Meal Service Review- Marley Spoon

We've decided to work our way through the meal subscription services. Trials are steeply discounted, and we figured it could be fun.

Week 6: Marley Spoon

Biggest Perk: Again, this is a bag and a protein

On a 5 star rating (low to high):
Flavor:*****
Price: $$$
Portion:****
Variety: ****
Prep (Difficult to Easy): **
Website: ***
Sustainability? Your box comes with a guide to where they source ingredients and how each packaging component can be recycled.

Promo used: "RUYVM6" $30 off
Other Codes?

Shipping: This shipped in a somewhat smaller box with the same recyclable batting insulation as sunbasket and the standard cooler packs in the bottom.

The Recipes: Standard full page cardstock. We did a Keema Curry, Fish Tacos, and Vietnamese Noodle Salad. The recipes were a little disjointed, and i really feel like you needed to read them over twice before beginning just to figure out your steps. As this was our 6th box, I think i have a pretty good grasp on the step-by-step directions process, and most boxes really do just walk you through it.

Prep/Time: There were numbers on the bags but nothing mentioned about the numbers. i made the one with a number 1 on it first, just in case. The first recipe was fish tacos with jicama slaw. It was supposed to take 30 minutes, i'd wager it took me closer to 45 minutes. That jicama slaw had me zesting, juicing, and slicing 3 pieces of fruit, peeling and grating jicama, separating leaves and stems on cilantro (i really should have just cut the whole bundle with kitchen shears, it would have been so much easier), and slicing scallions- all in different steps for one slaw.

Price: This is in the low range. It normally runs ~$61

Variety: We could choose from ~6 recipes, and they offer a vegetarian option. One thing i didn't like was that allergens weren't really marked, and one of the ingredients we got was edamame (soybeans. i have a soy allergy) for the Vietnamese Noodle dish. We adapt pretty easy (and just left them out), but a flag would have been nice.

Portion: These were decent portions and easy to share with a toddler. The tacos were 3 tacos per person rather than the 2 you often see.

Flavor: This was great flavor, and despite the pain in the ass nature of the jicama slaw, my husband and i both agreed we would probably make it again. 

Cancelling: This has a button on their website. easy peasy.

Overall: This was great flavor with good portions. Another "bag and protein" box which i prefer. The directions were a little disjointed and the prep was a little more intense than i think most people really want in a meal service kit. Though the flavor to value ratio is great, I probably wouldn't choose this box again.

Next Week, we'll be trying out Plated!

Meal Service Review- Sun Basket

We've decided to work our way through the meal subscription services. Trials are steeply discounted, and we figured it could be fun.

Week 5: Sun Basket

A promotional photo of their box from Dribble

Biggest Perk: A bag and a protein. Big flavor.

On a 5 star rating (low to high):
Flavor:*****
Price: $$$
Portion:****
Variety: ****
Prep (Difficult to Easy): *****
Website: ****
Sustainability? SB is a farm-to-table seasonal sustainable box.

Promo used: "HNYE173FREE" was they're promotional "3 meals free" from their website.
Other Codes? SEARCH3 (50% off)

Shipping: They do charge $5.99 shipping on your regular orders. This arrived in a slightly non-traditional box in that the lid was a tuck in lid (like a toy box). Each recipe had a medium grocery bag (labeled) and a protein. There were 2 items not in the bags (a bag of salad mix, and the large flatbread), but in general this company is a bag and a protein. The packaging came with stickers to roll up the insulation for the recycle bin.

This is what i grabbed from the refrigerator to prep Dish 1

The Recipes: This one FELT fancy. We chose a thai curry dish, a Turnip soup dish with preserved lemon and parmesan flatbread, and a seared tuna steaks dish, ALL soy free. These recipe cards were about half the size of most meal services.

This is the "grocery bag" unpacked

Prep/Time: Our set of recipes ranged from 20-40 minutes. There was some pre-prep (our steak was already sliced, our cashews toasted). This did re-use the cooking pan

This was our first dish:Thai Steak Panang Curry served with Jasmine Rice. It took 20 minutes to make and was super delicious.

Price: This is in the mid-range. It normally runs ~$75/box shipped.

Variety: Recipes change weekly, and we could choose 3 from 10 entrees and 1 breakfast dish. They offer specific menus (vegetarian, gluten free, paleo, etc). We chose the standard "chef's choice". Every recipe was labeled for special restrictions (like my own "soy-free" concern) which was nice.

Cancelling: You have to call a phone number(1-855-204-7597), which is not my favorite. All other changes to your account can be done online. 

Overall: I really liked this box, and flavor scored high with the whole family. It was just the right amount of pre-prep and organization.

Extras? One of the interesting things i noticed was in the standard function of "skipping meals", they give you the option to donate your box which i thought was a cool idea. Their website also includes lifestyle tips for fitness, health, and cleaning. They also have options for text alerts to tell you when the last day to customize your menu is each week. We also received a guide for choosing your cooking oils.

Next Week, we'll be trying out Marley Spoon!

My Copper Kitchen

I named this blog "The Copper Kitchen", because it quite literally is the theme for my kitchen- I have a copper kitchen.

My kitchen is basically the enclosed back porch of an old house. It is roughly 6' x 26' and while that isn't actually smaller than the average kitchen, the shape is pretty unusual to work with. Add to that the fact that it came with ugly drop ceiling, crappy cream countertops, and linoleum, and it was a space that needed a lot of work for me to love..With a degree in metalsmithing, copper was the first metal i worked with, and it holds a very special place in my tastes and heart. I used that love to transform a less-than-ideal space into a kitchen that I love.

*The walls were ragged with brown and ochre paints mixed with gold glaze

 In today's post, I'm going to share some of my favorite copper kitchen purchases with you!

Hammered Copper Canister Set- $47 (i actually picked up mine at HomeGoods)
The pewter measuring cups and spoons set isn't copper, and it isn't cheap, but in case you were interested, it's a
Crosby & Taylor Pewter Combination Set- $189
It was a gift from my husband and i love it.

Large copper mixing bowl- $32
Copper Hanging Colander- $20
Hammered Copper Moscow Mule Mugs- 4 for $44

Old Thompson Salt and Pepper Mills Set- $40 with coupon
Insulated Copper French Press- $50
Hammered Copper Mixing Bowls Set- $25

Even our barware echoes the copper!
Fitz & Floyd Decanter Set $66 (can be found on ebay for less)
Twine Hammered Copper Cocktail Shaker $20
Barconic Bottle Opener- Copper $5

Food Network Copper Plated Whisk- $15
(i also have the pie server)
Copper Measuring Cups- $35 This set of Cups and Spoons is also great
Copper Utensils- $60
*I picked up the iron-look handled utensils at HomeGoods for ~$3 each. IIRC, they are Baumalu Copper

The large tray is "decorative" but i use it for things like cookies. I found it at HomeGoods ~$12. It's copper colored aluminum. They carry matching pieces in other shapes and sizes. I am pretty sure this $30 tray on amazon is the same or very very similar product.
The Small Copper Pitcher in the blog header photo is also from Amazon ($25)

I have an assortment of copper pots and pans, some from Williams Sonoma (i bought a large copper skillet for $80), some from HomeGoods (a Baumalu saucepan, they had an assortment from $30-$50- see ebay), and even one coveted Ruffoni (these run $200+ per item)

Wilsonart Oxide Laminate Countertops with Ogee Edge ~$800 installed
Hammered Copper Sink $750
Oil-rubbed bronze faucet

Our drop ceiling was one of the things i hated the most about our kitchen. The most affordable solution, was to keep the drop ceiling, but replace the tiles. i chose a faux-tin PVC drop in tile from Decorative Ceiling Tiles and was really happy with the solution.

When replacing our countertops, i ultimately decided that i liked the durability and low maintenance of laminate, as well as the affordability, but i chose a stone-look finish and a decorative ogee edge (the edge of our countertops has formed a waterfall wave, rather than the straight glued on strip most cheap laminate countertops have) to make them feel more expensive. Ours are Wilsonart Oxide with an Ogee edge. We had them custom cut and installed for ~$800.

Our hammered copper sink is one of my favorite things

If you were wondering, we did replace the linoleum with wood laminate flooring. Laminate flooring isn't ideal for kitchens because it isn't supposed to get wet, but we're very conscious about not letting water sit on the floor because of that. 

Alice in Wonderland Baby Shower

*This is a crosspost from the blog i kept during pregnancy. I loved the baby shower my mom and sister threw for us. I chose the theme, but they took care of ALL the details! While it was a baby shower for me, all the decorations were repurposed later in the year for my niece's birthday!

Down the Rabbit Hole

An Alice-in-Wonderland theme party

My mom and sister threw us a beautiful theme shower and everything was spectacular.

I (of course) was Alice for the day. My hair was fabulously curly, but the humidity got to me about halfway through. I still had a fabulously curly ponytail ;)

Follow the signs!

We're going to Wonderland!

Down the rabbit hole (on an adventure into parenthood!)

It's a teaparty!!!

Flowers with faces as the center pieces. See the queen of hearts tarts?
You could take your cup of tea in the assortment of mismatched and unique vintage teacups or drink "Lemonade that makes you smaller" or "Lemonade that makes you taller"

Lots of yummy desserts, almost all homemade by my sister but complemented by boxed goodies too (my mom found the cutest chocolate mushrooms!)
In addition to the array of teacakes and desserts, there was a buffet line of finger sandwiches, crudite, curried carrot soup, and mini quiche

Party favors! I had a beautiful keepsake teacup (the peacock!), a there were blue sixlets with "Take Me" messages and keys.
Activities included making mad hatter hats, "white rabbit" boo boo bunnies, and flamingo croquet!

Invitations said "It's a boy! And we're entirely bonkers about him! (All the best people are) Join Samantha & Robert on their first trip down the rabbit hole-into parenthood!" and thank you cards were gifted along with the list keeping track of gifts :)

Games were played- baby shopping list, how big is belly (39"), etc. These cute pocket watch necklace with rabbit and drink me charms were a prize, but as Alice, i got one to keep either way :)

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes are all pretty standard, but around the holidays I did something a little different to my chocolate chip cookies that had people reeling with delight- i put orange extract in my cookies instead of vanilla. I'm sharing this twist on the old favorite with you, because IT'S DELICIOUS and should be shared!

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 325*F

• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1c Brown Sugar
• 1/2 c Granulated Sugar
• 3/4 c Melted Butter

Mix the above wet ingredients before adding following dry ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Tbs Orange Extract (i use an oil based extract)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 c Flour

Mix thoroughly before adding:

• 1 bag of chocolate chips (i use enjoy life minis. I like the ratio you get with mini chips, and enjoy life brand is soy free for me)

I usually make a batch of dough and roll it up in a tube of waxed paper so i can freeze it. Then i use it as a slice and bake recipe. i like bigger cookies so this recipe usually makes 18 large chocolate chip cookies. Bake @325*F for 12-15 minutes.

*Occasionally i'll zest an orange and add that too, but it's really not necessary for the flavor.

*I believe that freezing the dough makes better cookies, but when i'm not in the mood to wait, i use baking powder in place of the baking soda for a fluffier cookie. 

Mighty Fix

In October, I stumbled upon Mighty Nest and their "Mighty Fix"- an eco supplies subscription box. Each month, they send us a random eco-friendly replacement for something most people have in our house. I used their year subscription which costs~$100/year (so less than $10/month). Code Mighty7 knocks $7 off your first box.

We've received:

• Bee's Wrap- A wax coated cloth alternative to saran wrap
• Dryer Balls- These are wool balls that you add to your dryer in lieu of fabric softener. This was actually something we already use, but i didn't mind receiving more of them.
• Fabric produce bags (not pictured- we store potatoes and onions in these)
• Lunch Skins- fabric snack pouches
• Metal drinking straws

We also get newsletters as well as deals in their store- which is full of more eco-conscious everyday products. 

Overall, I really love receiving this every month, and the items are usually something i really feel we can use. We try to be eco-friendly in our house, and these little changes are great. In my opinion, this is a very affordable way to try little helpful things, and i definitely recommend it.

*While I enjoy blogging for myself and my friends, it's not something i do for a living, so everything i review is something i purchased myself for myself out of my own interest for it.

Meal Service Review- Green Chef

We've decided to work our way through the meal subscription services. Trials are steeply discounted, and we figured it could be fun.

Week 4: Green Chef

Biggest Perk: Color coding

On a 5 star rating (low to high):
Flavor: *****
Price: $$$
Portions: ****
Variety: ***
Prep (Difficult to Easy): ***
Website: *****
Sustainability? They're all organic and wild caught. All of their packaging is recyclable.

Promo used:  (50OFFBLOG or 50OFFFB) I used the $50 off your first box from their website
Other Codes? http://greenchef.com/invite/4a78em If you have friends that use this service, they might have a free box to give you.
*I want to note that i actually scheduled this one 2 weeks out. I purchased it the 2nd with our first delivery being the 14th.

This is one of their promotional photos- used for groupon. Cardboard box shipping

Shipping: First off, i want to point out that shipping is not included in their pricing, shipping is an additional $10. This too comes in a cardboard box. Normally, my husband unpacks these while I'm at work. This one had proteins on the bottom and extras on the top divided by a layer of cardboard. Most of the little extras are in cute little plastic jars. This box, by far, had WAY more individual pieces to pull out and store than any other box, but each recipe's ingredients were color coded. Dressings are pre-made. It DID include both milk and butter. Our box got delayed a day due to winter storm Stella, and i got a text message with an alert and tracking. Our ice packs were frozen and our produce was intact when we received the next day.

This recipe was all the purple stickers

The Recipes: We received Pork Golumpki Ragout, Greek Tuna Fatoush Salad, and Potato Chowder. We made the chowder first, cuz snow. :) It was tasty and hit the spot.

Prep/Time: Our recipes ranged in time from 30-45 minutes. There was an effort at minimizing dishes in the recipe cards.

Price: This box is slightly pricier by $2-$5/meal depending on your plan. it averages out around $70/box for a standard plan and they DO charge shipping separately. The trial came out to $30 shipped.

Variety: Green Chef offers diet specific plans (omnivore, carnivore, paleo, vegetarian, etc.). We chose to go with the standard omnivore. Once you pick your plan though, the only tailoring you can do is to knock out certain proteins, the 3 meals are set without options for others. Ours had a kind of boring chicken dish in it, so i tailored my plan to not include poultry and they replaced it with a seared tuna dish. Omnivore included 2 protein dishes and a vegetarian dish.

Cancelling: They require you to email: cancel@greenchef.com, but also have a live chat function available. Like HF, they give you the option to switch to bi-weekly, monthly, or "take a break" when you cancel. Since some of these services are pricey, i like the idea that you could do them monthly.

Overall: We enjoyed this box, but it wasn't a standout. With a higher price point, limited menu, and lots of pieces, it doesn't rank at the top for us.

Next Week, we'll be trying out Sun Basket

Plaid Party- Baby's 1st Birthday

Plaid Party

For our son's first birthday, which is in September, we went all out with a Buffalo Plaid/Lumberjack theme. The cake, the cookies, the guests- all plaid! It was adorable!!!

Decor:
I had bolts of plaid fabric that i used for tablecloths, but i also hung plaid pinwheels and plaid bunting from our ceilings, scattered silk leaves that i already had from a craft store, a tiny lantern for effect, and vases of sunflowers.

We purchased these perfect cookies from For The Love of Cookies on Etsy.

Didi worked with me to alter her plaid cookie patterns to include some patterns from another designer on etsy who wasn't available for my timeframe. They were made to order, packaged individually, and mailed to arrive a 1-2 days before the party.
*Note: custom cookies require a lot of notice to order, and they're going to cost you ~$3/cookie with a minimum order of 2 dozen cookies. This was a special day, and i thought it was worth it.

We purchased plaid cups, plates, napkins, and decorations from Wholesale Party Supplies

Our party favors were steel "Mountain Mugs" (purchase wholesale from ebay) filled with individual bottles of maple syrup, tree crayons, hot cider mix, and woodland rings, and one of those pretty cookies (which came wrapped individually). We served chili and corn muffins. I also put out a dish of maple candy, which i love!

I spent painstaking hours making a plaid cake that looked like a tree stump.

•  I made 6 cakes in 3 colors- red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla with red food coloring, and made my own 5 ring template (most checkered cake dividers are for 3-4 rings. For buffalo plaid, you need 5). Normally, i make everything from scratch, but with the project already a little intimidating, I added extra vanilla and a dash of cinnamon to box cake mixes to make them taste homemade. 

• The 12" cake was 4 layers deep, so i essentially had 2 extra cakes, which i layered with pudding in a trifle dish. There were 2 layers of (3 velvet rings with 2 chocolate rings) and 2 layers of (3 red rings with 2 velvet rings).*You could divide 1 box of chocolate between 2 smaller pans, just make sure the pan is the same as the ring it needs to fill.

• i made the bark by crinkling up waxed paper, laying it flat, and spreading melted chocolate over it. When it was hard, i cut a line down the middle, so the bottom edges would fit the plate and the top edges would be rough. I gave it some contrast by brushing on powdered sugar, and pressed it onto the sides of an iced cake (i made chocolate frosting and dyed it black).
• i used a fork dipped in chocolate to make rings on the top of the "treestump" cake. I made a practice cake before i made the real deal (and used my extra cake batter for cupcakes!), and i liked a lighter chocolate icing on top than i ultimately used. i drew a "crack" in the top and added a foam hatchet (i may be talented, but gum paste and fondant are not my thing, thank you very much)

I made the smaller practice cake for our son's *actual* birthday. His party was 2 days later. He had a lot of fun digging in.
I had tried to make his practice cake with just red velvet and chocolate, and 4 rings instead of 5, and it was checkered, but not plaid.

We had a maple leaf notepad where guests could decorate a tree with well wishes for our little man.

*We had supplies for s'mores and had originally planned for the party to be outdoors with a firepit, but the day came cold, windy, and rainy and we moved it inside. I've seen lumberjack parties where s'mores kits and hot cocoa mix were the party favors, or pre-made s'mores were one of the party treats.

Color Party

Indian culture has a lot of beautiful traditions, and one of my favorites is part their Spring celebration- Holi- where they throw colored powdered at each other. American culture has recently appropriated this VERY successfully with "Color Runs", but some of us...ummm... don't like to run...

Our color party lasted 2 days with a group of my friends during the day, and a group of my husband's friends the following night. I purchased a couple packs of holi color powder/rangoli powder:

While we did put the bags out, i also filled close to 100 shot glasses with powder and displayed them on a plastic 3 tier server for easy throwing. Invitations were tie dye, and guests were advised to wear white or clothes they didn't mind ruining. I actually thought the powders looked better on brightly colored clothing than the white!

 It was summer so we had bocce ball, badminton, and water guns filled with water color available. We also had a clothesline of canvases where you could "paint" with the water guns. *Note, if you provide water guns, grown men will war with water guns.

one friend came in a hazmat suit!

I was about 5 months pregnant and wore a (cheap, throw away) chiffon dress for the party. I had to convince people to include me in the activities, but eventually, i was colorful too!

The Roaring 20's

Theme parties are a bit of a hobby of mine, and i thought i'd expand the blog to include them. The Roaring 20s party has always been one of my favorites. It was winter time so we didn't have a huge turnout, but it was gorgeous and fun nonetheless.

Prohibition Party

Decor:
This was a prohibition party so we tried to really get the feel of the era. We hosted the party in the basement, decorated in black and gold, and provided feather boas and faux pearls for guests. Liquor was served in crystal decanters, and- as it was December- we had a tiny tree decorated with snippets of alcohol. The invitation was a simple card slipped inside of candy cigarette boxes presented to each invitee.

.

Drink:
We chose classic prohibition era cocktails and put up cards above the drink table. On the table were crystal decanters of liquor and glass carafes of mixers for "Bees Knees", "French 75", "Lynchberg Lemonade" and "Dark & Stormy". I downloaded a "Gatsby" font for our signs and invitations.

 Food:
We kept food simple and ordered a tray of sushi from a local restaurant. It was actually super appropriate since asian food came onto the scene in the US and was super trendy in the 1920s. We also served a selection of simple hors d'oeuvres- savory puffed pastries and stuffed mushrooms. I picked up small "fancy" metal serving platters at the dollar tree to add to the ambience.

Activities:
In keeping with the theme, tables had packs of playing cards, and the cheeky *somewhat* lude game "Cards Against Humanity". I also turned my tablet into a photo booth using an app. i used gold curtains to hide our basement shelving. We also had stick on mustaches for comic fun.

*A lot of guests felt that coming dressed in theme was stressful, but i thought it was so much fun to have everyone in character and the photos were great!