#Basic Fall Flavors Taste Test

Scientifically, it's only been Fall for a few weeks. Thermometer-ly in North Carolina, we've had about three real days of fall (under 75 degrees, in my book). 

But emotionally, for all the #basics, fall started the day kids went back to school in August. Starbucks' cult of devotees were able to order pumpkin spice lattes and find commercial PSL products (like creamer and k-cups) on store shelves August 27 this year; and speculation about the release date began before we'd finished cleaning up our red,white, and blue, Fourth of July decor. 

I do not worship at the PSL altar but I do long for cool days, extra crunchy leaves, and all the other cliches around fall - infinity scarves, shabby-chic flannel with riding boots, slouch beanies, and general Hocus Pocus.

This will of course sound incredibly hipster of me, but I loved fall flavors before they were cool - and still do. We're right in the middle of apple country, so September - November we're overloaded with fresh, delicious apples and all the recipes that come along. Plus, in the South, we love our winter vegetables; bring on the sweet potato pie. 

Unlike hipsters who (constantly) roll their eyes at trends, I'm on board with the glut of products hitting shelves in the fall (or fall-adjacent) months. Some of it is absurd, bizarre and totally unnecessary, but sometimes you can find a gem. We turned this festive trial and error into a fun excuse for a seasonal thematic dinner and taste test with friends. 

K and I went to high school together and have reconnected since she and her husband joined our church. We've always had quite a bit in common, and it's become more pronounced that we're both broke state employees married to total nerds. We both make regular treks to Asheville for bargain hunting at Aldi and Trader Joe's. Currently, both stores are OVERLOADED with all things fall. Trader Joe's monthly ad, Fearless Flyer, is devoted to "Pumpkin Season" and Aldi's weekly specials are full of apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, caramel and maple flavors. 

October 2019 "Fearless Flyer" cover

I did some highly unscientific research with my Facebook community to gauge folks' fall flavor passions and was rather surprised by the results. In the (pumpkin?) pie chart below, my crowd prefers Cinnamon over everything else. No one voted for pumpkin spice and I was the only savory pumpkin hold-out. 

Our taste test dabbled in some of these flavor categories, but I promise, if your favorite was underrepresented there are at least five options at any grocery store right now! 

On to our picks! 

• Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Pasta Sauce, $3.49/jar - I love pasta and I really enjoy incorporating savory pumpkin and squash into our dinners. I've served pumpkin alfredo with tortellini for years, but this is so much easier. It's thick, creamy and full of robust flavors. I think of fall dishes as being really warm, rounded flavors, but this was surprisingly bright. We served it with large rigatoni noodles (I think that would be better than long, thin pasta) and a sprinkle of Parmesan. It'd be great with grilled chicken (or rotisserie chicken #MomHack) and roasted veggies. 

• Baby spinach salad tossed with Aldi Apple Vinaigrette - K brought a delicious salad of baby spinach and greens, with pecans, dried cranberries and hunks of goat cheese. She topped it with an Aldi dressing. (Note: Aldi's salad dressings are SO affordable; under $1.50, I believe. But they also have a more refined, glass bottle line, too.) This dressing was tangy - almost sharp - and vibrant, with just the right amount of sweetness from the apples. It pairs greatly with creamy cheese and nuts

• Trader Joe's Pumpkin Biscotti, $3.99/box - I have a love/hate relationship with biscotti. By nature, it's freaking crunchy and my teeny tiny teeth struggle. The flavor in these is delicious; they weren't overpoweringly pumpkin, spicy or sweet. However, it was like eating gravel - which is the way you want your biscotti. For nibbling - no, thanks. With a cup of coffee, in my favorite rocker, in complete empty house quiet - OH YEAH. 

• Trader Joe's Pumpkin Joe Joe's, $2.49/box - If you've never had a Joe Joe, it's basically an Oreo, but incredible quality and made with the most vibrant flavors derived from real ingredients. For example, their Neopolitan Joe Joe's scream STRAWBERRY because the creme is filled with freeze dried strawberry pieces (J would highly recommend). These Joe Joe's are just as saturated with pumpkin-y, spice-y flavor. And...it's a lot. The cookie is thick and just the right texture, but so flavorful. The creme is smooth and sweet and in perfect ratio to cookie, but so flavorful. Like the biscotti, I think I'll like them under specific conditions. Dunking one or two in a glass of milk would be divine. Eating a sleeve on their own (as one is wont to do with Oreos) is not for me. 

• Trader Joe's Pumpkin Cream Cheese - First of all, I love cream cheese. I could eat plain cream cheese right from the package. I ate at least one bagel slathered in cream cheese every day of my senior year of college (RIP 19 year-old metabolism). This, I did not love. It was cloyingly sweet; like honey nut cream cheese sweetness (which I enjoy) x 10. And we served it on plain mini bagels, so they weren't overdone with a pumpkin bread, either. Also, it's the most disturbing camel color... Did I mindlessly eat 2 mini bagels worth? Yes. Would I buy it again? Hard pass. 

• Aldi Bake Shop Pumpkin Cake Roll,  approx. $3.99 - I refuse to make jelly roll cakes. I made one once as a kid and it tore all to pieces; I let J make these desserts instead or better yet, I buy one for less than $5! I enjoyed this! It was simple, but really elegant-looking and tasted great. The cake was dense, but good texture; and the cream cheese icing made it just sweet enough. I'd buy this again. And I'm willing to bet it would freeze beautifully, too (AKA buy a zillion of these, freeze them and save yourself some time at Thanksgiving). 

• Aldi Apple Cinnamon Goat Cheese, $2.49/roll - You know how I said I love cream cheese? I also love goat cheese. I love the tangy smoothness that's easy to spread on a baguette or crumble in a salad. This was no different. The natural sour and saltiness of the goat cheese was perfectly complemented by a thin layer of diced apples and spiced sauce. Each bite gave a little apple crunch and perfect blend of salty and sweet. I served it with some lightly toasted baguette and Town House Crackers. This would be a perfect addition to a charceuterie platter or cheese board; I'd like to try it with some more inventive crackers or add-ons. Aldi also has a salted caramel version too. 

• Trader Joe's Baked Blood Orange Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cheese, $10.99/lb (this block was around $4) - TJ employee's are encouraged (or required?) to be incredibly knowledgeable about the inventory of their stores. They pride themselves on how well the know about the items, where they're located (they actually have to take you to them, not give you directions), how to prepare them etc. So I was slightly terrified when our cashier said "Ooh, what's this?" as he rang up this cheese. He looked at the label, "Baked, blood orange...chocolate chip...ricotta..? Hm.. Well.. Good luck on that." I paid for it, thinking all the while, "This is going to be awful." Boy, was I wrong. This was delicious. I've never had baked ricotta (other than a lasagna) so I didn't know what to expect. My foray into chocolate cheese last year was a NIGHTMARE. And orange flavorings can go wrong so quickly. This cheese was super smooth but light as air. It was fluffy and the flavor was so bright. It was basically a cheese version of the inside of a Three Musketeer's bar and tasted just like those chocolate oranges you get in your Christmas stocking and have to bang on a table. SO GOOD.  

(P.S. Highly recommend this podcast in general, but this episode in particular discusses how dedicated TJ employees are to their job, craft, and products!)

My winner from this was the Autumnal Harvest Pasta Sauce. I will buy this again and I'm very eager to try some of their similar products - like Autumnal Harvest Soup (or I may just add a can of coconut milk to their pasta sauce..) and Pumpkin Bisque. 

The Baked Blood Orange Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cheese gets honorable mention, too. It would be the MVP, but it doesn't quite fit our cliche flavor profile. I would include this on any fall/winter cheese tray; it'd be especially beautiful at Christmastime.

Some items from TJ and Aldi which weren't featured in our taste test, but that I'm so curious about and would love to hear your feedback on, include:

• TJ Spiced Pumpkin Madelines
• TJ Riced Cauliflower & Butternut Squash Risotto
• TJ Maple Ginger Cookie Swirl Ice cream
• TJ Apple Cider Jam or Cinnamon Bun Spread
• TJ Pumpkin Spice Biocellulose Sheet Masks - I may not be a PSL freak, but I'm a total sucker for face masks. Told you I had #basic tendencies. 
• Aldi Pumpkin Brioche

This was a fun, easy, and relatively budget-friendly way to entertain and would be a blast with a bigger crowd and on any theme. It can be an engaging riff on a classic potluck: everyone bring a new snack, Christmas food, exotic fruit etc. you want to try and share with the group. Add cocktails, board games, and lots of laughs. 

Local Eats: Nettie's Bakery & Tea House

If you follow the Endlessly Delicious Life facebook page - which, you should, of course - you may have noticed multiple mentions of Nettie's Bakery & Tea House. I am not in any way affiliated with or sponsored by Nettie's (a girl can dream), but I just enjoy their business so darn much.


Next week, I'm having a mother-daughter 
birthday date (it's the big 3-0, y'all!) at Nettie's and I'm so looking forward to it. In my reading and re-reading of the menu, I've reflected upon previous Tea House joy - which I have to share with you. 

Nettie's doesn't deliver; but occasionally
The Hubs will deliver their goodies to me at work.

Nettie's is just as adorable as it sounds. It's on the cutest little street in a tiny Western North Carolina town, a breath away from Waynesville. Hazelwood's Main Street is just what you'd expect in a quaint Southern block - a local soap company, a meat-and-potatoes brew pub, thrift stores, a Chip and Joanna Gaines-style home decor store, gun shop (welcome to "Home of the Plott Hound" hunting dog), locally owned pharmacy, and this adorable sweet spot. Nettie's is a small bakery with what appears to be an ample kitchen and cozy dining space. You order at the counter, indecisively lingering at the bakery case, and can have a seat at one of few antique tables. Tea house that it is, Nettie's is filled with tea sets - unique, fragile, antique, and miniature. Not unlike so many of our Southern grandmamas' parlors, it's full of "breakables," floral prints, and lace. 

Their regular menu offers a variety of cutesy sandwiches like you'd expect at a ladies auxiliary meeting - such as grape-pecan-chicken salad or homemade pimento cheese; and a rotating selection of fresh pastries. I've never gone to Nettie's for lunch, but we often pop in while visiting Robin Blu next door. Their variety of pastries is ever-changing and always delicious. The cinnamon rolls are huge, the scones are crumbly, the cookies are dappled with big chocolate chunks, and the cakes are beautiful layers upon layers. Personally, I go straight for the more nuanced desserts. Great British Baking Show watch out, because these ladies know how to wow with items like macarons, Viennese whirls, and petit fours. 

The showstopper here is the tea parties. Afternoon and High Teas are available every day (24-hour notice required) and special seasonal tea menus are available throughout the year. Last month, my mom and I attended a Mother's Day tea and I don't think I can do justice to this experience. It was so much fun, completely delicious, and a great adventure to share with my Mama. 

When I was little, I had a pink and white plastic tea set that we'd play with. I vividly remember sitting in a pillow fort, drinking sweet tea, eating the worst tuna salad ever (Peas, mom? Really?) and watching "Anne of Green Gables" together. We were pretending to be fancy, polite and delicate ladies; but Nettie's almost convinced us we were grown-up and elegant. 

The tea events have a set menu with savory and sweet items. The seasonal teas are more high-end with a few additional items. At Mother's Day we were treated to: a salad with oranges, almonds, (fresh!!) croutons and cinnamon vinaigrette; waldorf chicken salad tea sandwiches; pimento cheese and bacon puffs; berry jam scones; doodashes (an eleveated version of your Mamaw's cheese straws); chocolate ganache macarons; bonbons and Viennese whirls. 

Tea Treat Tower!

#SoFancy

It's a tremendous spread, not to mention the tea! A variety of teas are available and you can choose as many as you like. The owner must understand the unsophisticated palates of us low-brow sweet tea drinkers, so she mentioned "if you don't like the flavor, we'll pour it out and try a new one!"  We drank a whole pot of berry tea which required a little experimenting with milk and sugar. Pro tip: un-stirred sugar cubes will sink to the bottom of your cup and give you a final shockingly sweet sip...or so I'm told... 

Basically doing this giddy wiggle
until our next Tea Party

The food was spectacular, but I'm literally giddy trying to describe the experience. They make a real effort for guests to feel special and pampered. From the lace tablecloth (onto which I IMMEDIATELY spilled salad dressing) and napkins, to the real, delicate china tea set, to the silver serving utensil (from which I launched a doodash at my mother) to the tea tray the rolled to our table (IS THIS REAL LIFE?), every detail is curated to develop an authentic, luxurious treat. Downton Abbey, eat your heart out. 

My husband, y'all. #HappyWife

If you're ever in Hazelwood, it's imperative you stop in for a snack. But really, I'd recommend making a trip just for a bakery case treat. Also, be sure to follow them on Facebook where they share upcoming events - like seasonal tea schedules - and exciting deals - like this fancy Valentine's Day goodie box with shortbread, chocolate-covered strawberries, champagne cupcakes and macarons. 


And folks, this place can save you the heartburn of trying to find a unique way to show someone in your life that you love and care about them. Fellas and kiddos: brush your hair, wash your hands and take your lady and/or your mama out to tea. And gals, this would be the place to get in some super sweet girl time with your friends, the expectant mama who needs to savor quiet time, or a stressed out soon-to-be bride! 

Big, obnoxious hats are optional. 

Wait, What's a CSA? (Awesome Fresh Food!) And Do I Need One? (Um, yes)

Growing up, my family ALWAYS had a garden full of veggies - beans, corn, lettuce, onions, potatoes, and random seeds they let Little Amanda choose. We ate fresh all summer and were busy canning, too. As I've gotten older, those gardens have become too cumbersome or we just haven't made time; and our canning is more infrequent. But we still love our fresh veggies. 

In the warmer months, the Hubs, the Baby and I head to our area Farmer's Market which takes over a downtown parking lot on Saturday mornings (and now Wednesday evenings, too!). Usually we wander around, linger at a couple of booths but only buy a few things; and generally only in peak produce time. Not out of lack of interest or particularly unreasonable prices, but we just can't decide. 

So this year, we're trying something new: a CSA. 

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which is one of the tastiest and economical win-win situations you can find! With a CSA you're buying "stock" in a farm. Your purchase gets you regular packages throughout the growing season and provides the farmer security that product will be sold. There are a variety of types of CSAs, most frequently of the fruit and veggie variety; but some include meats; and I've been particularly interested in a local grower's flower program. 

Let's talk about the finer points of why a CSA might be great for you and your family. 

1. Fresh, locally sourced items.

^^ Anxiety-free lettuce!
Courtesy of Deal Farms

Obviously, this is a win. Recently, the news has been awash with stories of food production workers who didn't wash and have spread infectious food-borne illnesses across the country. There was whatever the heck happened with Chipotle, a scary egg recall, and most recently an E. coli epidemic related to romaine lettuce. During LettuceGate, CDC officials recommended that people avoid commercial romaine, at restaurants and purchased in stores, and only consume lettuce when you knew EXACTLY where it was grown and who harvested/packaged it. I haven't worried about lettuce, because once a week, I drive down to the next town over and pick up a box containing veggies still covered in dirt and fuzz from the frost blankets. Oftentimes, the actual employee who picked it is there while I collect my goodies. 


2. Value - Price, Time and Experience 

I would say that you can't put a price on freshness and flavor. But...you totally can. And sometimes convenience and low-low cost means sacrificing quality. However, with a CSA the prices are generally lower than you'd find at their farm stand or at the market but with great quality. I recently saw a CSA offering Farmer's Market credit instead of pre-packaged weekly boxes and for a $300 season enrollment, you received over $350 in credit; so you're certainly saving. 

I mentioned before how I aimlessly wander through the Farmer's Market. I stop and stare at the pretty carrots that still have their tops, the vibrant radishes or the bushels of peaches (actually, no, I can't pass up peaches); yet I can rarely decide what I want. Many CSAs do the work for you; they're the original subscription box. Most groups offer you a limited variety of items from which you can pick (up to a weekly cost limit, or have it deducted from your total estimated value) but it's really Mother Nature's roulette - you're going to get what's in season and ready to pick. This saves me so much time and effort instead of pacing the market on Saturday mornings (but we still go to the farmer's market because...peaches and fresh bread and homemade soap). 

And like a new Blue Apron box, it's exciting. We're already getting items that I'm not sure what to do with, so we have to research, explore and try new things. This week, we got the biggest (but most beautiful) green onions and some Swiss chard (along with lettuce and strawberries). Both of which required some googling to find appropriate recipes (I think we're going to try a Swiss chard and green apple fritatta and some cheesy green onion breads) and we're excited to try new vegetables! 



3. Meaningful support of area agriculture 

Farming is hard and it's risky. And if you want proof of that, look only at the landscape of American farms - small, family farms are struggling to be as productive as commercial agriculture. 

My Papaw was a cabbage and cattle farmer and I loved being in the cabbage patch with our family setting the little plants and watching them turn in to heavy, leafy masses. But as beautiful as that was, I know my grandparents were nervous wrecks every year. You spend so much money up front for a product that may or may not turn out, and sometimes through no fault of your own. Too much or too little rain, sun, heat, wind etc. etc. can ruin a crop. And one bad year can set you back so much you can't buy the supplies the following year to literally dig out of debt. 

Hands down the best, juiciest berries I've had in ages.
#NoFilterNeeded

A CSA subscription lightens that farmer's load a little; it provides a pinch of security they wouldn't normally get. By purchasing a share you are guaranteeing that farm a sale. They don't have to open a stand or weather the market to sell their product; they know x amount will be moving. And the money can be an investment in making the best crops they can, which in turn, encourages you and others to buy additional items or be loyal subscribers. 

For example, we've had wild weather this year in our area and it stayed cold later than normal, so some planting was staggered. This meant that the only thing available in early- to mid-May was strawberries. Fortunately, we are a berry-loving household to begin with, and we were excited to try making freezer jam and Surry County sonker. Imagine if you were trying to sustain your farm on strawberries alone. It'd be terrifying. But having a known quantity of support (and people to take strawberries off your hands before they go to waste) could be crucial. 

Here's my shameless (unpaid, unsolicited) plug for our CSA provider: Deal Farms.  Millennial that I am, I learned about their CSA program via Facebook, but had purchased canning tomatoes (at a steal) from them last year. We opted to get a quarter share, which is supposed to be an allotment for a family of two every week for around five months. So far, it's been a fair amount of food, but we are still buying other produce. Now this may change as we get into peak harvest time but if we stay at this quantity the whole season we'll probably opt for a half-share next year. We have had three helpings of strawberries (at least two gallons worth!) plus the goodies pictured above, and everything has been DELICIOUS. Those strawberries are the best berries I've had in ages. Seriously, y'all, it's amazing the difference in flavor you have from berries that were picked early and shipped for hours or hundreds of miles (btw strawberries don't continue to ripen after picking). I can't do their fruit enough justice! If you're ever in Macon County, take a minute to pop by their stand! 

We're only a couple weeks into this adventure but we're already feeling like this was a good investment for our family. I encourage you to consider this as an option for yours. Visit your local farmer's market or seek out an area agricultural group; in WNC, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) keeps lists of area CSAs and can refer you. 

A couple critical questions to ask when talking to providers: 

1. What is your estimated season?
2. How much food should we expect per box? 
3. What foods could we anticipate? 
4. Are the boxes standard or do we get to choose/"shop"? 
5. Is all payment required up front? 
6. How does pickup day work? Hours? Deliveries? 

Review: Blue Apron Meal Subscription Service

A friend gifted us a free one-week subscription to the do-it-yourself meal service,  Blue Apron. Blue Apron delivers all the ingredients and recipes for delicious, relatively easy and quick (allegedly under 35 minutes) meals to your door.

Our delivery arrived on Friday and we were able to enjoy our meals together this week - savoring the last of my maternity leave. I will be reviewing this service in the following categories on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent and 1 being awful:

1. Plan options - Does it suit my family?
2. Pricing - Can we afford it? 
3. Cooking - Is it unique without being cumbersome?
4. Eating - Are the meals delicious?
5. Overall enjoyment

PLAN OPTIONS - Rating: 4

First, we chose a plan. Options included three meals for two people or two meals for four people (two additional meals from leftovers!). We could also use some "credit" from the free offer and use a higher-priced plan for four meals for four people (which would make eight meals for us but would require some payment instead of being fully free). I appreciated being able to choose the amount of meals I could get, especially when one option would provide leftovers. Despite the math yielding us more food with a two-for-four, we opted to receive the three meals for two plan. 

You are able to choose a diet/preferences - they have meals for pescetarians, vegetarians, non-red meat eaters etc. Because all items are packaged at the same facility, they do not recommend using this service if you have severe allergies. We aren't food sensitive and are trying to be more adventurous (read: eat more fish), so we didn't indicate any preferences. 

Then the fun part - which proved to be incredibly tedious for me - choosing our menus. You're able to view a calendar listing all the meals of each particular week. The three meal plan has six+ options, while the two meal option has four. Because I'm incredibly indecisive, we perused all available menus (there are usually four weeks' available at a time) and options for each plan. Many of the entrees are featured on all of the plans (at different times) with different sides; but there are several meals that are unique to a particular subscription. There are a wide variety of options from somewhat familiar creations to things I would consider exotic or unusual for our kitchen. This breadth of recipes is a great plus for Blue Apron; but I will warn you, it makes deciding difficult! 

However, the shortcoming is that you can't always select individual recipes that you like; many are bundled. For example, if you select that you want Roasted Pork Steam Buns, it may select your other two meals instead of letting you choose each one. I assume this has something to do with the packaging process. This worked to our benefit because we chose a "safe" recipe that was bundled with one new, but not unheard of dish, and one "bizarre" meal which I might not have chosen on my own. Since I couldn't pick every meal we got, I really had to play around with the calendar to make sure the meal plan we'd selected plus the delivery week worked well with the pre-arranged bundles. Seriously, I put at least an hour into this. #IHaveNoLife


PRICING - Rating: 3

Our subscription was free. YAY! And honestly, that's probably the only way we'd have ever tried this. We've done monthly subscription boxes before (now defunct Goodies, and Skoshbox), but they were in the $7-15 range and I wasn't upset if a box was lame. However, at these price points I'd be hesitant to blindly try it out. The plans are priced as follows:

The Blue Apron four-for-four plan is $8.74/serving ($139.84/week).

Blue Apron falls right in the middle of the price points for two other comparable plans, Hello Fresh and Plated. Hello Fresh allows you to get more meals per week, which lowers the per serving price, but with a similar three-for-two plan you'd be shelling out $11.50 per meal or $69 per week. Plated has both smaller and larger plans (two and four meals per week). Their three-for-two plan is slightly cheaper at $48 per week (apparently marked down from $72). 

Obviously, this may not be the thing for you if you have a larger family and you intend to feed them all. It could still be a fun date night option for you and your partner or good "bonding with the teenager."  And despite my annoyance at picky eaters paired with my determination for our baby to have a sophisticated palate, I don't think many kids would go for these things anyway. What kiddo is pumped for cod and radishes? 

Overall, $9.99/serving isn't necessarily outrageous considering what we might spend if we went out to eat, and I'd argue that it is of $9.99/plate restaurant quality; but it is considerably higher than what we budget per homemade meal. It's certainly do-able here and there as a fun activity (with food!) but we could never do it every single week. It would certainly have to be put into our budget and we'd have to give up something else. 

Or we could steal the recipes and make them at home with things we already have on hand or can buy for cheap...


COOKING - Rating: 4.5

The heavy box arrives with almost everything - save olive oil, S&P, and water - you need for all three recipes, including spices and items like vinegar or sesame oil.

Three meals-worth of ingredients, delivered straight to my door.

It's a ton of stuff in adorable, but absurd packaging (see: below). I'm a sucker for all things dainty (you should see the tiny champagne vinegar bottle!), but this does feel a little wasteful.

Thankfully all packaging materials are allegedly recyclable.

You have exactly what you need, it's all fresh and good quality, but you do have to prep some things. For example, we received a single carrot that needed to be shredded for slaw and a block of cheddar instead of a baggie of grated cheese. And that is why this cooking subscription can appeal to all levels of chefs - YOU have to do the work. You're responsible for your own mis en place and preparing everything, but nothing is difficult and their instructions are very clear. They even offer tutorials online to help you with things like knife cuts and prep demos. It would be a great learning experience for a new (or young!) chef, but interesting enough that pros would enjoy it.

Even the worst cooks can make these recipes!

The techniques are relatively simple and quick. Plus, the recipes don't require fancy equipment or lots of dish washing.

And just like the commercial, the cooking experience provided by Blue Apron is a lot of fun for families. We were able to make our first meal while Baby napped, and we got in some quality Mama & Daddy time helping each other cook. We fell in love cooking for each other, so finding a product which delivers that experience straight to our home is a blessing. But you could totally cook these on your own without being overwhelmed - unless you're on your own and have a screaming baby flailing in their jungle swing, or ahem I assume it would be difficult and you might just burn some breadcrumbs while leaving the middle of the chicken almost under-done...ahem. 


EATING - Rating: 4.5

Our menu included Fresh Pimento Cheeseburgers with Collard Green and Carrot Slaw, Chicken Milenaise with Warm Potato and Brussel Spout Salad, and Cod with Udon Noodles. The pictures on the recipe cards are deceiving - the food looks good, but with TINY portions - and they all sounded just a little out there. But whoa. They all tasted great. 

The pimento cheeseburger was made from high-quality beef and served on delicious buns covered in more sesame seeds than I've ever seen! I will say the pimento cheese stuck out to this Southern girl as a version designed by a non-Southerner. There was little mayo, and it sure as hell wasn't Duke's (the King of all Mayos), so the texture wasn't what you'd like on crackers or finger sandwiches, but it was melty and so flavorful. The recipe included a great tip, too: put the pimento cheese on the bottom toasted bun AND on top of the hot burger, double the gooeyness!

We were both AMAZED by the cod dish; we totally expected this to be unique, but not something we'd order or even try to make again. But whoa! It was flavorful, full of unique textures and well-balanced. So, be sure to try something a little out-of-the-box in your delivery box! 

And of course, you can't go wrong with breaded chicken cutlets (unless you have that hypothetical baby meltdown experience). Plus, the quirky side dish of warm potato and brussel sprout salad with mustard vinagarette was great, too! 

OVERALL- Rating: 4

Despite my inability to choose what I wanted to order, the service itself is incredibly easy to use. I was able to easily navigate their website and explore all available options. I also appreciate how easy it is to change your mind (see:inability to make decisions). You can view your scheduled deliveries and skip, change the delivery date or choose different menus at the click of a button. As a mom whose calendar is quickly filling up, I can't emphasize enough how important that sort of flexibility can be. 

But we have canceled our membership since our trial ended. They will, of course, automatically charge your card for the next delivery and we will have to plan better if we're going to put forth this expense. It's completely do-able once a month, but I'd die if my card was charged $60 more than once per pay period.

I highly recommend pressuring your friends who have free passes to share them with you, and even if you didn't have a freebie, consider giving this a go once. It's a great activity to do as a family and a fun way to try new recipes without having to buy the obscure ingredients (togarashi spice blend, anyone?). 


STAY TUNED... we're planning to try another subscription box soon!  

Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" Taste Test

Lay's Potato Chips, in their infinite corporate wisdom, created an exciting advertising campaign that also outsourced the work of their R&D department; the annual Do Us a Flavor contest. Folks submit their flavor ideas to Lay's, who then chooses four flavors to develop and sell for a limited time. The general public votes for their favorite flavor which will join the chip canon and earn a big cash prize for the "flavor ambassador" who submitted it.

They've done this contest for three years or so now, with some hits and some big misses. 

One of their first trios included sriracha, cheesy garlic bread and chicken & waffles. The first two weren't too shabby and pretty true to their inspiration. However, the chicken and waffles chips made me realize that sometimes imitation is not the sincerest form of flatter, but just downright weird. They were too realisitic and my brain couldn't process a thin slice of potato tasting like maple syrup, much less fried chicken. 

Last year, they upped the weird factor by introducing us to bacon mac 'n' cheese (which tasted just like gas station Hot Fries!), mango salsa (I despise mangoes), wasabi ginger, and cappuccino chips. I was underwhelmed and kinda grossed out by that group. 

While I questioned their judgement last year, I must admit the process is interesting and they are able to produce on-point flavors that accurately represent the inspirations (however misdirected). And they made an exciting update to put texture into play, too. You can submit your flavor with a "chip style" -kettle cooked, wavy or traditional - that I find to be a big influence on the success of the chip. For example, cappuccino chips shouldn't be wavy, because what on God's green Earth would you dip that in? But waves are a perfect fit for a salsa-flavored chip; the pairing with guac is obvious!

Lay's has just released their newest quartet of contenders and we bought three of the four flavors this weekend. The 2015 Do Us a Flavor nominees are wavy West Coast Truffle Fries, Southern Biscuits and Gravy, kettle cooked Greektown Gyro, and New York Reuben. We picked up the Truffle, Gyro and Reuben chips at our local Ingles Market (on sale!); they are supposed to be available nationwide within the month.

Prior to Lay's release of 2015 flavors, we found a bag of Larry the Cable Guy biscuits and gravy chips at Big Lots (artisinal grocery it's not) for less than $2. Enjoying our youthful sense of immortality, we bought a bag. They were disturbingly realistic and tasted like fresh sausage and creamy, peppery gravy... and that made me very uncomfortable. Maybe I take issue with the re-imaginging of Southern staples, but I just can't wrap my head around a porky potato. Needlesss to say, we skipped the Lay's version. Let's assume it's lovely and true to breakfast...but spare me. 

Only a hit in the midwest?
Data from 8.3.15 on www.dousaflavor.com

Here's our review of the other three flavors. Like any good girl of Irish descent, I do have a specific rubric for my potato products; so we based our judgments on the following criteria: is the flavor a good interpretation of the intended dish; is the flavor enjoyable on its own, unrelated to the original food (would you eat these again regardless of novelty); and how successful is the flavor:"chip style" pairing?

NEW YORK REUBEN (traditionally cut chips)

This was the flavor J was most excited about. After working in a deli for many years, he is a connoisseur or reubens and was very eager to try them. I'm a casual reuben-eater, if for no other reason than my palate is not rye-bread-friendly. 

Overall, the flavor is okay, but the purest notes are of rye. So, the one item that I generally substitute on my sandwich is the primary flavor of the chips. But, once I got used to that twangy taste, I could eat these fairly mindlessly and enjoy them. J was anticipating more of a mustard/sauce flavor in addition to the meat and rye, and was pretty disappointed. 

I think the flavor is approachable outside of the context of just being a reuben chip and that's helped by the super thin texture that just screams picnic or late night munchies. No frills, just like a basic reuben, but it's hard to knock the novelty kitsch. 

I've never seen a chart using corned beef-colored graphics.

GREEKTOWN GYRO (kettle cooked chips)

I wasn't anxious to try these given how poorly I handled the fake-sausage chips. But I think Lay's did a great job compiling all the diverse and complex flavors of a gyro to make a multi-faceted chip. You get a subtle beefy taste - the way barbeque chips taste more like sauce than literal smoked meat; but thankfully, you also get the tzatzki sauce with fresh cucucmber and dill; a little onion and a hint of feta. J put it best saying "these are delicious" and they are probably the best out of the three. 

I love the choice of kettle chips for this flavor, too! When I think of gyros, I immediately think of the crispness of the Greek salad stuffed in the pita with the meat. These extra crispy chips are reminiscent of the crunch of the lettuce, onions and cucumbers you find in a quality gyro. They really added authenticity of flavor and dimension by choosing the kettle chips. 

I'll be casting my vote for this flavor!

WEST COAST TRUFFLE FRIES (wavy chips)

Because we aren't independently wealthy and maybe because the tv cooking shows we watch belabor how much the oil is overrated, we don't eat many truffle-laden foods. But I anticipated these chips to taste refined, with a light truffle perfume and a subtle flavor. The picture also included melted cheese (Parmesan? Asiago?) and fresh herbs on the potato wedges, so I was looking for bright, clean flavors. These fell short. They were like a delicate version of sour cream and onion chips; maybe chives instead of "onion" and a little more garlic than your plain old sc & o chip. But certainly nothing to write home about. They tasted fine but I hardly find them innovative. 

They do work well as a wavy chip because I could see them pairing well with onion dip, or something to impart more bold flavor. 

Meh. 

The Do Us a Flavor contest is really a fun diversion for summertime snacking. We look forward to seeing what's new and trying the experimental flavors. However, I am a year-round salty snacker. J has a huge sweet tooth, but I crave salty snacks, especially chips. As enjoyable as this is, I'm probably just as happy with a bag of plain rippled chips and french onion dip. 

If you are looking for a REAL chip experience with bold, unique flavors and unparalleled quality, head to The Gourmet Chip Company in Asheville, NC. They are a handmade chip (and pressed sandwich) shop in the middle of downtown with the best flavors I've ever found. They'll fix your chips right in front of you with awesome combinations like Belgian dark chocolate and apple-smoked bacon (The Corsican) or sun-dried tomatoes, pecorino romano cheese, fresh basil, sea salt and balsamic vinegar (The Italiano) at reasonable prices. And they have a retail shop with packaged chips, too! It takes a lot of will power for us to not stop here everytime we're nearby (thanks in part to crappy city parking). 

(foreground) Pressed Cuban sandwich with The Buffalo chips and
 (background) The Pressed Parisian Melt with The Italiano chips

Fancy artisinal chip shop or not, I highly suggest venturing outside of your comfort zone with chips. The things you like and dislike, just might surprise you! 

Review: Clean Eating Magazine

You already know that reading and cooking are my two biggest hobbies, and the pairing of the two just gets me giddy. I've already shared some of my favorite books, subscriptions and blogs that are helpful resources for cooking (and eating). I'm always looking for new tasty texts to try; in fact, my Christmas list features two food books ("Twelve Recipes" and "Eat More Better"). So, you can imagine my excitement when my mother lent me three copies of the relatively new magazine, Clean Eating.

J and I immersed ourselves in the clean eating cult.. uh.. culture this summer, with a two-week challenge courtesy of Buzzfeed. And we continued to try different recipes sticking to the "clean ethos" that food is best (and best for you) when free of fillers, preservatives and chemicals - meaning fresh fruits and veggies, lean/varied proteins, whole (often gluten-free) grains, limited dairy and all-natural sugars. Our challenge had some bumps in the road; remember the fennel massacre? But overall, we enjoyed experimenting with new foods and bold spices, and we learned new techniques and recipes that we still use. 

All of which made this magazine find all the more intriguing. Yet, it fell short of expectations.

I cannot say that I entirely hate the magazine. I actually love that each issue contains a two-week calendar of meals (breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner) employing a large variety of proteins, fruits/veggies and allows for bread, milk and cheese (Buzzfeed's diet was much more strict). Being on a schedule is helpful for me at work and even helps calm some of my lunch-packing rage. The portions were ample and I wasn't hungry during the day.

The remainder of the magazine included several themed recipe sections with beautifully styled color photos. Everything looked really appealing at first glance and some of it was truly beneficial and delicious.

Just look at some of the tasty food we made from the calendar plan:

Orange tamari glazed chicken thighs with carrots & leeks

Seared salmon with quinoa and garlic sautéed spinach

I used ingredients I've never considered before, like barley and leeks; made interesting combinations like an avocado caprese sandwich; and discovered new favorite products like Pepperidge Farms' Ancient Grains bread. 

But despite the yummy food and great visual aesthetic of Clean Eating, I can't say I enjoy it and would never pay money for an issue. 

Let it be known that I have a BA in English (writing) and was a contibutor and editor to our college publication, am an avid reader and currently subscribe to three food/cooking magazines. You can call me an expert witness in this case of Cohesive Accuracy VS. Disjointed Errors. 

First, there is little direction in the content of the mag and literal directions for some recipes. Food Network and Taste of Home magazines have monthly features; charming narratives; anecdotes about family, fun or parties; and insight on products, techniques or resources. I pore over these issues and have to force myself to not read them cover-to-cover in one siting. But CE,  there might be pages 1-2 lines about, say the benefits of root vegetables, then a series of recipes - some of which don't even include the featured ingredients. Or there are quarter-page articles followed by large ads. Useful content seems limited here.

I don't feel welcome in the world of Clean Eating; I don't feel like anyone is making an effort to sell this lifestyle to me in a way that explains why this might be enjoyable, delicious or do-able. Instead of an inviting publication that excites me to try new things or shows me that I can relate to their chefs and writers. I feel like this is a scrapbook - a collection of quirky recipes (like red velvet cake made of beets) torn from various sources and devoid of context or heart; which doesn't mean they aren't good recipes, but what convinces you to try them?

And if you do try them, I hope you have some culinary skills, or at least the gift of foodie inference. For example, look at this meal plan "recipe" for pepper pork chop:

In a baking dish, pour 2 tbsp chicken broh over 3 oz. pork chop, sprinkle with 1/4 t black pepper; bake. 

 Bake?!

At what temperature?!

For how long?!

At what internal temperature is pork safe to eat?!

I set my oven for 350 and baked for around 10 minutes until they were at 145 internally (which is actually an updated temp standard). But I know people who would crank it to 450 and "bake" until all the broth was evaporated and you were left with nothing but "pepper saw dust."

And of course, the pre-planned grocery lists for ONE include a disclaimer to double ingredients when cooking for two etc. but some of the scheduled recipes are for FOUR servings, so when doubled, you buy $30 of pork tenderloin that you don't need! Taste of Home relies heavily on reader submissions, but they then take every recipe to their test kitchen to perfect it. They make it over and over until all components are properly cooked, the method is accessible to home cooks and the expense is reasonable. Costly mistakes to the reader are inexcuseable, especially if you're trying to inspire home chefs to prepare and eat more healthy meals or convince them that a healthy diet won't break the bank.

I'll happily share some of my successful clean recipes here; but for now, I'd recommend exploring someone else's copies or perusing their (free) website instead of purchasing a subscription. Save your $6 per issue and the $30-worth of pork. 

Caribbean Fare - Conch & Cocktails

For the vacation we've been planning since before we got married, J and I and a couple from church (our Wednesday Game Night buddies) went on a four-day Caribbean cruise. Last Saturday, we drove to Port Canaveral, Florida, got on the Carnival Sensation ship on Sunday, hit Freeport Harbor and Port Lucaya (on Grand Bahama Island) on Monday, Nassau on Tuesday and spent a day at sea on Wednesday. This was an amazing trip and I want to tell you all about the fun we had!

This trip fulfilled so many firsts for us - my first trip to Florida, our first cruise, first international excursion, and first double-date vacation.

Even with all the new adventures, we stuck to some of our best vacation traditions, including exploring the local food scene.

In Freeport, we were running from Tropical Storm Bertha who descended upon us as we arrived at the beach in Port Lucaya. It was a torrential downpour with taxis not returning to the ship for three hours, so we took a Bahamian "alcove tour" as we searched for shelter from the storm. After being soaked to the bone, we happened across a candy shop where I bought a favorite Caribbean soda - Goombay Punch.

Note my sopping wet shirt!

Goombay Punch is a fruity, yellow soda with the most prevalent flavors being pineapple and lemon. It's a bold flavor bursting with fruitiness and sugar. I tried a sip and was blown away with how shockingly sweet it was. For perspective: a can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar, a can of Goombay Punch has 54 grams of sugar. That's almost 1.5 times as sweet as a traditional Coke!! The bright flavor and sugaryness overwhelmed me but I couldn't quite put my finger on why it tasted so familiar. Then I got a whiff of the bright yellow, bubbly liquid and I figured it out: if you took a bag of gummy bears, melted them down and added a touch (only a touch) of carbonation, you'd have Goombay Punch. I think this could be a good base for a Caribbean cocktail - think rum and Coke, but with Goombay - or in teeny tiny servings, but there was no way I could drink 12 ounces of this in a sitting!

Next, we headed to try a Caribbean staple - conch. Conch is the seafood item from the beautiful, curved pink conch shells (you know, the big, cliche shells you put to your ear to hear the ocean). It is an "edible marine snail" that is illegal to harvest in the United States, so it is rare to see on American menus (since it must be imported from the Caribbean). We knew we had to seek out these critters while we had the chance!
After going into sugar shock from my soda, we stopped in at After Dock, a restaurant in the center of the shopping district for conch fritters.

The fritters were like a mix of a crab cake and a hushpuppy. They were fried bread fritters with hearty chunks of conch inside with a spicy seasoning and a bold dipping sauce, like a zesty thousand island dressing. The conch pieces were chewy but the flavor was great and the breading was fluffy and light. I imagine that like most invertebrate seafood items - scallops, calamari, mussels - conch can easily develop into a tough, rubbery meat. I enjoyed the dish and would certainly eat this again, and would love to try different preparations of conch. 

J and I also toasted our adventure with Bahama Mama cocktails. These drinks are fruity, usually made of pineapple and orange juice, and rum-filled. The After Dock's version was heavy on the grenadine and ruby red grapefruit juice giving it an acidic bite to match the rummy burn. Being constantly vigilant to avoid heartburn, I'd prefer a more traditional cocktail with a little less citrus and more "gentle" fruit juices.

If a trip to the islands isn't in your future, here's a more traditional Bahama Mama recipe to give you a refreshing taste of the Caribbean. 

Ingredients:

1/2 fluid oz. rum (Tortuga is made in country, if you're going for authenticity)

1/2 fluid oz. coconut rum (Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay has been a favorite of mine for many years)

1/2 fluid oz. of grenadine syrup

1 fluid oz. orange or grapefruit juice

1 fluid oz. pineapple juice (I'd go heavier on the pineapple, lighter on the citrus)

1 c. crushed ice

Method:

Blend all ingredients in an electric blender until at a slushy consistency or mix rums and juices, pour over ice and pour over grenadine for the "sunrise" ombre effect.