicy Hormel No-Bean Chili (Or non-spicy version or other non-verified brand)

1 1/4 Cups of Milk

(1) Tbsp. Chili Powder

(1) Tbsp. Cumin Powder

(2) Tsps. Paprika Powder

(1) Tbsp. Lime Juice

(1/4) Tsp. Cayenne Powder (optional)

Salt to taste

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a small crock pot and stir occasionally until evenly melted.  Serve the Queso Dip from the crock pot or transfer to a small skillet or bowl.  If you don’t have a small crock pot, combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook on low stirring occasionally.

FYI:  After this process, I now realize that Chili’s Skillet Queso is most likely not prepared in the small skillet it’s served in, ha — Chili’s may need to clarify ‘Skillet’ too.

Have you ever tried Pickled Grapes?  I hadn’t until last year and will now eat them forever.  I buy Grapes more often because of it.  Pickled Grapes are amazing, especially when served with Fish over a Summer Succotash, pictured below — It’s our favorite Blue Apron meal that I’ve made several times.  The original recipe used Cod, which is fine, but I’ve since used Salmon and Yellowtail at different times.  This dish is extremely flavorful with much attributed to the Pickled Grapes.

A little White Wine Vinegar (2 T.), Sugar (1 T.), and a big pinch of Salt do a lot to elevate Grapes (at least 2 oz.), to a refreshing gourmet topping, side or special ingredient in another dish. Simply combine cut Grapes with all ingredients, let marinate for at least 10 minutes and see what we’re saying.  Yum!  Pickling is a beautiful thing, I’ve discovered.  And my husband happens to call me Pickles.  It’s just meant to be.  Consult Blue Apron for more about recipe #227.  We love it too.

Well… Hellooooooo Fresh.  It’s finally your turn — Nice to try you.  It’s hard to give-up Blue Apron, but I’m ready.   Temporarily that is.  We previously tried and reported about Plated, another meal (recipe + fresh ingredients) delivery company.  It’s my plan to try most, if not all of the popular meal delivery companies and here we try and compare Hello Fresh to Blue Apron and Plated.

The Hello Fresh ingredients and recipe cards arrive in a large box that lists the enclosed meal’s nutrition facts on its side — A nice feature not included on the Blue Apron and Plated boxes.

All ingredients were well packed and arrived fresh.

In fact, each meal is packaged individually in nice windowed white boxes.  It’s different than Blue Apron and Plated — The recipe ingredients are contained and sealed together in the large box.

The smaller boxes are impressive, but unnecessary — Hello Fresh can save on this packaging.

The proteins arrive under blocks of ice, as like the others, and all was perfectly fresh.

The Hello Fresh recipe cards are smaller than all others I’ve used, including the recipe cards from Chef’d, soon to be reviewed here on Nibbles of Tidbits — Check back for that comparison.

The Hello Fresh recipe cards are harder to read than the others — The card and photo are smaller, thus appear less detailed.  The Blue Apron recipe cards are more user-friendly than those printed for Hello Fresh and Plated.  Blue Apron includes a photo of the chopped ingredients and the others do not.  I had no trouble following the Hello Fresh recipe cards, but Blue Apron’s are better.

Taste and the recipes — I made Jamie’s Roasted Chicken with Lemony Bombay Potatoes (above) and Spring Asparagus and Shrimp Risotto with Meyer Lemon (below).

I’m not sure why my Shrimp Risotto (below) looked albino compared to its photo (above).

Dukkah-Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Snap Peas and Citrus Sour Cream (below). I liked it best from our first box.  Not pictured, we also tried three Hello Fresh vegetarian meals. Since I forgot to deselect upcoming meals, I received a second Hello Fresh box in the mail. Related to that, the Hello Fresh web interface could use improvement.  It’s not as easy to view and/or cancel future meals as it is on the Blue Apron and Plated websites.  I had switched from the Hello Fresh ‘Classic Box’ to the ‘Veggie Box’ subscription on their website, because it’s a better value.

Hello Fresh costs approximately $10 more for a Classic Box (three meals w/meat) = $70.  Three meals w/meat from Blue Apron costs the same as three vegetarian meals from Hello Fresh = $60. Aside from cost, we agree that Blue Apron meals are more flavorful and sophisticated overall. And since they do cost less, they’re a better deal all around.  I keep the Hello Fresh and Plated subscriptions open in case there’s a meal I can’t refuse, but need to manage them better so not to receive meals from all companies in the same week.  Each offers potential for a great meal.

We wish all a SAFE and happy 4th of July celebration.  I made the above with Strawberries, White Chocolate and Blue Sugar Crystals.  They are easy to make and perfect for an American observance. They’re red, white and blue beautiful and tasty too.  God bless America today and always!

RECIPE:  Melt White Chocolate.  Dip half the Strawberry in the melted White Chocolate and then dip the Chocolate-covered Strawberry tip in the Blue Sugar Crystals.  As pictured above.  That’s it.

It’s official — I’ve prepared 100+ Blue Apron recipes.  My husband counted them.  After two-hundred plus total dishes, I decided it was time to try a few other meal delivery companies.  At least three to start… Plated, Hello Fresh and Chef’d.  It’s not because we don’t like Blue Apron.  We love them.  I’m now curious how others’ dishes compare.  Are they as flavorful and international?

The Plated Report — Plated’s box was huge and all was packed within a thick insulation that looked like it should be recycled in the garden.  Different than Blue Apron, but it kept all cold and fresh.

One of the BEST things about Plated is they offer Dessert.  Blue Apron currently does not.

Dessert (recipe and ingredients) costs about $8 more, over Plated’s meal plan — Most comparable to our Blue Apron Meal Plan (3 Meals for 2 People = $60), Plated offers (2 Meals for 2 People = $48 + $6 for shipping = $54).  Shipping is free with $50+ purchases.  I thus added one of Plated’s weekly Desserts to try and to qualify for free shipping.  $56 was our total for 2 Meals and 1 Dessert for 2 People from Plated.  Leon thought all looked good upon arrival (below).  I did too.

Plated’s recipes were well written and somewhat unique, like those offered by Blue Apron.  The pictured Plated meals were good, but none knocked our socks off, like many Blue Apron meals have. We also missed the third meal offered by Blue Apron.  Apples to Apples, the same Blue Apron Plan (3 Meals for 2 People = $60), costs $72 at Plated.  I wouldn’t mind future meals from Plated, but I prefer to save money.  Plated is good, but they charge more for the same comparison of food.

I prepared Plated’s Pan-Roasted Redfish with Baby Kale Risotto (top), Cheese Tortellini with Basil and Spinach in Tomato Soup (above) and Caramelized Pear Shortcakes with Whipped Cream (below).  We liked the Pan-Roasted Redfish the best and the other two recipes were just average.  Plated’s recipe cards are nice and large, but not as glossy as Blue Apron’s.

The Caramelized Pear Shortcakes aka Biscuits were already baked, which made preparation easier, but the Dessert not as homemade.  I may order from Plated again to try a different Dessert if its weekly menu sounds better than Blue Apron’s weekly menu.  I’m currently subscribed to all listed herein, though opt for Blue Apron most of the time.  If interested in trying any meal delivery company, be sure to obtain a coupon or coupon code, as each offers a $20 – $60 discount on your first box.  Don’t miss out on that.  Check back soon to read our Hello Fresh and Chef’d Reports.

It was Red Quinoa, introduced by Blue Apron, that inspired me to create the pictured Red Quinoa and Garbanzo Bean/Chickpea Salad, with Shallots, Parsley, Mint, Arugula, Toasted Slivered Almonds, Red Wine Vinegar, Dijon Mustard, Olive Oil and Salt & Pepper.  It was for the OC Fair’s Culinary Arts Competition this year and I won a 5th Place Ribbon for it.  Measurements aren’t listed, because they didn’t need to be submitted — I just fine tuned the combination until it tasted great and now it’s a Salad I’ll forever make in varying combinations, with Quinoa, Beans and Nuts.

I won a second 5th Place Ribbon for a different Salad using Orzo Pasta, Broccoli and Pine Nuts.

Have you heard of Blue Apron?  It’s a weekly food delivery service.  Blue Apron delivers recipes and ingredients to your doorstep for YOU to prepare.  Blue Apron takes meal planning and grocery shopping off your To-Do List.  They do that for you then deliver all to you.  We tested them out.

Our delivery included 3 Recipe Cards and all the ingredients to make them.

All was wrapped in bubble foil insulation with sealed frozen ice blocks.

After review of its contents, let’s just say that I hope every box is as fresh as this one.

All produce was fresh — Kale, Spinach, Bibb Lettuce, Fava Leaves, Sugar Snap Peas, and the meat appeared fresh too.  The box of ingredients even smelled fresh.  The quality of all made me happy.

Each recipe comes with a “Knick Knacks” bag, which holds small and measured ingredients.

Knick Knacks bags may include Butter, Cream, Spice mixtures, etc.  I love organization.

I had fun exploring my first Blue Apron food box and couldn’t wait to make and taste everything.

Shrimp, Flank Steak and Ground Turkey were included in this delivery for Lemon & Black Pepper Shrimp with Fresh Linguine Di Cavolo & Fava Leaves, Pan-Seared Steaks with Green Peppercorn Sauce & Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, and Spiced Turkey Meatball Pitas with Sugar Snap Pea & Bibb Lettuce Salad — A good variety of recipes I wouldn’t make or try, but for Blue Apron.

I like trying new things and I like surprises, so this type of service is entertaining.

You can look ahead at upcoming recipes online or surprise yourself when the box arrives.

The step-by-step instructions on each recipe card are done well.  I’ll often change something in a recipe to make the dish better, but I didn’t need to and wasn’t going to, as I wanted to make all as instructed for this post.  Recipes are created by Blue Apron’s culinary team and renowned guest chefs.  Recipes will never be repeated in the same year and meals are 500-700 calories.

Meals take about 35 minutes to prepare and ingredients are pre-measured, so there’s no waste.

Matt liked all the meals too — Maybe I’ll get him to cook one of the recipes.

I didn’t expect to like Blue Apron as much as I now do, but I find it convenient and enjoyable — You still need to chop, mix and cook all, but it’s nice to not have to plan what to make and shop for the ingredients.  If I shopped for the quality ingredients I received here, it would probably cost more money, and more time and stress to look for and obtain all, let alone conceive the recipes.

Choose when you want your box of food delivered and how often — Once a week, every other week, once a month, etc.  I set up Blue Apron to deliver recipes and ingredients every other week for now and look forward to trying more recipes.  If everything remains fresh, I may be a customer for a long time, though I simply intended to try it.  I’ve seen advertisements for similar food delivery companies and may need to compare them to Blue Apron who sets the bar high.  Blue Apron’s prices are reasonable too, approximately $60/week for three meals for two.  Shipping is included in the price too, which helps sell me.  Check back to see how our second box of food turns out.  Posted will be a clear side by side comparison of each recipe card and meal.

Have you seen Angler Chronicles on FOX Sports West Television?  We’re with its host and accomplished fisherman, Sergio (above) at the annual Fred Hall Fishing Tackle & Boat Show in Del Mar.  He’s a cool dude.  Matt, a state record holding fisherman himself watches Sergio on Angler Chronicles every week and now I will too.  The show brings viewers to the best wide open, fresh water and salt water sportfishing action on the west, including Southern California, Mexico, British Columbia, Alaska and Panama.  We’d love to fish with Sergio and the gang sometime.

Matt quickly showing Sergio his state record so not to be too much of a geek.

Smoking Fish:       

The Angler Chronicles gang needs RECIPES — As Matt and possibly I catch more Fish, more recipes will be developed.  Until then, smoke them if you’ve caught them, as there’s not much better than fresh Smoked Fish.  I recently smoked Rainbow Trout caught from Irvine Lake by a neighbor. After about 4 1/2 Hours of smoking with Hickory and Mesquite Wood Chips, every Trout no matter size was moist, smoky and cooked perfectly throughout (before smoking above left/after above right).

TIPS: Stuff the inside of most whole Fish with foil to have the Fish set/swim upright on the grill, so you won’t need to turn them and they’re less likely to stick to the grill.  Keep the Fish covered with smoker or grill lid.  Maintain water in the pan above the heat and keep all smoking by adding coal and soaked and dry wood chips when necessary.  Tips are good, but each smoker is different.

RECIPES: Several recipes using Yellowtail are linked here.  Keep checking Fish & Shellfish for more.

Have you had the Sticky Toffee Pudding at The Olde Ship British Pub & Restaurant?  It’s one of the BEST Desserts I’ve had in my life and it’s perfectly served in warm Heavy Cream.

I’ve had it three times and still can’t stop thinking about going back for it again.  I suggest going to The Olde Ship each time we’ve dined out recently, but my husband needs more food variety.  It’s a rich dessert that’s best shared, so not to be put over the Sugar edge.  The unsweetened Heavy Cream balances the sweetness beautifully.  I love The Olde Ship for this dessert, other authentic British dishes and its cozy atmosphere, especially during Christmas time.

I searched for The Olde Ship’s Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe online, but didn’t find it, I’m told it’s made with Dried Apricots and other things.  I may attempt a copycat recipe after a little more study.  I visited The British Grocer, a store run by the same people at The Olde Ship in Fullerton and Santa Ana.  The British Grocer is in Fullerton, down the street from The Olde Ship British Pub & Restaurant on North Harbor Boulevard.  I’ve yet to visit its Santa Ana location, but hear it’s larger.

Pictured directly above is a prepared, canned Sticky Toffee Pudding I purchased from The British Grocer.  I was told by a clerk there that’s its flavor is most like the one made at The Olde Ship. The store offered two options, one that’s frozen and this one that was canned.

Surprisingly this one is made by Heinz and it does have a similar, rich flavor that’s good served with warm Heavy Cream, though it has a different, more Bread Pudding like texture, rather than a loose, Bran Muffin texture like the Sticky Toffee Pudding prepared at The Olde Ship.  I’ll buy more of both.

I served the Heinz Sticky Toffee Pudding the same way, which made it taste great.

It’s romantic and beautiful inside the Pub, with hundreds of lights in December.

Pictured below is the Great British Breakfast that’s served with a Banger, Baked Beans, Irish Bacon, a Tomato, Mushrooms and Fried Toast.  At first glance, the Toast looks basic, but it’s fried. I thought I’d like that more than I did, but toasted is better.  I like the Baked Beans a lot.

The Olde Ship’s Famous Clam Chowder is very good too, with lots of Clams.

Back to why this post started… The magnificent Sticky Toffee Pudding at The Old Ship (below).

Until we meet again, aka when my husband is ready to go back — I have to be reasonable.

Did you know that you can make a Pizza Dough using only two ingredients?  You can.

Two Ingredient Pizza Dough is made with Self Rising Flour and Plain Greek Yogurt.  I heard about it and had to try it.  And it’s true, it works with (1 ½ Cups of Self Rising Flour & 1 Cup of Plain Greek Yogurt).  I simply combined the two, then kneaded both into Dough.

It didn’t take much time or effort to convert into a blank Pizza canvas.

I made a basic Pepperoni & Pineapple Pizza, with a Pineapple homegrown by my husband, I might add.  I also added Pizza Sauce, Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese — Other Recipes.

The Pizza was baked in a preheated 450° oven for 12 minutes and all turned out well, though the flavor of the Pizza Crust is a little bland and would taste better as a Three Ingredient Pizza Dough with the addition of a little Salt — That’s what I’ll make next time.

My husband, Matt recently went on a 3/4 day sport fishing vessel called The San Diego and caught some nice-sized Yellowtail.  He brought home approximately twenty pounds of fillets and one whole Yellowtail for smoking.  It was Operation Yellowtail at our house.  We prepared several dishes immediately, gave a few fillets to neighbors and co-workers and froze the rest.

The San Diego is known as one of the best sport fishing vessels in San Diego and Matt agrees. He loves fishing and even holds a state record for catching the largest California Sheephead Fish at 30lbs., 8oz., from his kayak in 2009.  It was quite impressive, like the Yellowtail above.

As shown, we smoked the whole Yellowtail for 4 1/2 hours and it turned out amazing.

It was tender and flaky with the perfect amount of smoke flavor.

Smoked Yellowtail is a real treat with Cocktail Sauce, Lemon Caper Dill Sauce, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Cream Cheese, Red Onions, Capers, Pickles, Crackers, Red Bell Peppers and Pickles.

On the first day, I made Ceviche and Poke with a few of the Yellowtail fillets.

The Ceviche was simply made with Red Onions, Red Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Cilantro, Lime and Lemon Juice — The Yellowtail marinated quickly and was ready to eat in 15 minutes.

Another batch of chopped Yellowtail was mixed with Soy Sauce, Ponzu Sauce, grated Ginger and Green Onions to make Poke, which was pretty much ready to eat immediately too.

We grilled Yellowtail fillets and ate ’em with a Mango Salsa made with fresh cut Mango, Red Bell Peppers, Red Onions, Jalapenos, Cilantro and Lime Juice — It was all so fresh tasting.

We fried Yellowtail fillets to have with leftover Lemon Caper Dill and Cocktail Sauce.

Yellowtail fared well with all preparations — Raw (Hamachi), rare, smoked, grilled and fried.

The rest was frozen to later prepare differently — Perhaps bake, stew and/or broil, etc.

Preparation of the frozen Yellowtail fillets shall be posted as updates below.

Yellowtail Recipe Update:  Yellowtail Chowder.  Check back for more to be linked here.

The true annual treat is spending time with best friends decorating Halloween Cookies, Cupcakes and Candy.  Each year we take home trays and boxes of homemade and hand decorated treats after a fun evening of trickery — It’s quite a funny bunch (below).

I’m truly grateful for all!

This year’s decorating ideas are posted here and others from previous years are linked here.

We’re no design professionals, but have a lot of laughs and the Cookies always taste great.

It’s also possible that you may learn how not to decorate your Halloween Cookies here. 😉

Halloween Appetizer Idea — Deviled Eggs with Olive Spiders.  You can figure it out.

Happy Halloween from Nibbles of Tidbits and friends.

It’s likely we won’t win the 5-Hour Energy Yummification Contest, but we learned a lot trying.  The contest closes today, and then it’s our video amongst 400+ other video entries (I think) vying to win $50K, $30K, $10K or $1K.  All sound good to me.  We each created a Drink Recipe using (1) 5-Hour Energy Drink and a one-minute video preparing it.  Our drink, the 5′ N Thrive is simple to make and good tasting, but our video ended up compressed by time and size limits.  Overall, it was fun to do and we still hope for the best — Recipe is on the video.

From a Potato Contest I’ve learned to appreciate Ground Turkey, and other dishes I wouldn’t choose to make — At least there’s that, since my photos haven’t produced many wins.

* The pictured is not an official entry in the contest. The chosen ones are much better, I think.

We rented a Luxury Electric Boat from Newport Fun Tours and cruised the Newport Beach Harbor with plenty to eat and drink for 90 minutes — You may have seen them on Groupon.

A Cheese Platter doesn’t come with a Newport Fun Tours cruise — We brought it and the Grey Poupon too, just in case anyone asked for it, plus it goes well with a fabulous Cheese Platter.

Balboa Fun Zone view (below) from our Luxury Electric Boat — Well, I really wouldn’t call it luxury, since our boat was a bit used looking, like an old water limo, but it ran well for us.

The day was cloudy, brightened with Cheese, Wine and cute, smiling serving utensils.

I made the pictured Cheese Platter with 5 kinds of Cheese, Salami, Crackers, Pecans, Grapes from our garden, Kalamata Olives and Roasted Red Peppers, Peperoncinis and Pickles, with Mustard on the side — A couple seagulls landed on the bow wanting some.  Negative, sorry.

Wine and snacks are sold at Newport Fun Tours check-in, but the options aren’t this good.

Not sure that my photos will be chosen this go around, but we enjoyed the meals, though I’d rather have the $500 per photo prize from the Idaho Potato Commission for entries in their Recipe Photo Contest.  There’s still time to enter for a prize, or at a minimum eat a good meal.

The pictured weren’t chosen as official entries in the Idaho Potato Commission’s contest.

Each is a different dish/recipe in the contest, ending May 29, 2014.  I made and entered (3) of the (6) posted recipes (from top down) — The Salmon and Shitake Idaho Hash that’s half eaten, the Western Scramble introducing the Eggs, and the French Red Wine Infused Idaho Grown Fingerling Potato Salad, a snooty sounding Salad with hard to find Fresh Chervil.

Ladyfingers, Fruit, Whip… Ladyfingers, Fruit, Whip… Ladyfingers, Fruit, Whip — That’s basically how you make it.  Insert any Fruit for the “Fruit.”  I used Strawberries, Blueberries and Kiwis.  The Ladyfingers were store bought to save time, but I will always whip my own Heavy Cream with a little Sugar to make it taste best.  The pictured Fruit Trifle was made for Mother’s Day.

If wanting to make it extra pretty, create the Trifle’s outer design separately from its layering.  Fruit looks best vertically through the glass, but is layered horizontally — In other words, place the Fruit and Ladyfingers against the glass as shown, or how you want it, and then layer as chanted in the middle/inside.  Repeat process as you build upward.