Dining In – Page 4

Discovering Blue Apron.

November 10, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt1 Comment

I’ll admit that I really appreciate convenience. Example: Today, I ordered a Christmas present from a store that has a brick and mortar location less than 12 miles away from my house. But it will be shipped directly to my doorstep (for free), and with the ease of a few clicks of a button. No heinous traffic involved. My generation is all about convenience.

My dad and Sarah recently gifted me a free week of Blue Apron, a food delivery service that provides you with recipes and exactly the amount of ingredients you need to cook 1-3 meals for 2-6 people each week. So, we took the bait, created an account and ordered 3 meals.

The delivery arrived at work in a refrigerated box, with the ingredients for three complete meals neatly organized inside:

Congee and Carmelized Pork with Crispy Shallots and Black Garlic
Greek-Style Braised Chicken Thighs with Fingerling Potatoes
Pan-Seared Salmon with Arugula, Candy Stripe Beets and Horseradish Sour Cream

We decided to tackle the pork first, but we totally messed it up. Still delicious, but definitely not how it was supposed to turn out. We weren’t off to a great start, so I wanted to cook the chicken thighs one night while I had the house to myself. If it was a success, dinner would be ready when everyone got home. If it wasn’t, no one would ever have to know.

I followed the recipe that was provided much more closely than I did with the pork dinner, preparing all of the ingredients before they were needed. This is an important step that I (unsurprisingly) missed in the first round.

Admittedly, I was grossed out by the bones and innards of my chicken thighs. Home alone with blood on my fingers (literally), I was ready to send my parents a text message saying that I didn’t think that Blue Apron was for us. In fact, I’d much rather prefer the kind of chicken that you can buy in the grocery store. (You know, the chicken breasts that come in pre-packaged plastic wrapped packs of three, even though there are only two of us, and we always put the extra one breast in the freezer and forget about it for a year, and then we throw it away. Every. Time.) So, with this waste of food in mind, I kept cooking, following the fool-proof, picture-by-picture recipe.

It wasn’t a failure. It was delicious, and I made it. With my own hands. No, I didn’t use my incredibly imaginative mind to put the recipe together on my own. But I executed it flawlessly, and it was incredible.

More often than not, when I’m in the kitchen on my own, I choose a simple recipe. Like I said, I enjoy convenience. This dinner was more complex than simple, but it was delicious, and worth the complexity, and something I would not have necessarily chosen for myself from the aisles of the grocery store. And to be honest, the price is much less than I would have spent in the grocery store to make the exact same meal. In fact, I did my research. I would spend $47.56 to duplicate this meal. I would have leftovers of a few random ingredients, and I’d have only a few days to use them before they would begin to go bad. With our busy schedule, it just wouldn’t happen. We would have increased our cost almost 150%, only to throw away a portion of it.

Blue Apron fits our lifestyle. Pittsburgh is an ever-growing city, meaning it takes longer to get everywhere. Specifically, the grocery store. So, every once in a while, having our meals delivered to the office is nice, and stepping outside of the box of our own taste is even better. What’s on next week’s menu?

Flank Steak and Creamed Kale with Sunchokes
Thai Chicken Meatballs with Red Coconut Curry, Bok Choy and Rice Noodles
Crispy Salmon and Barley Fennel Risotto with a Fresh Herb and Walnut Salad

Do you use Blue Apron or a different food delivery service? Tell us about experience!

Dining In, Food

The Finest is Fall.

October 26, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail HuntLeave a Comment

You know that famous quote? The one about living in a world with Octobers? I know that it’s cheesy, but let’s be completely honest: Lucy really knew what she was talking about, and I really am glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

So, let me briefly recap what’s been keeping me so busy this fall: Square Cafe, Foster the People, our new ball of fur – Buxton, my brothers’ football games, Granny and Claude’s 25th Anniversary party, Avenue B, Hofbrauhaus, Triple B Farms, my boss’s wedding, 72 Hour Film Festival, Bassnectar, my birthday (and a deluxe dinner at Casbah), a visit from Megan, Emporio, and Pitt’s Homecoming football game. I’ve been busy this fall.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What a wonderful fall it’s been.

With fall also comes football season, which is – much to the chagrin of my sports-loving father – something I could take or leave. Sorry ’bout it. My favorite thing about football season, however, is the cooking. The men sits on the couch, soaking in every play of the game, refreshing his fantasy football score every few minutes. He’s entranced by the dancing figures in black and yellow, and he only snaps out of his Steelers-induced stupor during commercials and when dinner is served. So, in an attempt to steal his attention for a few short, lip-smackin’ minutes, I hit the grocery store, shopping list in hand.

On tonight’s menu is angel hair pasta with shrimp and white wine pasta. A light, warm dish for a cool, fall evening.

Ingredients: Angel Hair Pasta / Shrimp / Lemon / Dill / Garlic / White Wine / Cold Butter / Olive Oil / Salt + Pepper

Directions: Cook pasta is heavily salted boil in water according to the package instructions. / Drain, saving some some pasta water for later. / Finely chop dill and garlic. / Heat up some olive oil in a frying pan and sear shrimp for three to four minutes. / Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about two minutes. / Deglaze with white wine. (I suggest a dry, fruity Riesling, the universal companion to seafood cuisine!) / Stir in cold butter to thicken the sauce, then season with salt and pepper. / Toss the pasta in sauce. / Add lemon juice and sprinkle with dill. / Salt and pepper to taste. / Serve warm, with a chilled glass of your leftover Riesling.

And what’s a fall dinner without a seasonally appropriate dessert? Enter: Pumpkin Pie cupcakes. Pumpkins are one of my favorite things about this season. I love the flavor, the smell, the look of mini pumpkins sitting on my mantle, everything. I’ve never liked pumpkin pie, but it’s always been a family favorite. I’d rather have a cupcake. So, here we are.

Ingredients: Flour / Pumpkin Puree / Sugar / Eggs / Vanilla / Evaporated Milk / Pumpkin Pie Spice / Salt / Baking Powder / Baking Soda / Whipped Cream

Directions: Preheat oven to 350˚. / In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. / In a separate large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, vanilla and evaporated milk. / Add in dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. / Fill lined muffin cups 1/2 full. / Bake for 20 minutes, and allow to cool for 20 minutes. / Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. / Top with whipped cream. / Sprinkle with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, if desired.

Happy Fall, everyone!

Dining In, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

August 31, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail HuntLeave a Comment

Labor Day weekend is here and in full swing. All across the country, summer-lovers are mourning the end of the favorite warm and care free months, while others excitedly await the arrival of fall, a crisp, cool, pumpkin-filled period of time.

I’m fortunate enough to be spending the weekend with my best friend since high school. I’m so excited about my time here in Music City, but for anyone planning a BBQ celebration this weekend, I think you should definitely check out this new recipe.

Last week, we invited our friends Alex and Katie over for dinner. As usual, I was stressing out over what to cook. I wanted something simple, so I wouldn’t be rushed in the one-hour window of time between getting home from work and their arrival, but I also wanted to try out something new. I was – again – browsing through Pinterest, and decided on a crock pot pulled pork concoction.

A few hours later, I’d say our mission was a success. We took the time to throw everything together in the crockpot before work, and I took over when I got home. The food was good, and the company was great. Not to mention, I even won a game of Catan. Score.

Ingredients: (For the Pulled Pork) 2 Lbs. Pork Boneless Shoulder / 1 Onion / 1.5c BBQ Sauce* / .5c Water / 2 Tbsp. Dry Minced Onion / 1 tsp. Allspice / 1 tsp. Ground Mustard / 1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes / .5 tsp. Garlic Powder / .5 tsp. Cinnamon (For the Broccoli Slaw) Bagged Broccoli Coleslaw / .25c Slaw Dressing / .25c Sunflower Seeds

Directions: In a bowl, mix together the spices, and rub the mixture into the pork shoulder. / Place the shoulder into the crockpot, adding the water and the sliced onion. / Cook on low for 8-10 hours. / When the pork has cooked, remove from the crockpot, saving one cup of the juice. / Shred the pork using a fork. / Place the pulled pork back into the crockpot with the cup of juice, and add barbecue sauce. / Cook on low for another half an hour. / Meanwhile, mix the slaw dressing, sunflower seeds and broccoli coleslaw together in a bowl. / Refrigerate for half an hour. / We recommended serving the pulled pork and slaw on toasted buns with a side of grilled corn on the cob. / Enjoy!

*Feel free to use absolutely any kind of BBQ sauce you’d like, but we used Trader Joe’s Kansas City Style Smoky Barbecue Sauce. Unlike most sauces, this one doesn’t use any artificial sweeteners! Its only ingredients are tomato paste, sugar, molasses, vinegar, salt, hickory smoke flavoring, onion and garlic powders, and caramel color. It offers the perfect balance of smoky, sweet and vinegar flavors. You’ve got to try it out!

Dining In, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Roasted Pacific Cod.

August 25, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail HuntLeave a Comment

Just call me Martha. Just kidding, don’t do that. I don’t look anything like a Martha. But, I have to admit, last week, I sure was cooking like a Martha.

As you may know, I have really tried to spend more time in the kitchen. I’ve got some big things on the horizon and I really love cooking, so this seemed to be a natural choice. This dish, in particular, was my decision. The picture in Real Simple just looked so good. I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work, crossing my fingers that they would offer fresh Pacific cod. (Say what you will, but for us, frozen is rarely an option.) As luck would have it, they not only had a ton of cod, it was also on sale. Score. I grabbed the rest of ingredients, and headed back home.

Sauvignon Blanc in hand, I got to work slicing and dicing and becoming Martha. Within an hour, our kitchen smelled like heaven, and dinner was ready to go.

Nights used to be about finding the best restaurants. While we still love going out and trying new things, I’ve found a new appreciation for the simplicity of being home. Life has pulled me in a million different directions each and every day, so the calm and quiet of my very own living room, and the work and love that is found in a homemade meal is sometimes better than any 5 star restaurant.

Ingredients: 1 Lb. Fresh Pacific Cod / White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc) / Mixed Olives / Lemon Zest / Olive Oil / Salt and Pepper / Red Pepper Flakes / Parsley / (Optional) Spinach / Garlic / Onion / Sliced Almonds

Directions: Preheat oven to 400˚. / Place the fish into a roasting pan. / Add enough wine to reach halfway up the sides of the fish. / Scatter mixed olives and lemon zest into the pan. / Drizzle with olive oil. / Generously season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. / Bake for 20-25 minutes. / Meanwhile, sauté onions and garlic in pan. / Add spinach and cook down. / Add sliced almonds to sautéed spinach, and plate with roasted cod. / Enjoy!

Dining In, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Go ‘Head and Go Ham Sammich.

August 23, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt1 Comment

Another weekend, another picnic. This time, the theme was #teambonding. My boss wanted to gather our team together to celebrate the success of our Global Leadership Conference, and to rally the troops before we head into the madness of the holiday season. Again, I found myself in the midst of a what should I make dilemma. So, I turned to Pinterest.

I scrolled, scrolled, scrolled through the pages of appropriate side dishes, and nothing caught my eye. I had almost decided on an easy plate of crudités when a delicious looking crescent roll kind of thing appeared on my screen. I took a quick glance at the necessary ingredients and darted off to the grocery store.

As soon as I got home, I quickly started assembling the crescent roll things – I’m still not sure what to call them – getting excited at the simplicity of it all. To me, each ingredient was as simple as a letter. But letters, when assembled correctly, create words and words create stories and the possibilities are truly endless.

15 short minutes later, my things were done and my mouth was watering. Crispy golden crescent rolls swaddled slices of honey-baked ham, bright green spinach and creamy garlic and herb cheese. I popped one into my mouth, threw the rest into a container and made my way to the picnic.

My crescent roll things, along with my boss’ ribs and my coworker’s homemade macarons, were fingerlickin’ good. Almost as good as the team bonding. Flong, anyone? (Special shoutout to our team mascot: Vinnie Lambo.)

Ingredients: 1 Lb. Fresh sliced honey-baked ham / Fresh Spinach / Spreadable Cheese (like Laughing Cow’s Garlic and Herb Cheese) / 2 Packages of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Directions: Preheat oven to 400˚. Grease baking sheet. Spread cheese on unrolled, uncooked crescent roll. Layer ham and spinach. Roll crescent roll, and place on baking sheet. Continue until you’ve assembled all of the crescent rolls. Bake for 12 minutes, and enjoy.

Dining In, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Picnic Perfect Pasta Salad.

August 21, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt1 Comment

As summer slowly creeps to an end, I find myself on the receiving end of an increasing number of picnic invitations. And, as a good and thoughtful guest, I start thinking about what kind of dish I can contribute. It’s a tricky thing, picnic foods. Should I choose a hot plate, or something cold? Homemade (always) or store-bought (never)? Sweet or salty? Will 7 other people bring the same thing? It’s really way more difficult than it should be.

So, a few weeks ago, I decided that my contribution to a friendly game night would be a pasta salad. A safe choice, but something I knew I could have a little fun with. I hopped in the car, no recipe in mind, and headed to the grocery store. Before I could even realize it, I found myself mindlessly throwing myriad produce into my basket. Onions, sure. Peppers, definitely. Cherry tomatoes, why not. Cucumbers, heck yeah. Fresh mozzarella, absolutely. Some salami, alright.

Then came the dressing. Creamy or not? I threw open the door of my refrigerator and stared into its bleak contents. I didn’t have any salad dressing that could acceptably pass as a pasta salad dressing. I only had mayonnaise. Ding! Mayonnaise was all I needed. A little bit of Trader Joe’s organic mayo, some white vinegar and a sprinkle of Italian spices. Voila. The creamy Italian flavor perfectly complemented the mozzarella and salami.

Game night (and my pasta salad) turned out to be a huge success. A lovely gathering of wonderful friends – and pretty decent food – simply can’t be beat. Not to mention, Chinese lanterns and sparklers make any occasion a special one.

Ingredients: cooked tortellini, whatever the heck else you want

Directions: Mix together, enjoy. Simple as that.

Dining In, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Cooking a Casserole.

July 23, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail HuntLeave a Comment

Casserole. It’s not really an attractive word. In fact, it often conjures up memories of horrible family dinners shared over meals gone very, very wrong. Well, Monday night, for some reason, I decided to make a casserole. (Actually, I do know the reason. I wanted something inexpensive and simple to make, and something that would leave few dirty dishes behind. In case you were wondering, this meal was neither simple – my own fault – or easy on the dishes.)

Here comes Pinterest to the rescue. Again. I decided to make a chicken and rice casserole, but with a little bit of a Mexican twist.

Ingredients: cooked brown rice, shredded chicken, corn, black beans, Greek yogurt or sour cream, green chiles, chunky salsa, grated cheddar + Monterrey jack cheese, and cilantro.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients (except for cilantro) in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to casserole dish and top with extra cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy. Preferably with a margarita on the rocks, no salt.

Serve With: A fruity and spicy Rioja or Tempranillo.

Now, for the entertainment value. The recipe calls for 4 cups of cooked brown rice. It took me only a few moments after I dumped 4 cups of uncooked rice into (non-boiling) water to realize my grave error. Not only did I end up with approximately 12 cups of brown rice, but it took forever since I didn’t have the patience to wait until my water had reached a rolling boil. Long story short, I burnt a significant portion of the rice. Good thing I made extra. Next time, I’ll be using Uncle Ben’s instant brown rice. I should also note that the mountain of dirty dishes is still sitting in my sink. Oh well, at least dinner was delicious!

Dining In, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Grill Master Edition.

July 22, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt1 Comment

I live with four men, and a woman who knows a lot more about stereotypically male things than I ever will. That means I am the only one in the house that doesn’t know how to operate a grill. That also means, however, that I have an incredibly deep appreciation for grilled cuisine.

Recently, I have been dining in much more than usual, in an attempt to prepare for some potential upcoming life changes. (More to come on that later, I’m sure.) This new method of dining has been directly proportional to the increased amount of time I’ve spend browsing the Food & Drink page of Pinterest.

One warm, bright day last week, I had a craving for something new. I directed my friends to my Pinterest board of pre-selected mouth-watering recipes, and we chose the Buttermilk Rosemary Ranch Chicken Skewers. A wordy name for a primitive dish. On the way home from work, I picked up the necessary ingredients and our cooking adventure began. I crafted the marinade, and he, as Grill Master, handled the meat.

A short time later, we were relishing the savory flavor of the chicken, with a simple side of buttery noodles lightly seasoned with garlic.

Ingredients: chicken breast, buttermilk, extra virgin olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, ranch dressing mix, pepper, salt and rosemary.

Directions: Dice the chicken into cubes. Combine the remaining ingredients. Thread chicken onto skewers, and soak in marinade for 30 minutes. Remove from marinade, and pass off skewers to someone who knows how to grill. Then, enjoy. And thank me later.

Dining In, Food, Lifestyle

Fall on the Farm.

October 5, 2013August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt2 Comments

My whole entire life, I have loved fall on the farm. 153 sprawling acres of nature calling my name.

I used to play in the leaves and the flowers until I squealed. In my little grip, I carried the small pumpkins my grandma used as decoration in the front yard. I even tried to befriend the farm cats. Something about this place as the weather gets cool and the leaves begin to change just has always felt like home.

This year, I’ve been lucky enough to spend two wonderful autumn weekends here (and next weekend makes three). My days have been filled with walks to the barn, sipping on hot coffee, and sitting on the picnic table reading Real Simple. But the best part has been spending time with my family.

I drank PBR with Claude, and as I type, he’s making his traditional Saturday night pizza. (He buys a pepperoni pizza from a local joint, picks it up, brings it home and towels off a hefty amount of grease. Then, he adds his own peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and cooks it a little more. Truly, he’s been doing this every Saturday since I can remember.) I got to catch up with my aunt Michelle, whom I don’t see nearly enough. I may look exactly like my mother, but my adoration for the finer things in life comes directly from her.

I played with my baby cousin Stella, who in all sense of the word is not really a baby anymore. She walks, she talks (“Ab-by! Ab-by!”), and she laughs the kind of laugh that is loud and moves her entire body. (And, as it turns out, her love for the leaves on the fall is the same as mine at that age.) I even got to spend some quality time with my mom and all my brothers on a spontaneous lunch excursion to Pennsylvania.

And, I got to bake my very first apple pie with Granny. On our drive home from Pennsylvania, we stopped at Peter’s Orchard in Adams County to load up on Northern Spy apples. We were on a mission to bake the perfect pie. As soon as we got home, we started coring, and peeling and slicing, and soon we had the most wonderful, decadent, aromatic apple pie I’d ever seen. And, it was the fruit of our own labor — no pun intended.

Ingredients: 6-7 cups Northern Spy apple slices / Sugar / Cinnamon / Nutmeg / Salt / Flour / Pie crust (store bought, or my homemade recipe)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375° / Evenly coat sliced apples with mixture of dry ingredients. / Fit half of pie crust dough into the bottom of a pie pan. / Add apple mixture to pie pan. / Top with 4-5 small pads of butter for a little extra oomph. / Cover with remaining pie crust dough. / Lightly brush top with milk and eggs. / Sprinkle sugar onto pie crust. / Bake 50-60 minutes. / Enjoy your lovely fall treat.