Get 30% off at Plated.com - Fresh Ingredients Delivered

Do you watch Shark Tank?  This past Friday there was a company called plated on the show.  Plated is a service that will deliver fresh, locally grown ingredients right to your front door, along with a full-color, easy-to-follow recipe card so that you can turn those ingredients into a delicious home-cooked meal in 30 to 40 minutes.

On the show, most of the Sharks didn't really seem to get it. They asked questions like, "Why would someone want to order food that they still had to cook?" and, "Someone who cooks can just go to the grocery store."  Personally, I think it's a great idea.  I think there are a lot of people who would like to be able to provide delicious and healthy home-cooked meals for their families, but they just don't know where or how to start.  It can't get easier than having all the ingredients delivered straight to your door along with step-by-step directions.

And, as far as the people who cook just going to the grocery store, I'm sure you've seen this:  (or, if you haven't - now you have!)

I do cook, and I do go to the grocery store, but I've been browsing through the menus available for delivery in my area next week, and there are some amazing-looking dishes.  Sometimes the hardest thing about fixing dinner is deciding what to have for dinner.  Plated has full-color pictures along with a list of everything they will send for each dish, and all you have to do is choose the ones that look good to you.

A lot of these menus include ingredients I don't ordinarily buy, so this would be a good way to try something new, without ending up with a whole lot of extra stuff I won't know what to do with - like when I buy eggplant.  I always end up buying it and then letting it go to waste because I don't know what to do with it.  The ingredients for the plated.com meals are packed fresh and pre-portioned to cut back on waste.

So, I can see this service being very handy for both people who want to start cooking at home and for those of us who do cook but want to try something new, perhaps for a special occasion.  The meals cost $15/plate (or $12/plate with a membership) with a minimum 4 plate order, so they're not exactly cheap, but they really don't cost more than going out to a restaurant - and they're fresh and home-cooked.

Be sure to check it out and see what they have for you.  For a limited time, save 30% off your order at plated.com by using the code SharkPlated30 at checkout - through 4/18/14. 

Chicken Cottage Pie

It's time again for  Secret Recipe Club (Secret Recipe Club) reveal!  My secret blog assignment this month was Chit Chat Chomp, an amazing blog written by Leigh who lives in Melbourne, Australia.  Her blog is full of amazing recipes and gorgeous photos of all of them.  Leigh calls herself an amateur photographer, but they look pretty professional to me!  I wanted to try everything on her blog.  Once again I started making a list:

• Chili Chicken with Hummus
• Asparagus Tart 
• Cranberry and Chocolate Biscuits - because, of course, I'm drawn to anything cranberry
• Chunky Apple Cinnamon Muffins w/ Crumb Topping - apples in the topping!
• Dark Chocolate and Orange Muffins

And there were many more!

Of course, since Leigh is a child of English parents who lives in Australia, I needed to convert some of the measurements.  How much is 160g flour? I admit, I've let something like that keep me from trying some of the recipes I've found online, but this time I looked up some recipe conversions.  (Well, that was simple!)

Chicken Cottage Pie

adapted from Chit Chat Chomp 

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in chunks (about 8 oz.)
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• fresh spinach (I didn't measure)
• 1 T dried parsley
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup sweet corn (frozen or canned)
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche (I used sour cream)
• 2 T butter

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large fry pan and cook onion and chicken over a medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, until the onion is soft and the chicken is starting to brown.  Add the mushrooms and spinach and cook until spinach starts to wilt.  Season with dried parsley and salt & pepper.
3. Pour in the stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Stir in the corn and sour cream.  Season with additional salt & pepper if needed.
4. When potatoes are cooked, drain and mash them with the butter (or extra sour cream or creme fraiche) Season with salt and pepper.
5. Heat oven to 400° F.  Spoon the chicken mixture into a medium baking dish; top with the mashed potatoes, sprinkle with a bit of additional parsley, and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

The chicken and corn mixture was soupier than I was expecting when I put it in the baking dish, and the potatoes were quite thick on top.  Then, the oven worked its magic, and they baked together into this perfectly creamy delicious dish that my husband and I both loved.

When I decided to make this particular recipe, I had to look up Cottage Pie, too. Leigh says this is not the sort of cottage pie her mum would make, which would be "an Irish or British meat pie cooked with beef mince and has a crust made from mashed potato" - and certainly not chicken.  Or corn.  Well, this one has both, and I added some mushrooms and spinach too, just because, and it is yummy.  Definitely comfort food.

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A Couple of Pizzas

I made a couple pizzas for dinner this week.  They both turned out pretty good!

 And we have a whole pizza - some pieces from each - left over for another meal!  Here are the toppings for both pizzas.  No measurements really, because pizza is just like that.  You pile on the toppings until it looks right to you.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

• Barbecue sauce
• 1 boneless chicken thigh, grilled
• Sliced onion
• Sliced mushrooms
• Cheese - Mozzarella and Cheddar

Roast Beef Pizza

• Garlic Ranch Sauce - Ranch dressing mixed with minced garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• Leftover roast beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Sliced onion
• Sliced mushrooms
• Asparagus pieces
• Cheese - Mozzarella and Cheddar, crumbled Queso Fresco

1. Spread sauce on crust, sprinkle Parmesan on the Garlic Ranch sauce.  Add toppings and cheese. 
2. Bake pizzas at 450° F for 15 minutes or until crust is done and cheese is melted and browned.  
3. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting.

I am still trying to find the perfect Pizza crust recipe or technique or whatever the secret is to that perfect crust.  This one wasn't too bad, but there's definitely room for improvement.  The toppings, on the other hand, were very yummy!

Rhubarb Focaccia

It's time again for  Secret Recipe Club (Secret Recipe Club) reveal!  My secret blog assignment this month was Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  As the name of her blog suggests, Camilla is very adventurous with her cooking.  She loves trying new ingredients and exploring the cuisine of different countries, and she hopes to inspire the readers of her blog to try something new, too.

I found several recipes that looked interesting.  Here are a few of them:

• Curried Chicken with Vanilla
• Boozy Spiced Cranberry Sauce
• Pumpkin Potato Pepper Enchiladas
• Chocolate Zucchini Brownies 

I actually did make the Chocolate Zucchini Brownies.  They were more like a dark chocolate cake than actual brownies and not too sweet, so I really liked them.  BUT, they weren't really something new or adventurous, so I thought I should take Camilla's challenge and make something I'd never made before.  I chose her Rhubarb Focaccia because I have a hard time resisting anything with rhubarb - rhubarb is not my new ingredient.  What's new is that I had never made Focaccia before - savory or sweet.  I'm not sure I'd ever even eaten it, either.

Rhubarb Focaccia
from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Ingredients:
Sweet Focaccia Dough

• 4-1/2 to 5 cups flour (divided)
• 2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 pkg.)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1-3/4 cups warm water
• 1 T raw organic honey
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup coconut oil 

Topping

• 2 cups chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• additional sugar and olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, salt, and yeast.
2. Combine the warm water, olive oil and honey in a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup. 
3. Stir the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture; gradually add remaining flour, mixing in as much as you can with a spoon and then kneading until it becomes smooth and soft (5 to 6 minutes).
4. Coat the inside of the bowl with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl; turn to coat. Cover and allow dough to rise until it has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
5. When dough has risen, punch down and allow to rest 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, coat a jelly roll pan with the coconut oil.  (If your coconut oil is solid, place the pan in the oven on low until it has melted.)
6. Slightly flatten dough and place it in the jelly roll pan, turning once to coat with coconut oil.  Begin pressing and stretching the dough to fit the pan.  Then press your fingers through the dough, making dimples all the way to the pan, all over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with chopped rhubarb, pressing it into the dough, and 1/4 cup sugar.
7. Cover and let dough rise until it has doubled in size again, about 1 hour. 
8. When focaccia is ready to bake, preheat oven to 425° and generously sprinkle the top with some more sugar and lightly drizzle a little more olive oil on top.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the top of the loaf is golden brown. Cool before cutting and serving.

This stuff is really good.  The crust is kinda flaky and crunchy, and the texture of the dough is nice and soft.

The first time I made it, my husband wasn't really impressed.  He felt like there wasn't enough fruit and that it was basically just bread.  He's not quite as crazy about bread as I am - and this is good bread.  Mostly the problem was that my  frozen rhubarb had been thawed, so most of the juice was gone - I saved it and used it in a smoothie, but that didn't do the focaccia any good.  And, a lot of the rhubarb fell off when I cut it,  so a lot of it really was 'just bread' even if it was good bread.

So I made it again.

This time I used frozen rhubarb - without allowing it to thaw - and pressed it into the dough.  And I split the dough and made two so I'd have more of that lovely crust.  What made my husband especially happy is that I made a simple powdered sugar glaze - melted butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, milk - and drizzled it on top.

Totally yummy and hard to stop eating - with or without the glaze!  Thanks, Camilla, for getting me to try something new!

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Related articles

• Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia
• Focaccia
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Easy Fettuccine Cacciatore

This recipe was on the same page of the Kraft Food & Family magazine with the Beef Noodle Bowl, which I now make quite regularly.  And this week I finally got around to trying this one.  I had mushrooms that needed used and a green pepper in the fridge, too, so it was the perfect time.

This is a very simple recipe and very tasty.

Easy Fettuccine Cacciatore
adapted from Kraft Recipes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. fettuccine
• 2 tsp. oil
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 T dried basil
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup Italian Dressing

Directions:

1. Cook fettuccine as directed on package.
2. While fettuccine is cooking, heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 to 6 min. or until no longer pink. Add sliced peppers, onions, and mushrooms; cook 3 min., stirring occasionally. Add basil and cook for a minute or two, until fragrant.  Stir in tomatoes and dressing; simmer on medium-low heat 5 minutes or until chicken is done.
3. When pasta is cooked, add some of the pasta water to the chicken and vegetable mix.  Drain pasta and toss with chicken mixture; simmer a couple minutes to blend flavors.

I added the sliced onion, because the original recipe didn't call for any onion - and it just needed some onion.  (doesn't everything?)

Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese, serve with a vegetable and some crusty bread, and you have a very delicious meal.   I think I'll be making this one on a regular basis, too.