HelloFresh Sub Box - Oven-Baked Chicken with Creamy Potato Salad and Baby Kale (3/3)

This recipe was pretty interesting. I had never heard of a warm Potato Salad before and it wasn't something I thought would work well with these ingredients. I will say the title was a little misleading. They actually put Kale in the Potato salad so that is why I changed things up. Kale I think is kind of like Spinach in the sense that if you put hot food near or around it, it will wilt. I didn't really want this to happen so I decided to make this salad cold instead. So I didn't do the recipe exactly in the steps they called for. I made the Potatoes and cooled them so that I could make the Potato Salad traditionally. I made this recipe on November 22nd, 2019. 

I don't have much to really say about this recipe. The chicken was basically just battered and baked, nothing too special or extravagant. The only thing I would have maybe done first was pan-fried it first so that the "crust" and seasoning would have stayed on better, but that's just a personal preference. I have a few changes I would have made to the Potato Salad but keep in mind I had mine cold so these changes may not apply to a warm salad. I would have changed the Shallots to Green Onions. I find the Shallots are strong and I usually prefer to add Green Onions to salads. I can see why they would suggest Shallots for a warm salad, I think that I would fry the Shallots though if I was using them. I would have also added a little pickle juice to the Mayo but again that is probably a cold Salad thing. 

Now what I learned from this recipe is this. HelloFresh gets the freshest ingredients. This DOES NOT always mean they are Canadian ingredients. That is one of the things that I misunderstood I guess. Maybe I just assumed they would be getting items in Canada because that's where I am from, but that is not the case. And I figured this out because the pickles they sent (that I LOVED), were from America. Not that there is anything wrong with that, just if that is an important thing for you and your family, now you know. 

HelloFresh Sub Box - Mexican Pork Tacos with Sweet Corn and Lime Crema

This meal I made for just myself. It was actually pretty good, before this, I think I had Pork Tacos once in my life may be so was concerned a little that I wouldn't like them. I believe this is closer to authentic Mexican Tacos. "Tex-Mex" is what Americans and Canadians are probably used to. The main difference seems to be the toppings. While Tex-Mex usually has shredded cheese (and probably other toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole and things like that), Authentic Mexican Tacos seem to be just topped with simple ingredients, diced onions, a squeeze of lime juice, and sometimes Cremas. This is very different to what I am used to and it was interesting to try. I made this recipe on November 20th, 2019. 

This recipe was a good one, it was basically Taco Seasoning on Pork Strips. The only real complaint I had was that there wasn't much to eat. I was the only one eating so it was enough for me, but if two people would have to eat this meal, I really don't think there would have been enough.

There were about 16 - 18 strips of meat and you were supposed to make 3 tacos each (for a total of 6). That means that only three pieces could be in each taco (give or take). There were Corn and Peppers to add as toppings but to me, this really wouldn't have been enough for two people. There was also no sides so your meal was three tacos. They definitely weren't filled like the photo showed and they really weren't that filling by themselves. It was nice that you could control the spice yourself. 

HelloFresh Sub Box - Montreal-Spiced Bacon-Wrapped Steak with Garlic Beans and Creamy Mash

This meal really taught me a few things. One is to always check the ingredients. Even if you like the meal and assume you like everything in it, always check what they are sending you. My Picky Eater (PE) loves Steak and Bacon, but he is allergic to Corn and most Gluttons. The Bacon they sent in this bag was Corn Cob Smoked Bacon. That's not really something you would expect and clearly not something we wanted to chance him eating. So we had to substitute it with regular bacon. This isn't a big deal, but when you are paying over $22 a meal, you don't want to start having to buy other stuff also. I made this recipe on November 19th, 2019. 

To be honest with you besides the Bacon, I didn't have anything bad to say about this recipe. It was very good. The beans were nothing special but adding garlic was a nice little twist. The steaks were a little small, but you can't really expect much different from a subscription box. Without a doubt these Mashed Potatoes were AMAZING! I mean it wasn't anything spectacular, it was just Sour Cream, Butter and Milk, but they were very good. I think we all know, the more cream you add to a product the more creamy it gets. But I think a lot of us overlook Sour Cream unless it is staring us right in the face. (I also add cream cheese sometimes if I have it - the garlic one of course.

More Blog Posts!

Before starting this website and blog, I had a blog on blogger. I would talk about Arts and Crafts obviously and about some of the products I would buy. This was before I got into most of the things I blog about and even sell now. I was just learning how to crochet when I started that blog and thought others would maybe benefit from seeing what I learned as I grew my skills in the crochet world. And that's really what I thought I would stick to. I thought I would learn more Stitches and Patterns and I would just blog all the time about all the wonderful new things I could do. And I was wrong. 

After a while, life just got in the way and I felt a need to blog every day and yet I didn't really have anything to say. Kind of like what happened with this blog after the first year and a bit. That's why I took a break and really decided to find more worth talking about. One of the things I did there, that I kind of carried over here in the form of Reviews was an "Amazon Addiction" post. And I would write about the stuff I bought from Amazon or that I was looking to get or had added to my wish list and that would basically be the end of it. 

So now I have about 50 blog posts over on blogger that are just sitting in my drafts. Once I started blogging here I moved this blog over there and just unpublished everything I previously had. (I also ended up posting things here that I used to have posts of so that I could save them somewhere and share them at the same time). So I decided to update those posts and share them here. Maybe they will be useful, maybe not. 

So you can look forward to seeing more about other things also, hopefully. Most of the old posts I had were crochet related, but some of them weren't. Some, like I said were about shopping and just stuff like that. So I am going to go through my drafts and my website and see which would be nice to share and hopefully I can squeeze some of them in! 

HelloFresh Subscription Box Week 3

I stuck with HelloFresh for a while and even now we are about to wrap up our subscription. It was a good run but there are some kinks in their program that I think will become apparent as I continue to blog about my experiences. One thing I have to say, they would always send little "goodies" in the boxes. I can't remember which exact ones came on which exact week but they sent me little shampoo and conditioner testers, they sent me 20% off coupons for Roots, and recently they sent a Spicy Mayo Aioli sample and a coupon for that company also.  

This week, I choose a couple of meals based on what the Picky Eater of the house would like. First, we have, Montreal-Spiced Bacon-Wrapped Steak with Garlic Beans and Creamy Mash; next, we have Mexican Pork Tacos with Sweet Corn and Lime Crema; and finally, Oven-Baked Chicken with Creamy Potato Salad and Baby Kale. This week I found one of my favourite products and I also realized something very important about HelloFresh. 

HelloFresh Sub Box - Mongolian Beef with Garlicky Vegetables (3/3)

This was our last meal of this week. I have to admit I wouldn't have picked this myself but it was pretty good. I just didn't add what I knew I didn't like (the ginger mostly and the spicy pepper). I do like that most of their recipes can be modified to what fits you best. If this weren't the case, the Picky Eater I live with would never eat these things. I made this recipe on November 15th, 2019.

Alright, I am going to start by saying this rice thing is B.S. I don't think I made this rice correctly either. It was also a little chewy, and the instructions for this were not the most accurate. Also, there was not even close to enough rice in this bag. My Picky Eater (PE) wasn't eating this meal, and that's probably a good thing because there would have never been enough rice for both of us. To be honest with you, even in their photos on your website, it doesn't look like much rice. I am not sure if that is by design or just an oversight. In both their own picture and mine (below) you can see that there is barely enough rice to cover even the bottom of the saucepan, but when you look at the photos of the finished meal on their website you can see a lot of rice.

Overall, it was okay. I didn't put the Ginger in so I can't really comment on taste or what it was supposed to taste like. I can tell you though that I added Soya Sauce, like a lot of it. The rice was bland and I have a feeling even with the Ginger it probably still would have been bland. Chicken or Beef broth to boil it in would have been nice and probably gave the dish more flavour.

HelloFresh Sub Box - Italian Sausage Tortilla Involtini with Spinach Salad

This one was an interesting one. The description was a balance of sweet, savoury and creamy chessiness. This kind of reminded me of a Mexican Italian Fusion type thing. It seemed like a Mexican Lasagna or something like that. It was a little confusing I must admit but it was good. I didn't find the need for the salad. It was great also but it didn't "mix" with the meal so, it was a little out of place. I made this recipe on November 14th, 2019. 

The first step was to basically make tacos. I cooked the meat (it was Italian Sausage but any ground meat would do). And of course I added the vegetables after. Once all that was cooked though it kind of turned into Spaghetti Sauce. I added the spices and the Crushed Tomatoes and all that stuff and heated it up together. Once everything was warmed and cooked I had to stuff it into Tortillas. This was kind of messy and awkward. This is the first thing I would have changed. Either I would have made the Tortillas with the meat and vegetable mixture, rolled them and than made the sauce after, or I would have toasted this in the over and melted cheese over it before rolling them up. (You can also add the cheese to the plain tacos too.)  It was basically a lasagna after this. 

The salad was pretty underwhelming too. It was just Spinach and Peppers, I added Mushrooms I already had and some Croutons I made. It was alright, the Vinaigrette was basic (Vinegar, Oil and Sugar), and I really wasn't a fan of that. I would have rathered there be no Salad at all.

HelloFresh Sub Box - Chicken Power Bowl with Seeds and Lemon Dressing (1/3)

Right off the bat, I have to say that I didn't and couldn't follow this recipe exactly. In the photo, the recipe uses Grape Tomatoes (you can tell by the length of them and that they look like Grapes). But in the ingredients, it says Cherry Tomatoes. It was, in fact, Cherry Tomatoes, which I am allergic to so I couldn't use them. Also, I don't like Cilantro (If you're interested in learning why some people love Cilantro and why some people find it tastes like soap, Forbes did an article about it here).  I will also state that I don't know how to cook Basmati Rice and it didn't work out the way it was supposed to I don't think. It was still a little crunchy (even though I followed the recipe). I made this recipe on November 12th, 2019. 

It was pretty good, I actually liked it. It was basically pan-fried chicken finished in the oven. And it was a makeshift stir-fry on a bed of rice. It was very easy to make and it made me think of Greek food. I personally added some leftover Capers to it, and I would have added Black Olives. In the same mindset, I would have probably changed the Cilantro for Oregano. 

One thing I didn't really enjoy was the "Lemon Dressing" it was basically Lemon Juice, Oil and Sugar (which I didn't add because I am not a fan of just adding plain sugar). I would have probably Pan-Fried Chicken Thighs (boneless with the skin on) and then made the sauce in the pan. I think this would have given more of a mustard flavour to the "Dressing" and it wouldn't have been so bland (a little butter would help too). 

HelloFresh - Subscription Box (Week 2)

I am not really sure why I decided to continue my subscription with HelloFresh after the first week. I think it was just convenient more than anything. We were planning on picking a subscription box for the long term but besides that, nothing really sold it for us. This week, we learned that making your meal choices on the app, doesn't always go as smoothly as on the website. We had picked the dishes we wanted and it wasn't until we went back and looked (when it was too late to change things) did we realize our changes hadn't been saved. (Every week HelloFresh picks meals for you. You have to go in and change your choices if you want something else.)

This week the ones that HelloFresh picked were Sausage Tortilla Involtini with Spinach Salad (I had planned on picking this one myself), Saucy Mongolian Beef with garlicky Vegetables (I wouldn't have picked this for myself, mostly because it sounds like it could be spicy or use Ginger which I am not a huge fan of), and Chicken Power Bowl with Seeds and Lemon Dressing (I wouldn't have picked this just because of the price and because my Picky Eater wouldn't eat this but I think I will like this one at least). I really didn't think my housemate/Picky Eater would eat any of these, which is one of the downfalls to it but at least I did so they weren't wasted. 

HelloFresh Subscription Box - Italian Steak Strips (3/3)

have to say that even though this recipe didn't impress me, I did learn a lot from it which is one of the great benefits of having this box. I can say flat out that this is just a fancy Caesar Salad (in my opinion). It was very simple even though it said it would take 30 minutes. The taste was questionable a little but it has great potential and that's good. I made this recipe on November 9th, 2019. My Picky Eater did not eat this one, so the photo you see is what two servings would have been (a little small on the portions here, I think if we would have both ate, we probably would have needed another side or something). 

Surprisingly enough, step one was to make the croutons. This was simple enough and as you can imagine it was just toasting bread in the oven. (I really loved this, I like that they didn't just send pre-made croutons from a bag or something.) Cooking the steak was actually one of the last steps in this recipe. They said that the steak strips would take about 6 minutes to cook. This depends on how you like your steak done of course, but I always take their times with a grain of salt. Cook depends on your taste and it also depends on your kitchen, so you have to use some common sense at times.  

I had the complete opposite thought about the salad dressing. They seemed to deconstruct standard Caesar Salad Dressing and try and make you reconstruct it in a lighter version. It tasted awful. I would have preferred if they had just sent a pre-made Dressing instead. This also is one of the reasons I don't like that they just send bulbs of garlic. Without blending the dressing, all you have are chunks of garlic, no matter how small you grate them. 

Overall, it was okay. It wasn't anything spectacular. I will say it is a different idea, adding steak to a salad but, I would have probably stuck with chicken. One of the great things to take away from this was the croutons though. Once you made them yourself, you'll never buy them from the store again. 

HelloFresh Subscription Box - Tomato Garlic Beef Spaghetti (2/3)

I still have high hopes for these subscription boxes and this recipe should be a slam dunk. Tomato Garlic Beef Spaghetti with Sweet Peppers and Zucchini. It sounds great and the photo looks great too. I made this recipe on November 8th, 2019. I was alone for this one so the photos are of two servings (my picky eater wouldn't have been able to eat this anyway). It wasn't much more work than normal spaghetti would have been and it was actually pretty good.

It doesn't take Gordon Ramsey to figure out the basic steps of this, chop vegetables, cook meat, boil water, cook pasta. It was pretty straight forward and there really wasn't anything to mess up. I liked that it only too a pot and a pan that was a nice change from all the bowls some of the recipes call for. I understand why there were only a few vegetables in this recipe, but I would add more if I had them on hand. Personally, I think mushrooms would have been a nice addition. I also think it needed more flavour. They send something called Tomato Passata which is basically just crushed tomatoes. And that has little to no flavour beyond Tomato. They also sent soy sauce, I am assuming to add flavour but it really didn't. They also sent Italian seasoning but in my opinion, that wasn't enough (Red Chili Pepper Flakes may have been a nice addition also.) 

Overall, it was delicious, I love that they sent a lot of Parmesan cheese so you could top yours off with however much you want. I think some of the changes I would make would be; more garlic. Garlic in the meat and with the veggies would have been nice. I think Zucchini pasta instead of spaghetti would have really changed this recipe to a step above. The flavours went well but it was very chunky and awkward and it would be nice to keep the flavour but have it come together better (you could always chop things smaller but keep in mind the zucchini will cook much quicker this way).

HelloFresh Subscription Box - Crispy Chicken Parmigiana (1/3)

I was excited about this one. My experience with GoodFood was good and I was expecting this one to be the same. I had never tried Chicken Parm (making or eating), and it was kind of an adventure for me. Of course, I have been to restaurants that make it, it was just one of those things I wasn't sure I would like so I never wanted to waste money trying it at a restaurant. Also, it is kind of embarrassing when you don't like something at a restaurant, they tend to take it personally. Now that I tried it, I think I have a few changes that would make the recipe better, it wasn't bad but I think the instructions could have been a bit better. I made this recipe on November 5th, 2019. 

I am going to start by saying, I don't normally complain when a subscription box sens me such large Chicken Breast. To be honest, I thought the portion sizes would be small. But these Chicken Breasts were HUGE! When I think of Chicken Parm (from what I have seen on cooking shows or at restaurants), I think of a flattened out Chicken Breast, whether it be banged out to be flat or just butterflied that way. I think that would have helped here. (Even if you don't want to do that, just cutting the Breast up into strips probably would work better also, in my opinion.) Something else that I think would help this Chicken along would be some spices. The instructions said to simply bread it like you normally would (mayo and panko) and that's a little bland. Some Italian Seasoning would be nice also adding the cheese now would be a nice touch (not too much just to add to the breadcrumbs - keeping in mind you want breadcrumbs with cheese not cheese with breadcrumbs). 

Once the Breast is prepared you want to pan-fry it until it is golden brown. They looked delicious when they came out of the pan. I almost didn't want to put the sauce on it. And I should have listened to my instincts. The next instruction was to cover in sauce and top with cheese. Unfortunately, this made the chicken and the breading just really soggy and it wasn't the greatest. Again, I think just baking the cheese on after pan-frying it would be a nice alternative. And then serving it either on top of the sauce or on top of a bed of sauced pasta would be a world of difference. 

The salad also was not the greatest. It did have Italian Seasoning for the vegetables, which probably would have been better used elsewhere. The salad didn't really go well with the Chicken. To be honest, I didn't really want to put them on the same plate because I didn't want them to mix. I also didn't enjoy that the vegetables were warm and the spinach was room temperature. It just didn't feel like it worked together. The salad dressing was okay. It called for sugar (which you have to have on hand - and I didn't), and I wasn't a real fan of that. I think Honey would have been a nice alternative to sugar and probably healthier too. And it would have worked with this salad (not the Chicken, but in my opinion this salad didn't work with the Chicken anyways).

I am going to retry this recipe one day with the changes I made. So stay tuned for that and see if I can make it better than the original!

HelloFresh Subscription Box

So that is it for our GoodFood Subscription. I really enjoyed it and it gave me some great inspiration for recipes I hope to share with you in the future! Once that was done, we waited a little while to try this new sub box. (Spoiler alert, we kept it for a while.) HelloFresh is close to the same concept as GoodFood. When you first join they send you some papers and a cute little booklet telling you about themselves and their goal (this booklet also includes a list of things they expect you to have at home). One thing I do encourage you to pay attention to is the wording. I assumed that like GoodFood they were sticking with Canadian products and Canadian farms for their meals and that isn't the case. They strive to bring you the freshest food they can, while GoodFood made it clear they are dedicated to staying locally grown. That's the only real major difference I found. They both go delivered on a Monday, they were close to the same price. And the concept was the same, they give you the ingredients and the recipe and instructions. 

They also claim that their food is will stay fresh for up to a week (Monday to Sunday), and that any food they figure would not last that long would come with a warning either on the bag or recipe. That's good to know. I still to date haven't ordered any type of seafood but that is one of the examples mentioned. With GoodFood that wasn't really a problem because they froze their fish right away to "maximize" its freshness.

So this week is going to be three HelloFresh meals reviewed. I made these back in October so they aren't the meals you can get from HelloFresh currently; however, I did notice that a lot of recipes ideas are recycled or reused so something similar may be available. Either way, I am going to link the recipe when I can. 

GoodFood Subscription Box - Mediterranean Shrimp and Orzo (3/3)

I was alone for this meal also. Which is a good thing because my Picky Eater (PE) doesn't eat seafood and would not have eaten any of this meal. I picked this recipe because I love Greek Salads and the recipe had all the components of that. I also enjoy seafood so I figured they would pair well. The description on the front of the card said:  Is there anything better than a Mediterranean-inspired recipe to celebrate the last of the warm weather? This recipe will do just that! Light orzo, savoury shrimp, fresh tomatoes and a generous sprinkle of feta cheese come together beautifully on tonight’s plate. Perfectly balanced in both flavour and nutrition, this is the perfect quick to make weeknight meals (GoodFood Recipe - Mediterranean Shrimp & Orzo). I made this on September 28th, 2019. You can find the recipe here.

This meal was a little harder for me to get behind. Naturally, the Orzo had to be cooked first; as the water was boil I was told to take care of the "Mise en place". This was chopping up stuff, picking the mint and stuff like that. It also told me to pat the shrimp dry and get ready to season them. Thankfully before that, I noticed they weren't deveined properly. So I had to take a knife to them and devein them myself. Again this recipe called for a shit ton of bowls. I decided to just leave everything on the cutting board or to prepared them as I went. The recipe called for a large pan and a medium pot, but I think you could get away with just a large pot and make this into a dump meal. The instructions were very simple. You just had to cook off the seasoned shrimp and remove them. Cook off the vegetables and then bump everything back into the pan. Once everything was mixed well you plated and topped with the remaining ingredients and garnished.


I wasn't a huge fan of this one. I loved the concept but I don't think it worked out as well as it should have. I think for one thing the wrong herbs were used and that was a big turn off. I think this would have either been better cold and without the shrimp or warm with a different sauce and some different ingredients. I understand the tomatoes were supposed to be a type of natural sauce, but it didn't really work that way.


The Opinion:
It wasn't bad, I still ate it and it was good. But I think it could have been better. I didn't really like that mint was given in this recipe, I think oregano is more Greek and would have gone better with the dish. I did like that they gave a list of what was in the seasoning so that you could figure out for yourself if you wanted to add it to the shrimp and if you would enjoy it. I do think more seasoning should have been given and may be added to the orzo after it was cooked with a little oil or something. I also didn't like the Feta they sent. It was cut in cubes already and it melted with the hot Orzo. I would have prefered a block of cheese that I could have crumbled over it.

GoodFood Box - Sausage & Maitake Mushroom Orecchiette (2/3)

This is meal two of our three meal package with GoodFood. This one is vegetarian so that's pretty awesome. I / We are not vegetarian in my house but I do enjoy taking a break from meat sometimes. This one I ate alone because my Picky Eater (PE), can't eat regular pasta and he has a busy night out of town. I made this recipe on September 27th, 2019. 

The description on the paper said: With all due apology to King Oyster, maitake may just be the monarch of the mushroom family. Also known as hen-of-the-woods, these beautiful mushrooms look like intricate folds of forest coral. They’re native to Japan and China, though they’re also commonly grown here in the early autumn. They’re rich and earthy in flavour and are valued for their medicinal properties. But tonight, you’ll be using them in your dinner. Their robust flavour means they pair beautifully with savoury crumbled sausage meat nestled in the divots of ear-shaped orecchiette. Top your rustic pasta dish with crumbled garlic pangritata - that’s garlic, butter, and panko breadcrumbs - and parsley for freshness. Throw together a baby arugula and sunset-hued multicoloured carrot salad on the side to complete this elegant meal (GoodFood Recipe - Sausage & Maitake Mushroom Orecchiette). 

This one did have a little more prep than the first recipe. It asked me to do all the chopping once I had a pot of water boiling for the pasta. While the pasta was boiling I had time to chop the vegetables and the herbs. One thing I dislike about all of these boxes is they give you instructions that no average home chef would reasonably be able to do. Especially when it comes to garlic I have noticed. Maybe it is just me, but I have a really hard time, mincing garlic, or dicing garlic. I can ever get it small enough (and I don't have a garlic press, even though the recipes don't call for that). I also dislike how many bowls you need and pots and pans. This recipe needed six bowls, a strainer, a medium pot, a medium pain, and a large pan. That seems like a lot of dishes for something that is supposed to make your life easier. To save on dishes I reused one of the pans I had already used. It was only used to toasted breadcrumbs so, no big deal there. I also ended up cooking the mushroom and the sausage together. I mean, I hate to mix foods, but it was going to be mixed in the end anyways so, I didn't see a problem with it. 

Today, I learned my lesson about following the instructions carefully and making sure you know everything the kit included. After everything was cooked I was supposed to add demi-glace and cream to the pan and I just added the cream. I was mixing and mixing wondering why on earth it wasn't thickening up until I saw the unopened package on the counter! Once I added that everything was good to go. 

 

It was delicious, there is no denying that. It also came with a side salad that I wasn't a fan of. The vinaigrette was not that great. It was basically oil and vinegar this time. And the salad was just Arugula and Carrots (the instructions also called for a peeler for the carrots, I just washed them and chopped them). 

The Opinion:

The dish tasted amazing. But the process was not that great. I understand that they make the recipe so that you can understand it and so the steps don't become overwhelming. But it uses up a lot of dishes. I also wasn't a fan of mincing the garlic. I couldn't do that well enough and there were large chunks of it throughout the dish. Also, I wasn't a fan of the salad, not only was it just arugula and carrots but the vinaigrette wasn't the best. I think the salad was an afterthought. Unlike the first recipe, it didn't go with the pasta and it is even pictured on the side in their recipe. That seems to me, that they really don't go together. I think they tried to make them compatible by making you add arugula to the top of the pasta dish and I really don't think that was needed. The arugula got soggy and didn't add anything to the dish. 

GoodFood Box - Chicken Schnitzel with Radish Salad (1/3)

Spoiler alert: before I even start this I must say I FORGOT to take a photo of the end product. But I did take notes so hopefully, that is good enough. I do have photos of the other meals I have made so this is just a one-time thing. (Also, I messaged Good Food for their permission to share a photo. They haven't gotten back to me, if they do I will update this post.) You can click on the word recipe to be taken directly to the GoodFood recipe.

I made this recipe on Wednesday, September 25th, 2019. Wednesdays are pretty busy for us so we kept one of the boxes for this day. We ordered three a week and my Picky Eater (PE) doesn't eat the other two (which is fine because he is going out for dinner two nights, so it will just be me). This is the only one he would enjoy, so we made it on a somewhat busy night. I thought there would be a lot of prep work with this. The bag was heavy and obviously had a lot of stuff in it, so I went to start doing that early.

And I was pretty shocked when there was no prep work at all.  Step one was to cook the Bulgur. My first reaction was, what in the world is Bulgur. I had never heard of it before and to be honest with you my best guess what it was a type of rice or grain. (I looked it up on Wikipedia before I cooked it to make sure I knew what I was eating - Bulgur.) It also seemed to have the flavour of rice because I was instructed to season it with a mixture they pre-made and scent. 

As the Bulgur cooked, the instructions told me to start preparing the chicken. This was just the basics of breading chicken. It was mayo on the chicken and then coated in season breadcrumbs (the same seasoning they gave for the Bulgur). Here is where I have a little hard time with some of these recipes. The recipe said to cook for 3 to 4 minutes on both sides (for a total of 6 to 8). To me that's not enough for chicken, it could be my oven but I don't find it cooks enough in that time period. So I just eyeballed it really. You will see the chicken turn white under the breadcrumb and you will notice the breadcrumb coating start to brown. You want to cook it on a low enough heat so you don't burn anything but high enough so that the middle cooks.

Once the chicken was cooked they told me to make the salad dressing. They had taken all the work out of making a salad. They sent me a package of mixed greens and a package of pre-sliced radishes. The salad dressing was really simple to make and it was really good actually. It was beyond what I expected (and I can say I haven't had a salad dressing - from these boxes - I have liked as much as this one). 

The Opinion:

Overall, everything was delicious I was very pleased with it. I think a lot of thought was put into what would go well together. The salad dressing actually got drizzled over the salad and they encourage to add it over the Bulgur also. I don't really enjoy my food mixing for the most part so I didn't do that at first. But as I ate I was reminded of another dish that I mix a salad with my rice and I enjoy it better that way. By the end, I was mixing everything together. I really like that because sometimes the sides seem to be an afterthought so it was nice that they went well together.

I also loved that they let me make my own salad dressing and didn't send a pre-made one. I loved also that everything came in the box (except oil) and they didn't really ask me for anything else from my kitchen. I also liked that they sent honey instead of asking me to add my own sugar (the more boxes I got that seemed to be a common thing, and I wasn't really sure why).

I also loved that it was easy to do. I didn't have to be Gordon Ramsey to make this dish and that's great. It was also simple but delicious. Which some of these boxes get way too fancy and it just takes away from the experience. 

One of the only real cons I have is that my PE only ate the chicken, but that's more his fault than the boxes fault. You do have to keep that in mind. You know your family the best so make sure you read what goes into each recipe before picking it. Your family may not like everything in it like mine doesn't. Of course, you do it all yourself so you can control what goes into it and what doesn't. That's a good thing for sure. 

If you want to try the Goodfood Subscription Box, they offer new members 40% off or 3 Free Meals. 

Making Products

Making products for any business is hard. A lot of planning has to go into them and then a lot of work and sometimes it doesn't end there. When I create graphs for knitting or crocheting, I have to think of what I want and plan it out. Then I have to create it and make sure it looks good. Once that is done I have to either crochet it myself or test someone to test it out. The same goes for most things I made here for Creative Arts. With recipes, I have to think of them, make them and test them. And I like to make it for a lot of people to get a sense of what I should change or what other people think before publishing it.

With bath and body, things are a little different. Along with all this, you have to test it yourself, and only once you are sure it is safe and a quality product can you even think about selling it. You also have to register with the government to be able to sell these items and you have to fill out forms about what is included in the products. Then you have to worry about the packaging. In Canada, and in other countries, you need to label your products according to Government standards. For us in Canada, we have to list all the ingredients by the percentage of the amount that is in the product (including scents and colorants when applicable). We also have to write what the product is in both French and English. This can all be a challenge and a lot of work.

One of the biggest challenges though when starting a business is, of course, money. It is natural to want to make everything in all kinds of shapes and scents and colours. But that isn't practical. My goal is to make products. To get recipes that I can count on and that people love. Once I have the recipes I can make them in any scent, colour, shape, size I want. A savior to small businesses is pre-orders. Once you have recipes you can count on the world is your oyster. And you can offer all the scents you can get your hands on. The great thing about pre-order is that you can make your products to order. That way you know you aren't wasting money or product for nothing and you know it will sell. Once you establish a demand than you can focus on making everything under the sun!!

Another great tip is to make what you love. Especially at the beginning of your business. Make things you are going to us, make scents you enjoy. Chances are you are going to have to use or keep some of your products and that's okay. And it is also a comfort at times. Make whatever you want and be comforted by the thought that even if you don't sell it at least you love it, at least you will get use out of it. You may get stuck with 50 lip balms, but at least you will love them and use them up and that really isn't a waste. Also, Dollar Stores are your friends. You don't need expensive containers or bags, just get them at the Dollar Store to start (you may want to get something to seal jars for a more professional look). Even ingredients can be bought at the Dollar Store (Sugar, Salt, Coffee grinds, things that won't affect the quality of your product).

So here is a sneak peek of all the products I am testing at the moment! You can look forward to seeing Sugar and Salt Scrubs (tester size, small, medium and larger), Perfume (small and large in the tin or in a stick), Lotion and Massage Bars, Wax Melts and Candles! Feel free to message us about pre-ordering these products and to find out what scents we have available!

Subscription Boxes (Food)

One of the changes I made to my life last year was adding a food subscription box to my life. These things are becoming very popular and there is one for almost any and everything now. The ones I tried were specifically food-related. I plan on writing a few blogs of my experiences with certain companies and just my journey with these products as it goes along. They have many pros and cons to them and I hope to point those out and help someone make a more informed choice. 

The whole point of these boxes is to make supper easier. You order what you want (you can order for 2 or 4 people and for 2, 3 or 4 meals a week), and everything is sent to you. This means you will only need a few basic things (like oil, butter, sugar) things that the company considers everyday items. They send you everything else including the meat and produce. The first box I tried was from a company called Good Food. One of the nice things about Goodfood is that they state all their packaging can be recycled. They also send you that information in the welcome package. It tells you how to recycle everything and make sure not to cause waste. They have a system that makes sure your food stays fresh and the food is supposed to stay fresh for up to a week. (Most boxes are similar.)

One thing I enjoyed about Good Food is they break down their recipes. You have categories like Classic Meals, Easy Prep Meals, Low Carb Meals, Vegetarian Meals and Family-Style Meals. This makes it easier to focus on meals that are suited for you. I also like that you can view their meals without signing up. So you can get a general idea of what they offer and you can subscribe or wait based on what you see. (They have also branched off to Breakfast plans also!)

My first order came on a Monday (September 23rd - to be exact, so don't expect these same meals). I live with a Picky Eater (PE) and he also has food restrictions, I also have food restrictions (lactose intolerance), so it was interesting to see what things they offered and if they would suit us or not. I am open to most things and cook so I didn't have as hard of a time buying things that I would enjoy but my PE did. 

We did this on a trial base for that reason (and because we had a discount code) so really even if my PE didn't eat some of the meals, we were still not losing out on much. I ordered Greek Shrimp and Orzo Salad, Sausage & Maitake Mushroom Orecchiette and Chicken Schnitzel with Radish Salad. Out of these three, my PE only ate one of the dinners (the Chicken), but it worked out okay for us because of our schedules. This post is just an introduction to what I will be writing about and showcasing and why (blogs about the meals and my thoughts will come). 

Happy New Year

Happy New Years to all! This post is a little late compared to what we used to post our blogs at but this is a special announcement!! 

​​SMLXL

 

As some of you may know, Creative Arts was started by just one person, me, Amy. You will notice my name almost everywhere I am A. L. Keegan, I am Amyl Creations, I am 15 Designs, I write the recipes for Master of the Kitchen, I create the puzzles for Puzzle Time Games, Creative Photography and for the most part I wrote (and will write) all the blog posts! This year I am also adding Bath and Body products to my company/website under the product line name: A - Z Soaps and I hope to add Event Baskets also where you can create your own basket filled with all the goodies I have to offer. 

As you can imagine all of that is hard work for just one person. And that is why I took a break from writing these blogs. Blogs took up a large part of my life and I would write them a mouth ahead of time just to make sure everything went out on time. It was exhausting. I started this website and blog with good intentions. I have always been creative and I know a lot of people that are also. I thought it would be a great (and cheap) way to show the world my work and my friends' talents. Ultimately, that backfired. Some of my so called friends, were lying to me about their talent and my company had a rocky start. It was a set back and a huge blow to say the least. (I won't name names but we had a huge problem when trying to share content on other websites like Deviant Art.) Now I am happy to say that I have a small group of friends that I trust on here sharing their work. 

Hugh Chandler is an amazing musician. He has a Master of Music in Guitar Performance from the University of South Carolina and he completed a Doctorate in Music Composition at the University of Texas! He composes music for short films, for videos, and for plays all around the United States and has had his music preformed in not only the U.S but Mexico and Sweden as well. He is truly a great friend of mine, and He has so kindly named a few of his songs after me, and my ideas. He is a great inspiration to me and my writing process. He has even made a song for some of the characters in my books! (Which I hope to be able to share with you this year). 

​​SMLXL

 

 

Keysar Trad is a friend of mine also and he has a beautiful collection of poetry and art. He is also a passionate religious figure in his community and has a love or art and words. He has a few religious publications but he also has a wonderful Poetry book titled the Forays of the Heart. He also is a wonderful artist and enjoys doodling in his spare time (you can find these works on our website or our Deviant Art page). And if you enjoy both Art and Poetry, Keysar offers both in the form of Greeting Cards. 

​​SLXLM

 

Now for me. I am just a small town girl that grew up trying all kinds of different art forms. I loved writing in school and wrote short stories often in class and just loved it. I started writing my first novel when I was in the sixth grade. It was really a great way to help me deal with my Anxiety that would ultimately play a huge part in my life. In fact Anxiety is the reason I started this business in the first place. Anxiety is hard to navigate and it doesn't have a schedule. It makes working a traditional job almost impossible for me. So this website was my chance at having a normal job and trying to be successful and make money. That is why I started this and try to make it the best it can be, not only for me but to help better my life, my friend's lives and maybe even my family's lives also. 

​​SMLXL

 

I thank you all so much for taking the time to read this. And I hope you enjoy my new ideas for blog posts. I really don't know if I will post regularly like I used to or what posts I will have going. But some is better than none and I plan to do what I can when I can and still find a balance in my day to day life. So check back often here and on our other social media's to make sure you don't miss a thing!

You can find us on: 

Facebook: Page, or Group :

15 Designs

Amyl Creations

Master of the Kitchen

Creative Photography

Instagram

Twitter

Deviant Art

Ravelry: You can find downloadable crochet or knitting patterns here. 

GuruShots: You can find my photos without the watermarks there. You can also purchase directly from there.

Email: Creative-arts@outlook.com

Blogger

Twitch (We share artist we enjoy - we do not stream yet):