Week 40 will go into the archives as a week of modifications and change. It all began when I altered Tuesday’s menu and included the Blue Apron Katsu Style Catfish, which I revealed in my post reviewing week 39. By tampering with Tuesday’s menu I created havoc with the rest of the plan for week 40.
Not only did week 40 change before it began, but on Wednesday there was a yet another substantial change. The ‘Ole Buckeye was gone all day helping a friend with his boat which was immediately followed by carpooling the grand girls to soccer. I, on the other hand, had my final oil painting class. Due to the lateness of meal time, I elected to add a cook once/eat twice meal to the crockpot and allow it to gradually warm until dinner time.
I have been asked to discuss how I go about using my crockpot to reheat a meal and why. The why…my meal is warmed and kept warm without the ingredients drying out and it is ready to eat whenever we get home. The how…I put the meal into my crockpot (my Cuisinart crock pot, by the way, automatically keeps food warm after the initial cook time is reached).
I set the crock pot cook time on low setting for 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on the content and let it go. Once the meal heats on low and is warmed through it continues to stay warm. I did this Wednesday with the corned beef and cabbage. It was the perfect temperature when we enjoyed our late dinner and because the spices had permeated the vegetables, they were even more flavorful than when first prepared.
On Thursday the ‘Ole Buckeye’s night of culinary expertise once again presented itself. Lucky for him there was enough of the sausage, potatoes and peppers to be reheated with garlic bread for a cook once/eat twice meal. So far he has managed these weeks of his new assignment with great ease and the meals have been delicious.
Since I had fresh strawberries on hand that needed to be used, I opted to make a strawberry cobbler for dessert. It was definitely quick and easy but quite sweet. I served it warm with ice cream. I was sure it would be eaten, but I was not certain that it was worthy of a repeat. Sometimes quick and easy is just that.
Simple Strawberry Cobbler Recipe – Food.com
Not only simple to prepare, but delicious as well. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
On Friday the ‘Ole Buckeye continued his assistance with boat maintenance, working at intervals to allow drying time. He has been assisting in the maintenance of a sailboat while it is out of the water. It is a process that has involved his time for several weeks. Friday’s schedule due to applying, drying and reapplying meant he would be working late. He announced that the last work session would last until about 8 PM. Menu change. Since it would be late and the schedule was questionable, we decided to have the left over fajitas. Normally we would have had this cook once/eat twice meal for lunch, but we needed a quick light meal when he returned home. Thankfully we had enough on hand to make a light dinner.
Saturday brought us an invitation that included dinner. “We are having a welcome home get together at our house this Saturday at 4pm til ?? Just bring yourselves and an appetite. The theme is a leftover boat food party, but Sheryl will be supplementing with some fresh pulled pork and other goodies.”
Background…This couple took the ‘Ole Buckeye’s dream trip. They left on their boat last fall, and took the intercostal waterway to Key West where they spent the holidays with their family. After the New Year they made the return trip. They just got back this past week. Although Sheryl blogged along the way, it was great fun to learn about the journey. You might enjoy reading some of her posts and viewing some great pictures.
Quality Time Adventures
No Description
Sunday featured Blue Apron fare. The menu for the evening…Chicken Meatballs and Fregola Sarda. The meal preparation included kale. There was a lot of kale and although we love kale I think it masked the flavor of this new pasta. I will say, this was my least favorite meal from Blue Apron, but the ‘Ole Buckeye really enjoyed it. There was more than enough for the two of us and he had the leftovers the following day for lunch.
No Title
No Description
Once again I will share the new things I learned from this cooking adventure. Have you ever heard of pink lemons? Well, we have now. This variagated fruit was part of my mystery basket, along with a pasta I have never heard of.
Lemons Like You’ve Never Seen
If you’ve cooked with us, you know we love our lemon zest. But this time the lemon in your box looks a little different. Here’s why. Darren St. Thomas, one of our sourcing managers, spends his days traveling the west coast in search of the most unique ingredients.
Fregola Sarda is a pasta from Sardinia. It is round much like couscous, but I liked the consistency and the nut like flavor much better.
A boat day for the “ole Buckeye and a 6:30 evening meeting made changes necessary for Monday’s dinner. It really wasn’t a difficult decision. Mondays are always long days for me, since it is my house cleaning day. I often would prefer not to cook at all by the end of the day.
We decided to finish the corned beef and cabbage. You might be saying to yourself….Again! I must agree…I thought this might be overkill, but it remained delicious and very much enjoyed one last time.
Tuesday brought us the highly anticipated Blue Apron Top Chef Meal.
No Title
No Description
The spice rubbed pork appeared to be an easier preparation than the other meals this week, and it would have been, if I had not been interrupted with a barrage of questions from the ‘Ole Buckeye. I have found it difficult to cook these meals while carrying on a conversation. I really need to focus, partially because of how the recipes are written, and partially because some of the ingredients or methods are new to me. He was ousted to the den while I finished dinner.
I have determined one thing about Blue Apron meals. Even though everything is available and pre measured the preparation can be a little stressful. This is mainly because they are to be prepared and eaten immediately. I am accustomed to preparing meals over the course of the day. I seldom do the entire meal prep just prior to dinner. Usually the Blue Apron result is worth it and the pork was no exception. The rub was extremely flavorful and I will be asking for the ingredients. The black beans, oh the black beans, they were outstanding and will be added to many meals in the future.
As an aside, over the course of the week we had small servings of the strawberry cobbler. After the initial evening, we elected to warm the cobbler each night prior to serving and we no longer topped it with ice cream. It got better and better. I will keep this recipe on the back burner. So often I have berries that go past their prime and this is the perfect way to utilize them.
Although week 40 certainly did not go as planned, we ate well and enjoyed every meal. If I have learned anything during my early retirement it is to be flexible.
As I planned week 41, I wondered just how many changes there might be.
