BLUE APRON - NATIONWIDE

We love food. I also love to cook. Big Daddy loves when I cook too! But I don't cook nearly as much as I did when the kids were still living at home. Reason being, cooking for two has never been an easy feat for me to accomplish. When I cook, I cook for an army with a weeks worth of left overs. Trimming that down hasn't been easy. I was bemoaning this fact when I happened upon BLUE APRON. A friend was posting these amazing images on Instagram of meals she'd prepared and I was pretty impressed. So I did a little research but I was still not convinced. Then that friend offered me a coupon to test out their services for free. Free and food was a no brainer!

Blue Apron is a weekly subscription service where fresh ingredients and great recipes are delivered to your front door. You can opt out of a week or cancel easily and there is no obligation that renders you stuck with anything you don't want.

As their website boasts, each week you get exciting, seasonal recipes created by their culinary team and renowned guest chefs. Ingredients are perfectly pre-measured. No recipe is ever repeated in the same year, meals are 500-700 calories per serving and they take thirty-five minutes to prepare. You choose your free delivery date and the refrigerated box arrives when expected. There are interactive recipe cards and how-to videos to take all the guess-work out of the experience.

Our first box featured everything we needed for Spiced Meatballs with Garlic Toasts and Summer Squash Salad, Stir-Fried Ginger-Basil Chicken, and Seared Salmon and Panzanella with Corn, Shishito Peppers and Thai Basil. 

Now, I'm going to be honest. I've been cooking since I was eight-years old but this had me slightly intimidated until Big Daddy started dicing and slicing vegetables to help me get started. Then I had a blast preparing restaurant quality meals like I was a professionally trained chef! It was fun, but it was also work.

We cooked the Seared Salmon that first day and it was really good! My favorite part was the panzanella, a traditional Tuscan salad made with homemade garlic croutons. It was a delightful blend of corn, plum tomatoes, heirloom cucumber, Shishito peppers, Thai basil and those croutons. I will cook this again without hesitation, 

The second day we prepared the Spiced Meatballs which I thought would have been our favorite. I was surprised when I really didn't like it much at all. To our disadvantage they forgot to include the spice blend. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt on this faux pas. Fortunately, I have a fully stocked kitchen and spice cabinets so blending the dried thyme, garlic powder, mustard powder, lemon peel and crushed pepper wasn't a challenge. But the entire meal, a North African specialty, was just too citrusy for my taste buds. The sauce was just okay, not special, and it left me wishing I'd doctored it up a bit more. This one didn't work for either of us. 

The third day we cooked the Stir-fried Chicken and it was a definite winner! Big Daddy and I both loved everything about this meal from the lightly flavored coconut jasmine rice to the Thai-themed stir-fry with the thick, flavorful, sweet chili sauce. The Japanese eggplant was sheer perfection and a nice addition that I would never have thought to try on my own.

Will we use Blue Apron again? Most definitely. Will we recommend it to others? Without a doubt. On the two-person plan the cost of each meal is only $9.99 and you get three meals per person per week. The family plan which serves four is $8.74 per person and you have the option of getting two meals or four meals per week. The portions are generous and filling and you would not be disappointed.

Personally, Blue Apron was everything I was hoping it would be and more!

ANGIE'S RESTAURANT - GARNER, NC

Angie's Restaurant in Garner, NC has become one of our new favorite places for breakfast and lunch. It's a no frills establishment that caters to a crowd of regulars with great, home cooked meals. Established in a renovated old farm house, it's plain, not at all fancy nor pretty. Inside you're greeted by a loyal, enthusiastic staff that put the friend in friendly. By nature, they are all huggers and there isn't a customer yet that isn't considered a friend.

Since our first visit we've been a few times, eager to try the specials of the day. Fried chicken is on Thursdays and Friday's is fish day.

The fried chicken is a contender for the best in NC. It was tender, crispy, moist and seasoned to perfection. We'll try it again to insure the experience wasn't a fluke. Mashed potatoes are real potatoes, creamy with the perfect touch of butter flavor. The gravy was thick and rich and just like grandma use to make it. 

We've enjoyed perfectly fried okra, the most scrumptious hush puppies, macaroni and cheese that rivaled my own, and Big Daddy's meal of choice, perfectly fried pork chops. The fried shrimp and oysters was top notch as well. 

The list of everything that is picture perfect about Angie's is long and lengthy. We have yet to experience a meal that has been a disappointment and they cap each dish off with the dessert of the day. 

Now, the desserts have been interesting, but not spectacular. There was peach cobbler that was good not great. Chocolate cobbler which Big Daddy really liked but I would pass on the next time. And pineapple pudding, a kind of banana pudding with pineapple instead of bananas.

Angie's has a loyal following and it's because their customer service is exceptional. The staff go above and beyond to satisfy. And the entire atmosphere just feels like home. It's warm and welcoming and immensely comfortable. We would eat at Angie's Restaurant every day of the week if such a thing were possible!