Those Pesky Little Bottles

One problem I continually have is getting ingredients out of the little bottles when it is not pourable (I wish they would put in the little tub things instead).  Here's what I have discovered works best for me.  Take the items out of the refrigerator (I tend to put the entire knick knack bag in the fridge) as soon as you start cooking so the ingredients isn't too cold.  Turn the bottles upside down and tap them on the counter (with the bottle upside down the cap is now on the counter).  I tap them pretty hard.  This gets the ingredients to the end of the bottle closest to the cap.  Go about your prepping and when ready to use, unscrew the lid and squeeze the bottle (still holding it upside down).  When you have gotten out what you can, put the lid back on the bottle and once again tap on the counter to get the remaining contents to move towards the cap-end of the bottle.   Hope this helps....but I still wish they would put in a flat tub like container.  :-)

This week's menu and some specific shortcuts

For this week, I have pork chops, chicken, and cod.

The one thing I've learned is the day my box arrives, I pull out all the recipe cards and make a plan for doing prep work for the week when I cook the first meal or even when I have spare time.  For this week, here's what can be done in advance:

Pork Chops: Remove corn from cob, chop jalapeno, chop shallot, chop tomatillas, chop peppers

Chicken: Chop onion, chop fennel

Cod: Chop bell pepper, chop onion

I put the prepared items in individual plastic bags or plastic containers.    I keep the items for one meal including the knick knack bag grouped in the fridge so when I get ready to cook I can just pull everything out. If the fridge isn't too overloaded, I keep the items by shelf.  If there happens to be lots in the fridge that week, I just group everything in a larger container.

Garlic

Many of the recipes require garlic.  I hate messing with garlic for each recipe.  I purchased a package of frozen chopped garlic.  It came in a little mini ice tray thingy and you just push out one of the "cubes" and it equals a clove of garlic.

After using the purchased garlic for about 4 weeks, I found I had a plethora of garlic pods since they send me one pod and I wasn't using it.  One day when I had time and the kitchen was already messy, I cleaned and chopped all the garlic and made my own frozen chopped garlic.  I chopped the garlic and added just a very small amount of olive oil to make it stick together.  I put dabs of it on a plate and put the plate in the freezer to freeze the little globs.  Once frozen, I put them in a ziploc bag and now I have my own garlic "globs" which I made about the size of the "cubes" I bought to get started.   You could of course keep buying frozen "cubes" and use the provided garlic for something else.  Perhaps to get rid of vampires?   A friend told me you can rub it on acne but I must admit...I have never tried this...nor can I vouch for it's ability to get rid of vampires. 

If you don't have the patience or time to do it for each meal, this easy trick will save you time and frustration.  

Welcome

Welcome to my blog!  A friend of mine gave me a free trial to Blue Apron and I was skeptical.  I decided it was worth a try and was surprised to find I enjoyed cooking again and the meals were delicious.  The only problem...too many steps.  After several weeks of receiving my weekly delivery and texting shortcuts with my friend, I decided to write a blog.  So, here goes.