So, We're Trying Blue Apron

Based on the recommendation from some friends, we've been trying Blue Apron for a few weeks. Honestly, I think I'm on the fence about it. On one hand, it has been giving us incentive to actually *cook* dinner, rather than heating a pre-made frozen meal. On the other, there's some things that are a bit annoying about the format. 

The first night we tried it, we cooked two meals at once, with me taking one on and my husband taking the other. Since our daughter tends to have the appetite of a bird, we've been doing the two serving meals (which offer 3 meals a week), which also happens to be the cheapest of the options. The simultaneous cooking ended up not being a great idea, as we kept getting in each other's way.

My side of the island

Each recipe offers step-by-step directions, along with pictures showing some of the steps. The pictures show the use of many teeny prep bowls - which we were well stocked up on due to my tendency to make small bowls.

Almost finished and significantly messier

Step-by-step directions are useful and all, but what about the outcome? Was the food any good? We both were happy with what we cooked the first night.  I took on the Shrimp and Squid Ink spaghetti, and Dr Co made the Chicken and Sweet Pepper Tostadas. 

Shrimp and Squid Ink Spaghetti cooked in a smaller pan than it should have been

Ready to eat!

I loved the Shrimp and Squid Ink Spaghetti - I managed to get the shrimp to the perfect doneness, and I thought the sauce from the recipe worked well with everything. Dr Co isn't a seafood person, so there was no chance he was going to be eating this dish, but he did try some of the squid ink noodles and liked them. Miss Mads wasn't in to any part of the dish, but that was likely more due to the color of the noodle. 

The plated Chicken and Sweet Pepper Tostadas

Mark liked the Chicken and Sweet Pepper Tostadas well enough. Mads was... well, she ate enough to keep from dying from starvation. I think she mainly picked at the tortilla and ate a few bits of chicken and a little zucchini. 

Will we make either of the dishes again? If I manage to find some squid ink pasta, I'll be tempted to try the shrimp dish again. We'll also probably make the roasted squash from the tostadas - both Dr Co and I liked the outcome. 

The other recipes that have been sent have had various receptions. I know I'll remake the Honey Rhubarb Chicken, because it was really tasty, but other recipes are likely to be trickier due to difficulty in finding ingredients. 

And, as I said before, there are some annoying things about Blue Apron. I've had some issues with the selection process for the week's meals. You are able to pick three out of six options, but since some meals are set up as mutually exclusive choices, it's a little tough. Also, we're at the point of trying to figure out what to do with the extra things, like little bottles from the vinegars and the freezer packs that come with each delivery. According to the website, you can send things back for recycling, and we may look at doing that, because you only need so many ice packs.