Mystery Theme Challenge #5 (Part 1)

 Part 1?! What does this mean?! Well, it means that we liked this theme so much that we decided to break it into two. This theme isn't exactly a country but it is a region and it is so vast that there are so many different takes on it. For the next (and final) challenges, the Mystery Theme is The Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean is huge, and it has coastlines on two continents so each region has their own specific flavours and things they enjoy. This week we are exploring the European side of the Mediterranean. And this can be any country that is along the coast there. The Challenge is simple, make a meal inspired by a Mediterranean County.

To help inspire you, today we are sharing a Greek Spice Blend, this works great on vegetables or chicken!

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Mint

1/2 tsp Basil

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

Freebie Friday - Homemade Apple Sauce

 Applesauce is like most things, it is always better when it is homemade. And when making anything it always changes based on personal preference. Today we are going to share with you the basics of making Applesauce and a few additions or alternatives that can help you find the exact applesauce for you!

To start you want a bunch of apples, it doesn't matter what kind, we recommend soft apples that may be passed their prime. This is a great recipe for the fall or winter months when apple season is ending. You can also can applesauce so it will last longer.

We made a large batch of applesauce but you can always make smaller batches to your needs. So first you want to peel the apples, core them, and cut them up into small chunks (we did four cups about, you can do two cups to half the recipe). Once they were all chopped up and in the pot, we added 2 cups of water and 3 cups of white sugar (for two cups of apples you can add 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 cup of sugar).

Review Wednesday - HelloFresh - Week 34

This week we are reviewing five more dishes (well technically four). This week we got BBQ Beef Meatballs, Lemon Turkey Scallopine, Fajita Style Chicken Bowl, Zucchini and Lemon Linguine and Steak and Shrimp Special!

First we had the Steak with Montreal Spiced Shrimp with Grilled Zucchini and Heirloom Tomatoes. This was a Long Weekend Grilling Special, but we did it in the house. It was very good. I am the only person that eats shrimp in my family so below is a photo of two portions of shrimp. They sent quite a lot of shrimp but I had to clean them myself they didn't clean them properly so keep an eye out for that. Also the grilled Zucchini and Tomatoes was a salad, as you can see there wasn't much lettuce for it though!

Next, we had the Fajita-Stle Chicken Bowl with Basmati Rice and Lime Crema. This one is very versital. If any of the toppings you don't like you simply don't have to add them. At the end of the day it is basically rice and vegetables like a stir-fry. It just had things that could be added like Tomatoes, and Sour Cream on top.

The next meal was going to be the Lemon Turkey Scallopine with Mushroom Caper Linguine, but the Turkey was rotten. Instead I made the Zucchini and Lemon Longuine with Peas and Pesto. That was okay. There wasn't much flavour (which could have been my fault for adding too much water. But It was not too bad, just need more flavour like maybe some Lemon Pepper.

And finally, when I went to make the BBQ Beef Meatballs with Smashed Potatoes and Garlicky Green Beans, the meat was rotten also. So instead I made meatballs the way I normally make them which is with gravy and canned potatoes. I had planned on making them both ways so thankfully I had extra meat but had to stick to the one I knew everyone would eat.