Blue Apron Love

Happy Friday!

While I have taken a small break from cooking/baking, I have been receiving scrumptious meals from Blue Apron. Each week I opened my door Monday morning to find a huge Blue Apron box. Inside the items are kept in insulated wrapping and on top of two huge ice blocks. All meat items are kept closest to the ice. The box contained three recipes for the week (which you can pick/swap on their website) and each item needed to prepare the meal. We mainly did vegetarian options and two that included fish. Craig always adds some more meat to his portion if needed. It was fun to match all of the ingredients together with their respected receipt card and then pick which to try first. I was always excited about the ones with cheese! he he

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I was working late the day after our boxes arrival and came home to a rich and flavorful home. Either driven by hunger, curiosity or love, Craig surprised me with our first Blue Apron meal. It was the sweetest thing! The Indonesian-Spiced Salmon was delicious. It's something that honestly I would have never tried. I didn't know if my tummy or taste buds would be able to handle it but they did. The flavor was light but well seasoned. The freekeh paired well with the salmon and was indeed sweet, spicy and sour!

The Fettuccine with beet, goat cheese and poppy seeds quickly made it's way to the top of my love list. The noodles were so deliciously homemade and the added beets and chard turned them pink! The addition of the veggies and cheese took this seemingly simple meal to another level! I must recreate this he he!

The Za'atar-Roasted Broccoli Salad was another dish I would have strayed from but was pleasantly surprised. I really liked the Fregola Sada paired with the broccoli. Plus the egg brought in more flavor and the roasted almonds a bit of crunch! Good call Blue Apron! 

With our last dish done we felt so accomplished, so adult. We had put meals together before but none so simple yet intricate LOL!  I love that Blue Apron comes with everything you need, even if you still have to chop, slice and season yourself, it's fun and teaches you to try new things. I wasn't really sure how some of these would taste...I am always weary when it comes to spices but was pleasantly surprised. Each ingredient combination worked perfectly. 

Unfortunetly Blue Apron is a bit pricey, at least for us, but we still have a few recipes to try this week! I can't wait to share! 

They have shown us a peek into the amazing flavors the world offers. I would definitely recommend! 

https://www.blueapron.com/pages/sample-recipes

Thanks! 

-Bunny

Totally Surprised Birthday Cake

Howdy! 

I was missin True Blood somethin awful, plus I just got my new "Cake" dress in the mail so I thought how perfect!! Check out the link below to Amourdress. Now let's make a delicious cake to celebrate! 

In the True Blood Eats Drinks and Bites Cookbook there is a recipe for an awesome vanilla cake with lemon filling...OMG it was just begging to be made! This is the cake that Maryann, Karl and Eggs surprise Tara with for her birthday! Now I have never really made a cake from scratch...so it was a long process but completely worth it.

To start I made the lemon filling by combining the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium pan. I gradually stirred, bringing it to a boil over medium heat. After about a minute I removed the pan and stirred in the butter and lemon zest and gradually whisked in the lemon juice. Then set it aside to cool. I found that one good sized lemon made just enough juice and zest! After it had cooled I had a small taste and it was just like a lemon square...one of my favorite desserts!

Quickly I made the berry topping by slicing up strawberries and raspberries and sprinkling them with sugar. For the cake mix, I first preheated the oven to 350 degrees and greased/flowered two round pans. 

In my large mixing bowl I blended the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt then slowly added in the shortening, 2/3 cup of milk and vanilla. 

After mixing for about 2 minutes I added the remaining 1/3 cup of milk and the egg whites. Making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl I mixed for a few more minutes and then the batter was ready to go into the pans! Jack was so interested but don't worry I didn't let him have any he he!

After pouring in the batter and placing the pans in the oven (for 30 mins) I started on the frosting. 

First I beat the egg whites until they formed soft peaks, then in a pan I heated up the sugar, corn syrup and water bringing it to a boil. Using a thermometer I made sure the mixture reached 242 degrees. Once it was ready I slowly poured it into the egg whites while the mixer was running. I kept mixing until the frosting held stiff peaks, then added in the vanilla! This frosting was probably the most difficult task in making this cake...we had some trouble with the sugar hardening but that's what this is for, to learn! I think I might have to try it again sometime he he.

After the cakes were done baking and had cooled I took one layer, flipped it, and spread the lemon filling on, almost to the outer edge. I placed the second layer, right-side up, on top of the filling. I took the frosting and started with the sides of the cake and moved to the top, evenly covering the cake. Once the frosting was on I added the yummy berries, letting their juices flow down the sides of the cake. 

The frosting was a bit melty he he! but it tasted so good! The cake itself was hardy and rich and definitely tasted home-made. The lemon filling was really tasty...the bit of tart helped to cut the sugary frosting, complimenting it. Absolutely the most perfect birthday cake...very much a good old-fashioned strawberry shortcake! I had to make myself stop eating it he he! SO GOOD!

My awesome dress is from Amourdress on Etsy: LINK

Thanks for readin!! 

Cheers, Bunny

Nicholas Mosse

Hi there!

I was really taken by a small Pottery company in Ireland, Nicholas Mosse. Something about their simple yet lovely designs made me eager to see more. I first saw an article/ad for them in the Irish Central newsletter. Link below. I love this quote from their page: "To us, Nicholas Mosse is more than just a business - it’s a love affair. We pour unending love and care into all that we make." So immediately I added them to the list of places to visit during our honeymoon. It was torture waiting until the second to last day to go...it made sense, since it would be on our way back toward Dublin.

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A bit from their site about the mill: 

"We know we are privileged to live and work in a place as beautiful and natural as Bennettsbridge, County Kilkenny, Ireland. We love the old mill where we work. Steeped in history, Nick and Susan purchased the Mosse family mill and lovingly restored its hydro electrical power to fire the pottery. Despite it burning to the ground in 1985, Susan and Nick determinedly restored it to its former glory and it continues to be the hub and engine of Nicolas Mosse pottery."

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Finally we made our journey north toward Mosse Pottery...our navigation couldn't find it so we guessed a little bit using google maps. Off the freeway there is also a big sign, that we saw on our way out...so we felt a bit silly having missed it! Finally we came up to the big gates and there it was, Nicholas Mosse Pottery. I had thought it would be small...and perhaps it was compared to Waterford but I was not expecting such a large mill.

I felt like a little kid...so much joy and anticipation! I practically ran to the front doors. Inside we were greeted with a nice hello and their new holiday pottery front and center! Adorable! I was overwhelmed with the sheer volume of pottery, my eyes didn't know where to look first! We started slowly making our way around the tables and shelves filled with plates, bowls, pitchers and other items. They had each design grouped together. Toward the back was some info about the company and someone actually making pottery. I tried not to stare but I love seeing artists work their magic!

I wanted to grab everything but Craig insisted we slow down and start at the top. The second floor had a small coffee shop and the second chance pottery, at a lower price which either had mistakes or was not replicated. Breathing for a second we ordered some coffee, cocoa and an apple crumble with cream...real cream OMG!

After our quick bite I found a few pieces in the second chance section that were really special. One was a pitcher for my mom with clovers on it, she collects them for her kitchen. The other was a one-of-a-kind vase with their old rose design but a slightly different red color. It turned out to be from their mother's day collection. I fell in love! I'm a mom to cats....so it's okay he he!

Next we took our time finding a big fruit bowl, which we did technically need! We went back and forth between a few designs but the clovers won and represented our trip well. We grabbed a clover vase for my grandma and a large tulip mug for myself...something I collect from my travels. Turns out the blue and green in the vase are my Grandma's colors so she was very happy! After Craig managed to get me to narrow down my finds, we went to checkout. Staff were very sweet about wrapping up our purchases and setting them up to ship to our home.

I really didn't want to leave the cozy mill but we had to continue our adventure. Outside the air was crisp and the river calm...feeling a bit surreal. We were both immensely happy to visit the Mosse company and to see such a loving business and family. I could see that each piece meant something to them! 

Be sure to check out all of their social media sites. *The little vase with the tiny clovers is from Bunratty castle! Super cute and perfect for a small bunch of flowers!
-Bunny

http://nicholasmosse.com/

http://www.irishcentral.com/