COOKING EXPERIENCES

(Image from www.juliarachelbarret.net.)

I enjoy cooking and view it as a culinary discovery, versus a necessity, or something to avoid.  I’m always open to learning new things, including experiencing new prepping, cooking, and taste discoveries.  Sometimes those discoveries are found inside my own kitchen, while other times they’re found at a public event, where interactive cooking might occur.  Today’s feature includes both types of experiences. 

~ Meez Meals At-Home Cooking Experiences ~

Meez Meals is a home delivery service offered in the Chicago-area.  Its approach is to provide meals that are healthy, fresh, and creative.  Each week the menu changes, but there are always options to choose from that appeal to dietary and taste preferences, such as vegetarian, carnivore, or pescetarian.  Basic menu options for each week include three meals, plus a selection of sides, snacks and small meals, which cost extra.  Each of the three delivered meals are fully prepped and ready to cook; the only thing needed is EVOO and S&P, plus cooking vessels; for me, I opted to add a few additional items, which is another great thing about this delivery plan; you don’t have to be rigid and follow the recipes as written; you can let your culinary creativity take over, and make the meal your own.  Meals arrive packaged in brown paper bags and individual containers (some in vacuum sealed packages, some in small containers, and some in smaller paper bags); recipe cards are included, which also contain all nutritional detail; a freshness window of six days to prepare the meals is suggested.  I would’ve preferred different packaging, but I appreciate that Meez Meals focusing on being eco-conscious, as I’m the type that reuses containers for storage, versus just tossing them in the trash.  Anyway, following are my takes on the menu options I ordered.  Note, while I’m not a full-fledged vegetarian, I selected all three menu options as vegetarian.  I was curious as to the variety and taste of these options; overall, I wasn’t disappointed.  Taste is a personal thing, so not everyone is going to enjoy the same tastes and/or ingredients, including myself.  Overall, each meal was tasty, but my favorite was the Tuscany-Style Spaghetti Squash Pasta Bake.

(Image of Lemon Pepper Roasted Feta and Mushroom Pasta.)

Lemon Pepper Roasted Feta and Mushroom Pasta ~ The meal included sliced button mushrooms and sliced scallions, which I sautéed; small cubes of feta (~1/4”), which I felt were insufficient in quantity, were to be oven roasted, but I pan roasted instead; uncooked whole wheat pasta shells; and, a lemon and red pepper oil.  After sautéing the veggies, I added the pan roasted feta, cooked pasta shells, and the lemon and red pepper oil; I expanded the recipe by adding approximately a quarter-cup of Trader Joe’s Red Pepper Spread with Roasted Eggplant and Garlic, plus a splash more of EVOO; mixed everything together; the tang of the feta added a nice brightness to the overall flavor of the recipe, as did my adding extra red pepper sauce; I only wished there would’ve been a bit more of the feta cheese.  

Sesame Ginger Broccoli Tofu and Udon Noodle Stir Fry ~ The meal included seasoned cubed tofu chunks, which I pan roasted; raw broccoli, which I sautéed and added to the pan roasted tofu; coconut ginger sauce; uncooked Udon noodles; and a garnish of herbs and nuts.  I consolidated everything into one pan, and after cooking the noodles, added them to the pan as well, and mixed in the herbs and nuts.  This was the quickest and easiest dish to prepare.  My only concern was that the coconut ginger sauce had far too much lime juice in it, which to me diminished the flavors of the coconut milk and ginger and was too tart; I think lemongrass would’ve made for a more authentic flavor profile. 

(My addition to the sauce.)

Tuscany-Style Spaghetti Squash Pasta Bake ~ The meal included chickpeas, onions and thyme; chunked uncooked spaghetti squash, fresh tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese.  I ended up expanding this dish with the addition of pan roasted cubed pork, organic tomato juice, and six-blend Italian cheese; to me there was insufficient amount of sauce and cheese.  I’m old school and always cooked spaghetti squash whole; the chunked squash provided made it difficult to handle; although the recipe called for oven roasting, I pan steamed the chunks in water, allowed them to cool, and then flaked the strands; by chunking the squash, the point of a longer spaghetti-like strand was lost; the strands looked more like shards.  I pan roasted the chickpea and onions and also added dried oregano and minced garlic; these additional items to me made the recipe more authentically Italian.  I combined everything in one pan, topped with the cheeses and baked until the cheese was a golden brown.  For a garnish, there was fresh minced curly leaf parsley; I think Italian flat leaf parsley would’ve added a bit more authentic taste to the dish.  However, with the exception of too much thyme in the chickpea and onion mix, the base ingredients plus what I added to the recipe, made for a delicious tasting meal.

For more information on this service, visit http://www.meezmeals.com 

~ Pirch Chicago Interactive Cooking Experiences ~

I’ve participated in these interactive cooking experiences previously, and have also written about them.  Pirch has locations throughout the U.S., so check the website to see if you’re in proximity to one of their locations and what events they’re offering.  Pirch is an upscale provider of bath, kitchen, and laundry appliances and design services.  Both their in-store cooking demonstrations and interactive experiences are complimentary.   Actually being able to use and cook on high-end appliances from La Cornue, Miele, and Sub-Zero/Wolf, to name a few of the many brands Pirch offers, makes cooking an extraordinary experience.

(The books behind the recipes.)

Cooking By the Book ~ These monthly sessions replaced the previously popular monthly “Family Cinema” sessions.  In the new one, two different books (available for sale in the store’s boutique) had recipes selected, which attendees prepared under the guidance of staff chefs.  My group was tasked with making pie dough for a Strawberry Pie.  The individual hand mixing the dough over-mixed the dough, making it brittle.  There wasn’t sufficient time to chill the dough before rolling it out.  Once the dough was rolled out and cracks repaired as best as possible, the dough was quickly and insufficiently baked for setting.  Then we ended up not having enough dough to make two pies, so the amount was split to yield two smaller pies and the chef further opted to make one of them a Frittata and the other pie, Strawberry; the Strawberry Pie used a Strawberry Jam and fresh cut strawberries.  We quickly prepped the Frittata fillings.  Both crusts were sufficiently precooked, so that when adding the fillings, the fillings were too warm; baking each pie resulted in no time allotment for cooling, so the fillings didn’t properly set.  Another pie was a blueberry lemon curd, which was prepared by the second group; here again, the same issues occurred; even before we all were given a slice, one of the chefs piped fresh made whipped cream and it all melted due to the insufficiently cooled pie.  We did, however, eat the pies on the hot side, and they tasted fine, but with more time for the dough to chill, bake and then bake with fillings, and then a complete cool down, would’ve made them even more delicious tasting.  This experience was a disappointment compared to the previous format of “Family Cinema”.  There were about ten attendees and two chefs, which were too many individuals in the kitchen set-up. 

Books featured and used in our interactive cooking experience include “The Pie and Pastry Bible” by Rose Levy Beranbaum, and “Bake The Essential Companion” by Alison Thompson.  The first book contained the recipe used for the “strawberry jam”, the base for the strawberry pie filling; the second book contained the recipes of both crusts, and also the blueberry curd tart pie filling.

(Image from www.fuel50.com.)

Saturday Sourcing ~ This is always popular and given the size of the kitchen set-up, there were about twelve attendees and three chefs; we were bumping into each other.  On the menu was French Toast with Blueberry Compote, Eggs Benedict, Croissants, Mixed Green Salad, Roasted Vegetables, and Flatiron Steak, which was served as a garnish to the salad.  All items are locally sourced and very fresh.  I ended up making the Hollandaise sauce for the Eggs Benedict.  Never having made this before I was proud of myself that I whipped and cooked it to perfection without any separation; the consistency was creamy.  Overall, the foods we prepared were delicious.  The main downside is that these weekly sessions have become too popular and are always packed with ten to twelve attendees; when you add the two to three chefs that guide I through the prepping and cooking process, and the overall small space of the kitchen area, it’s too cramped and uncomfortable; it also doesn’t help having kids in tow that are slow and can’t move as fast as an adult; maybe Pirch needs to consider having kids-only interactive cooking experiences.

For more information visit http://www.pirch.com/location/chicago/

~ In Closing ~

Consider using these experiences as a launch pad for going out to explore similar culinary experiences that might already exist in your own backyard.  You might never know what your effort will lead to; perhaps, like a new culinary discovery, which, is what the cooking experience is all about.  And, don’t forget to check your area for meal delivery services that will add an element of surprise to your daily meal preparations.

That’s it for this edition.  Until the next one, remember to always celebrate yourself and your culinary curiosity.  Happy cooking…happy eating!

By Terry Herman

TERRY HERMAN continues perfecting her passion for food and wine.  She has been covering culinary related for many years as it relates to wellness and a healthy lifestyle.  Her popular blog, Terry's Spa, Beauty and Wellness Go-To has featured formidable reviews of cookbooks, restaurants, wine and food, food prep and tools, chef interviews, and coverage of prestigious events such as the International Home+Housewares Show, the National Restaurant Show and the Sweets and Snacks Expo.  She has been published since the mid-1990s in both consumer and trade publications, and is regarded as an expert in spa, beauty, wellness, travel and lifestyle, and is frequently interviewed by publications for her expert content.  She has also presented at major industry conferences, and has served with distinction on numerous governing and advisory boards.  She has a background in strategic and qualitative management, consulting, and motivational speaking.  Her social media outreach includes Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Don’t forget to “Like” her Facebook Page, “Terry’s Second Helpings”.  For additional information, email her at terry.herman@gmail.com.

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