Tri-Colored Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Pizza with Tomato and Spinach Salad (2/3)

This recipe and the next I made on the same day. I found that these Pizzas for three people were not filling enough (my Mother and the Picky Eater I live with do not like spinach so they didn't have any of the salad). For me, it was filling because I had both components. I don't know if as a meat eater this would have been filling as a supper. Like it would fill you but you would probably be hungry quicker. 

The pizza was interesting. The first step was dehydrating the tomatoes. That was pretty easy to do and something told me I should try these things out first. They were AWFUL! Now I say this because I hate raisins which is what these tomatoes reminded me of. They had just that taste. My mother is not a huge fan of tomatoes but she tried these and agreed they tasted like raisins and she liked them. Needless to say, those did not go on my pizza! Instead, I used some of the tomatoes they sent for the salad. 

The salad that went with this was just basic. They had me add the (rest of the) tomatoes and spinach to a bowl and toss with balsamic vinegar and oil. I also added some Feta to this because I didn't use all of it on the pizza and because I like Greek Salads, which is what this one had me thinking of. That being said, some black olives would have been nice. This salad just gives you the sense that it was an afterthought. Throw some balsamic vinegar in boom quick salad and they didn't have to spend any more money to make the box. 

It was all very good don't get me wrong, just the salad felt like an afterthought. It just seemed like a good way to get rid of the leftovers without adding any cost to the bottom line. Like I said even just a few black olives would have made me feel better about this salad. 

This was for lunch one day. That night I made Steak Spiced Burgers and Disco Fries (from HelloFresh). You can check that blog post out next.

HelloFresh Sub Box - Lemon Chicken and Goat Cheese [Salad] with Crisp Pear, Arugula and Citrus Vinaigrette (1/3)

Alright, take two. I already spent ten minutes writing this blog post and then I went to copy it for Blogger and accidentally pasted the link for the recipe and like that all my work was gone. This week we were still home for the holidays so my Mom was trying these recipes with us. My Mom is a picky eater herself and she didn't think she was going to like this. I didn't even think I would like all of this, I don't like pears at all. But we both LOVED this dish. I think it may be the best thing I have ever made from HelloFresh. So we had this salad tonight, and it was AMAZING. The Picky Eater I live with doesn't eat salad or anything that was in this one so all he had was chicken.

The only thing I changed for this recipe was the chicken. PE likes his chicken breaded so that is usually how we made it. It really isn't that much work, we simply season Italian breadcrumbs with salt and pepper and bread the chicken like that (you can also choose to coat the chicken in mayo before the breadcrumbs). It was very good, and the pears were much better than I expected. The only problem I had was that again, they asked for Sugar instead of sending Honey. I know Honey would work perfectly with this recipe because the had me make the same dressing with Honey beforehand. I don't usually add Sugar (mainly because we don't usually keep it in the house), but since I was home, we had Sugar and I did add it. I have to say this recipe is probably one that you do want the sweetness (unless you have your own Honey to substitute). The salty and sweet play well together and you wouldn't want to miss out on that.

Other changes I would make are just personal ones. The Goat Cheese was like a dollop of Sour Cream, except it was a little tart. I think if I was making it myself I would substitute that with Feta. Feta is a little saltier and I think it would pair well with the sweet and nuttiness. Also even though I enjoyed the warm pear, I would have probably gone with an apple instead.

HelloFresh Subscription Box - Week 9

For this week we were still at home for the holidays. So I picked meals that I thought our whole family would enjoy. This also gave me a little more drive to pick something everyone else would like. Usually, when it is just me and the Picky Eater (PE) I live with, as long as there is a protein he will eat we don't worry too much about the sides. This week my Mom also tried the meals so that was fun. We both got to try some new things and step a little out of our comfort zone. This week we had Lemon Chicken and Goat Cheese Salad with Crisp Pear, Arugula and Citrus Vinaigrette, Tricoloured Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Pizza with Spinach and Tomato Salad, and Steak Spiced Burgers with Disco Fries. 

This week the box came in better condition than last week. So hopefully that is a good sign. It was an interesting week. I think for the most part everyone enjoyed it, even though we had to make a few adjustments. Again we had rotten meat this week so that's not good. It is really starting to become a theme and I don't like it. Last week and this week's box was almost free so it is hard to complain but there really is no excuse for rotten meat. We have been thinking about canceling for a while now, this might be the last straw, we shall see. 

HelloFresh - Sub Box - Gnocchi Bolognese (3/3)

I am going to start by saying I have never had Gnocchi in my life, and neither has anyone in my family. Gnocchi is a type of pasta but it has the consistency of a dough-like a dumpling of sorts. They are typically made using potatoes along with flour, eggs, cornmeal, and other ingredients. The Picky Eater (PE) I live with can not eat potatoes or pasta so he skilled this one, but my Mom and I tried it. (We tried this recipe on December 28th, 2019.) 

It was interesting. I found the Gnocchi a little plain. Maybe I didn't season it aggressively enough but I added salt to the water they boiled in. I also think the sauce they had me make was not great and it overpowered the Gnocchi. I think an oil-based sauce would be better, like a pesto. Also, what they call sauce is just crushed Tomatoes, Beef Broth and Worcestershire sauce. 

I saved the Red Pepper Flakes from the Pizza bag and added them to this sauce but even that didn't give enough flavour. I am not sure why they thought Pizza needed the spice and the pasta sauce didn't. But this isn't the first time I find their pasta sauce has no flavour at all. 

HelloFresh Sub Box - Fresh Mozzarella Margherita Pizza with Charred Corn and Shallots (2/3)

This was an interesting recipe. I have never had a Pizza with these toppings before. But it is a smart recipe that is for sure. Naturally, I loved the idea because I have a similar recipe that I usually make (Na'an Pizzas) There was no meat on this pizza, which didn't sit well with my family, but that's fine. My family added Pepperoni to theirs and just had a plain pizza. Again, another great recipe that is completely customizable to your family. 

I must say I was suspicious of this combination on a pizza but it was actually pretty good! And the Na'an made it filling too. The salad didn't add much though. It really didn't go with pizza and it was kind of an afterthought. The dressing and salad were good but again it called for sugar when I think honey would have been a nice addition. That really is one thing that keeps getting on my nerves, you have a healthy meal and they ask you to add sugar to it. . . kind of takes away from trying to eat healthily.

HelloFresh Sub Box - Jerk Chicken Burger and Charred Pineapple (1/3)

Whether it is Chicken or Beef, if it says burger you can bet we are ordering it. That is one thing the Picky Eater (PE) I live with loves. They are really handy because even if you don't like warm Pineapple in general or on your burger, you don't have to put it. That's what we both did for this recipe. As I said we were home for the holidays so my Mother got adventurous and tried this also. We all enjoyed it, and my Mom and I had the pineapple as a snack later on. 

As I said they are so easy to customize to your family and your taste. I know my family would prefer breaded chicken, so I just bought plain breadcrumbs and added the Jerk seasoning to that. Also, my Mom didn't want to try the Green Onion Aioli, so she used just mayo and I used the rest for the aioli. I was also the only one that eats Sweet Potatoes but you can easily change them for regular potatoes or just mix them. 

HelloFresh Subscription Box - Week 8

This week was for us was around Christmas time. And since we live far enough away from our family, we went home for the holidays. This means we spent two weeks in our hometown. As part of their Christmas gifts, we gave my mom and my grandmother some of the "Free" Box coupons they had been sending us. A few things to note about this. One, the "Free" Box was only up to $120. Two, you will be signed up for their subscription box so you HAVE TO give a credit card to get the box. Three you do not have to buy one first to get one free, and you do not have to stay subscribed. Once you get your "free" box, you can unsubscribe. Four, if you use this off you can not pair it with other offers and you will not be eligible for any offers to "new" customers. 

We paused our box at home, with is an option, but you can also change your shipping address if you'd like. Since we had more people we decided to just go with the coupon. Another thing to note is that, if you get three meals for 4 people, you will end up paying about $20 extra. NOT ALL of their meal plans are covered by this "Free" coupon.

I am not sure if it is because they were busy with the holidays or if a different packaging place handed this order but our box was beaten up. All of the bags were covered in something, I thought it might have been BBQ Sauce, but later figured out it was Worcestershire Sauce. And I had to basically take everything out and was the items they had sent. This week we had Jerk Chicken Burger and Charred Pineapple with Green Onion Aioli and Sweet Potato Wedges, Fresh Mozzarella Margherita Pizza with Charred Corn and Shallots, and finally Gnocchi Bolognese with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Carrots and Parmesan.