Happy Thing #15, Blue Apron

[thistlechaser]

I'm really falling down on this Happy Thing effort, but it's more because I post happy things and forget to number them than for lack of happy things. (How did I not count that Japanese gum video of the cat carrying the man to work? That still makes me happy after countless viewings! And Hannibal is currently eating my brain (haha), that should have totally made the list!)

Happy Thing #15: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and Niel D. Tyson. First off, that man all but makes me melt. Not only is he good looking and has a wonderful voice, but his intelligence is the most attractive thing about him! I could listen to him talk science forever (me and the rest of the world, I know).

The show itself makes me so very, very happy. It's like the best times in school, learning interesting things in interesting ways. Even though some of what he covers is familiar, I'm more than happy to hear about it again.

I'm happy to see that, at least according to one source, its ratings are pretty good. Though I still boggle to hell and back that it's on FOX networks, I hope they'll keep airing it even if the ratings get worse, just because of what it is. (Long shot, I know.)

Blue Apron: Two good meals this week, one that I'll likely have to skip on making.

Swedish Meatballs & Braised Kale, with Lingonberry Jam & Creamy Mashed Potatoes: I've never had kale any other way than as chips, but I'm willing to try it. Everything else should be MMM!

Chicken, Baby Artichoke & Spinach Casserole with Gouda Béchamel: Never had artichokes (even though they have a thistle in them!), never had gouda, but the meal sounds interesting and I'll try it.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Stewed White Beans, Gremolata & Brussel Sprouts: Everything about this one sounds eh. First off, they sent me a whole butternut squash -- I'd likely cut off at least one finger trying to hack it apart. Second, I'm kind of iffy on beans after last week. The Gremolata sounds good, but I don't think I've ever had brussel sprouts before. I have a couple ideas for this one: I could go out and buy the pre-cut butternut squash and otherwise follow the recipe. My other idea is to roast the brussel sprouts and make the sauce, but toss out the squash and beans part of the recipe. (Not literally toss out -- I'd rather not waste food if I don't have to. I'm not sure if it would be weird if I brought it to work to try to give it away though...)

I wish they sent more instructions with the food. They send a ton of vegetables and herbs, but give no indication of which should go into the fridge (so I generally put most everything in there). I continue to be impressed with the amount you get for the price -- the price is higher than I would like, but I don't think it's out of line for what you get. The box weighs 15 pounds and has to be shipped fast since there's raw meat in it (packed in ice). The only way they could be making money off all this is that they buy in bulk and split it up.

For me, it saves money because, for example, otherwise I'd have to buy a whole bundle of mint when I only need a couple sprigs -- they send the exact amount you need.

I'm really impressed with how well packed and labeled everything is. So many little bottles, plastic containers, and things in ziplock bags of every size. I don't like cooking, but opening the box is like Christmas: You take out item after item after item, seemingly never getting to the bottom of the box, everything carefully wrapped up and new, and it's all just for you.

The one complaint I have is I wish they let you pick your meals. They have six options per week, but you don't get to pick the three you want. I'm guessing it has to do with the weight of your final box and the cost on their end.

I'll probably cook a meal tomorrow night. I don't want to end up having to cook three times in a row over the weekend again, that was too much.

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

Kale is tasty, IMO! I actually prefer cooked kale to kale chips, so long as it's seasoned with something, and it's one of my favorite cooked greens. Not a huge fan of artichokes, but mainly 'cos they're a pain to eat, relative to how tasty they are -- the ROI just isn't there, like in that xkcd -- baby artichokes in a casserole probably don't have that problem. Gouda is tasty, although I prefer the smoked variety.

Brussel sprouts are weird. Plain, I can't stand them, but if they're roasted with other stuff, I actually find them pleasantly nutty. Mostly I just mourn the fact that they look a lot cuter than they taste, if you know what I mean.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I know just what you mean! The baby brussel sprouts are really, really cute. So tiny and detailed! I almost hate to chop them up to eat them.

I've heard good things about cooked kale, so hopefully I'll enjoy it!

[hamsterwoman]

So tiny and detailed! I almost hate to chop them up to eat them.

Exactly! :)

[kelen.livejournal.com]

Brussel Sprouts are tiny cabbages. That's what I think of them. :)

There's a REALLY easy way to cook them too. Buy Parchment Paper. Cut them up, put them on the paper, spice to taste, and fold to make an envelope of sorts. Doesn't matter how you fold. Orgami this isn't. ;) Cook at 350 for around half an hour in the oven. No, the paper doesn't burn. It steams your veggies! Throw paper away when done. Easiest clean up ever. Just don't open immediately from oven. Let sit a minute or there will be steam burns.

I steam carrots, broccoli and brussel sprouts every day for lunch. They taste way better steamed/roasted.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ah! I've heard of doing that with foil, but not parchment paper. (Other than fish, I think I've seen that done in the paper.)

I've been meaning to buy some anyway! Now and then I need it, but never have it.

[kelen.livejournal.com]

I only cook some veggies and fish in the paper. Onions don't work too well I've found. They taste better grilled/fried. Mushrooms don't steam well either. But just about everything else I steam. They taste so much better. :)

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

This sounds so cool - I wish we had something like this here, I'd totally try it out. It seems like a great way to try new things without wasting food, and does sound a little like Christmas - lol. As it is, I'll live vicariously and enjoy your cooking posts. :)

These meals do sound delicious. I like butternut squash, but like you said it's a pain in the neck to cut apart. It's easier if you zap it in the microwave for two, three minutes, let it cool and then cut it up. That softens it and you're less likely to lose a limb while cutting it.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

It really is fun! Opening the box, anyway. Cooking not so much. :P I am happy to try new things though, so all in all it works.

Thanks for the advice! My mother suggested the same thing.

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

I like that they've changed so that you can do a mixup of the meat meals and the vegetarian meals though. When I subscribed you could only pick the three meat-having meals or the three vegetarian meals.

Oh man, butternut squash. Yes, it is a HUGE PITA to peel, but it is SO DELICIOUS. I make butternut squash "fries" all the time. If you have an actual peeler it is easier to peel, but if you really don't want to fool with it, just cut it in half and bake it in the rind, you can eat it out of the rind with a spoon. Roast it, put some butter and some cinnamon and nutmeg on there and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SO GOOD.

I do wish they weren't such a pain in the ass to peel.

The meatballs sound delicious, I am jealous of those.

I am WITH you on any service not including very basic instructions for people who have no idea wtf is going on yet. I always have this problem with home improvement stuff. Like once my tail light went out on my car, and I replaced it myself, but in the car manual it was like, "Step One: Open the Goodleblot Tissleflange," and I was like WHAT IS THAT AND WHERE DO I FIND IT, and then when I found it I couldn't figure out how to open it. Recently I was replacing the knobs on my pantry door, and same kind of thing. "If the door does not close properly, remedy this by adjusting the teff." WHAT THE FUCK IS A TEFF AND HOW DO I ADJUST IT?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Haha yes! As someone who writes directions like that, it's such a hard balance to hit -- you don't want to insult people who know what they're doing ("With your mouse, move your cursor to the option you want and select it by using the right mouse button..."), but you have to keep in mind people who have never done it/used it before, as well as ESL people.

The recipe sort of looked like butternut squash fries (they were cut into matchstick lengths and then baked). I might see what I can do with it, depending on how I feel the evening I make it!

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

We eat a lot of kale (alas, it's also become a 'thing' around here for some reason, whereas spinach isn't -- probably because spinach is so easy to cook into mush, and kale tends to hold its crunch). But we eat it with other vegetables. All this endless cold winter I baked most of our vegetables on a baking sheet in the oven, coated with olive oil and sprinkled with parmesean cheese. If I was quite ambitious I'd de-pit and cut in half oil cured black olives and scatter them among the kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts (they are particularly delicious baked / roasted), carrots, mushrooms, zukes, sweet peppers, etc. -- whatever vegetables are in the fridge.

Bake you buttenernut squash too, with your sprouts! Together they will have so much sweetness, with not even the expected bit of bitter, since your sprouts are so young. Beware though -- the small ones bake quickly into mush. Butternut squash takes more time, depending on how you cut it though, whether you leave on the skin when you bake it -- I do it that way.

The beans though -- hmmm. That doesn't sound like a good choice for those two other items, unless it has a lot of flavoring with stock and etc.

Love, c.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was really questioning their use of the beans. I might just skip that part. The beans are in a can, they'll last a long time in case I want to use them for something else some day.

Kale really has become a thing! I think I'm going to use your idea and just bake everything.

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Baking with olive oil etc. is a delicious way to make vegetables. And I'm one of those who needs all the delicious encouragement to eat her vegetables.

Plain old salads are totally meh for me. All those leaves just leave me going, "O. Dear."

Love, c.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Or "oh deer", since it's really better for them.

I'm in the same camp you are -- the more encouragement (and cheese, butter, salt, roasting...) the better.

[spike7451.livejournal.com]

All the meals sound lovely apart from the Brussels Sprouts, those I would totally skip, can't stand them.

Sounds like a good way to try new things and as you say you don't waste stuff like having to buy full bunches of things like herbs.

Hope you enjoy the meals and have fun cooking them.

[postingwhore.livejournal.com]

forever late at commenting, but

do you have any photos of Niel D. Tyson to share? ;p

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I wish! If I ever meet him in person, I'll take many to share. :D

[postingwhore.livejournal.com]

Any links, then? XD