Cooking at Home: Honey-Dijon Pork Chops with Asparagus and Roasted Potatoes

Honey-dijon pork chops with asparagus and roasted potatoes
Today's much more satisfactory dinner from Hello Fresh: Honey-dijon pork chops with asparagus and roasted potatoes. I have officially become an expert air fryer cook because I made this entire dinner (except for the honey dijon sauce, whatever) in the air fryer and it came out PERFECTLY. The pork was juicy, the asparagus was tender, and the potatoes had a nice crispy exterior. And the honey dijon sauce balanced out the saltiness really well. Would make again, maybe with a horseradish sauce next time.

Cooking at Home: Fiery Hunanese-Style Pork with Green Onion-Ginger Rice

Fiery Hunanese-style pork with green onion-ginger rice
I thought I'd try something a little different this week and picked the fiery Hunanese-style pork with green onion-ginger rice from Hello Fresh. I normally don't go for the Asian kits from Hello Fresh because they're usually disappointing, and sadly, this was no exception. It wasn't terrible — there was a good aroma and the pork had a good texture — but it definitely wasn't great. First of all, they made the rookie mistake of including basmati rice instead of jasmine rice, so the grains were way too loose and it didn't absorb any of the sauce. Secondly, it is not spicy at all. I don't have some crazy spice tolerance or anything, but this was mild at best. Thirdly, it used too much oyster sauce, so it was just way too salty-sweet — almost sickly — especially combined with the soy sauce-mirin blend. (I mean, I know I should taste as I go, but these recipes are supposed to be fool-proof with their measurements.) And fourth, there wasn't nearly enough bok choy to add that crunch that this dish so desperately needed. So yeah, I've officially learned my lesson: no more Asian or Asian-inspired kits for me.

Cooking at Home: Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Pork Rigatoni

Creamy sun-dried tomato pesto and pork rigatoni
Back to cooking at home for dinner with the creamy sun-dried tomato pesto and pork rigatoni from Hello Fresh. I've said this before, but one complaint that I have about Hello Fresh in general is the lack of vegetables in each kit. I find that there's usually only enough veg for one serving in a kit meant for two. While this recipe came with spinach and zucchini, I still felt like it wasn't enough veg so I ended up adding an entire bell pepper to it to get some more nutrients. Other than that, though, this was really delicious and fast to make — and super easy to replicate, too. I used to prefer basil pesto, but this has totally changed my mind about tomato pesto. I think I'm going to pick some up next time I'm at the grocery store — it would be excellent on flatbreads, too.

Cooking at Home: Cheddar Ranch Chicken Burgers with Roasted Potatoes

Cheddar ranch chicken burgers with roasted potatoes
Okay, wow. I made cheddar ranch chicken burgers from Hello Fresh for dinner and they are officially the best burgers I've ever cooked at home, and maybe the best non-fried chicken burger I've ever had. I usually prefer beef in my burgers but in an effort to be healthier, I decided to pick chicken instead and was genuinely surprised by how amazing these turned out. The addition of cheddar and chives in the patties is incredible and the flavours work so beautifully with tart ranch sauce and vinegary pickles. Absolutely phenomenal, 10/10. 

Cooking at Home: Nonna's Spaghetti and Meatballs with Sweet Peppers and Basil

Nonna's spaghetti and meatballs with sweet peppers and basil
It's like the weather knew it was the first day of fall. It was 28℃ yesterday and today, we had a high of 15℃. I'm not complaining because I prefer the cold, but still, the sudden drop in temperature was quite jarring, so I was craving comfort food all day. Thus, tonight's dinner from Hello Fresh: Nonna's spaghetti and meatballs with sweet peppers and basil. I think I would've preferred the sauce to be a little richer; creamier rather than tart. I'm more of a Bolognese girl, so my assessment is probably a bit biased. And it's my fault for waiting until the basil was wilted to cook this kit. Still, it hit the spot. The meatballs were delicious and the perfect texture. But I think there's another nonna out there who can beat this recipe.

Cooking at Home: Golden Halloumi Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions and Potato Coins with Smoky Aioli

Golden halloumi sandwich with caramelized onions and potato coins with smoky aioli
Hello, halloumi! So I made golden halloumi sandwiches with caramelized onions and potato coins with smoky aioli for dinner and IT WAS AMAZING. It was my first time having halloumi and now I'm wondering where it's been all my life. This was like grilled cheese except the cheese is way thicker and has crispy edges and it's in burger-form and it's AWESOME. So yes, I need to have more halloumi in my life ASAP. (Also, potato coins > wedges any day.)

Cooking at Home: Cheesy Pork Enchiladas with Homemade Salsa and Sour Cream

Cheesy pork enchiladas with homemade salsa and sour cream
Tuesday is normally reserved for tacos, but I decided to switch it up a bit this week and made cheesy pork enchiladas with homemade salsa and sour cream. Same basic ingredients as the enchiladas I made last month, except this recipe uses pork instead of beef and includes way more cheese plus a squeeze of lime. And yes, I made them in the air fryer again, but they turned out way better than last time — I baked them for half the time and they didn't turn out crunchy! A win in my books.

Cooking at Home: Creamy Garlic Parmesan Gnocchi with Spinach and Peas

Creamy garlic parmesan gnocchi with spinach and peas
Hello Fresh has been on fire with their gnocchi recipes recently. I made the pan-fried parmesan gnocchi with spinach and peas tonight and it was insanely delicious. The gnocchi had a great chew with just the right amount of crisp on the outside, the zucchini added a great crunch, and the sauce was beautifully creamy with just the right amount of spice. The gnocchi with mushrooms I made a couple weeks ago is still my ultimate favourite, but this definitely comes in at a close second.

Cooking at Home: Crispy Barramundi with Creamy Zucchini and Tomato Orzo

Crispy barramundi with creamy zucchini and tomato orzo
Tonight's dinner from Hello Fresh: Crispy barramundi with creamy zucchini and tomato orzo. I usually skip the fish options from Hello Fresh because I'm not a huge fan of home-cooked fish (it never tastes as good as in restaurants), but I thought I'd try something a little different this week. For some reason, Hello Fresh always offers barramundi over any other type of fish, so I decided on this recipe. Barramundi isn't a particularly notable fish, but this dish was really, really good, and it was all owing to the orzo. Creamy, bright, and flavourful; I could easily have eaten two portions of this orzo alone for dinner. That having been said, the fish was good but not great. I've cooked barramundi once before for a fish taco recipe and it's not bad, but it cooks a little too firm for my liking. The breadcrumb topping is delicious, though, so I think a softer fish with a little more give (and maybe more breadcrumbs to coat the whole fish instead of just the top) would've made this dish perfect.

Cooking at Home: Chipotle Garlic Shrimp and Zesty Slaw Tacos with Feta

Chipotle garlic shrimp and zesty slaw tacos with feta
It's Tuesday, so you know what that means: TACOS! Tonight's recipe: Shrimp and zesty slaw tacos with chipotle sauce and feta (sans cilantro, of course). Okay, so these might sound the same as the shrimp tacos I made a couple weeks ago, but the flavours were actually totally different — these have feta and chipotle sauce whereas the other ones have guacamole and poblanos, plus I also added like, four gloves of garlic to the shrimp here. Both renditions are excellent, but I think using the slaw and chipotle sauce from tonight's recipe along with the addition of guacamole like in the other recipe would make the perfect shrimp tacos.

Cooking at Home: Stovetop Pastitsio-Inspired Fusilli with Greek-Style Bechamel Sauce

Stovetop pastitsio-inspired fusilli with Greek-style bechamel sauce
I inadvertently made the most delicious pasta this evening. I had decided to cook the stovetop pastitsio-inspired fusilli kit from Hello Fresh, and this recipe calls for cinnamon, of all things. (If I've ever had cinnamon in my pasta before, I definitely don't know about it.) Except I accidentally added like, five times the amount and I was like, "Oh fuck, this is gonna taste weird." So then I added four cloves of crushed garlic because, you know, garlic makes all pasta dishes taste better. But the extra cinnamon ended up making it SO DAMN TASTY. It adds this warm, spiced aroma that works so beautifully with the garlic and tomatoes and creamy "bechamel" sauce. The happiest accident I've ever made in the kitchen.

Cooking at Home: Cheesy Pork Quesadillas with Homemade Salsa and Lime Crema

Cheesy pork quesadillas with homemade salsa and lime crema
In lieu of tacos this Tuesday, I made these cheesy pork quesadillas instead, served with DIY salsa and lime crema. Nothing particularly new or exciting — I always seem to get some sort of pork-cheese-pepper combination when it comes to picking out Mexican-inspired recipes from Hello Fresh, whether it's quesadillas, tacos, or enchiladas — but it is reliably delicious and lime crema always gives it that fresh tart kick that I love with Mexican seasoning.

Cooking at Home: Mexican-Inspired Shrimp Tacos with Coleslaw and Guacamole

Mexican-inspired shrimp tacos with coleslaw and guacamole
IT'S TACO TUESDAY! This week's recipe: Mexican-inspired shrimp tacos with coleslaw. Swapped cilantro for parsley and added extra guacamole. A delightfully delicious good time. (Also, I gotta say, taco holders are such a great investment.)

Cooking at Home: Grilled Italian Sausage and Bell Pepper Ciabattas

Grilled Italian sausage and bell pepper ciabattas
Tonight's dinner: Grilled Italian sausage and bell pepper ciabattas. Okay, so this recipe technically requires a grill but I don't have a real grill, so I used my air fryer instead and let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS AS HECK. I skipped making the warm marinara dip because I just find dipping burgers in sauce to be tedious, so I cooked the peppers and onions together in the marinara, melted the parmesan in it, and spooned it on top of the sausage patty instead and I honestly think it turned out even better. Plus, the ciabatta works perfectly with the Italian flavours and with holding up all the saucy veggies. Would definitely make again and maybe add some mozzarella to create a pizza burger or something.

Cooking at Home: Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Spinach in Onion Tomato Sauce

Gnocchi with mushrooms and spinach in onion tomato sauce

It has been raining all damn day and I'm PMS-ing and all I wanted was comfort food, so I decided to make gnocchi with mushrooms and spinach in an onion tomato sauce. And because that's not enough carbs, I made garlic bread on the side, too. This is surprisingly my favourite gnocchi dish I've made so far — it's flavourful and subtly creamy but not too rich or saucy, and the mushrooms add the perfect amount of "meatiness" to a vegetarian dish. It was really fast and easy to make, too. 10/10, will absolutely be using this recipe again.

Cooking at Home: Beef and Pepper Enchiladas

Beef and pepper enchiladas
I missed Taco Tuesday yesterday so I made up for it with tonight's Mexican dinner: Beef and pepper enchiladas. I added an extra bell pepper to be healthier and I decided to try baking them in the air fryer instead of the oven (I hate turning on the oven) so they turned out a little crispier (and more deformed) than I intended, but THEY WERE STILL DELICIOUS, OKAY?

Cooking at Home: Pork Souvlaki-Inspired Burgers with Lemon Potatoes

Pork souvlaki-inspired burgers with lemon potatoes
Okay, I've been taking a little hiatus from Hello Fresh, but I'm back on the train now. Tonight's dinner: Pork souvlaki-inspired burgers with lemon potatoes. I think I would've maybe paired them with a different bun than brioche, but otherwise, this was delightfully delicious and different enough from regular beef burgers to keep it interesting. The feta mayo is amazing with the meat and the bright lemony potatoes, too. Just what I needed on a dreary, gloomy, stormy Monday.

Cooking at Home: Farmhouse Chicken with Brown Butter 'Champ' Mash

Farmhouse chicken with brown butter 'champ' mash

My mom came over this evening to drop off some stuff, so I just told her to stay for dinner and cooked us my second Hello Fresh kit of the week: Farmhouse chicken with brown butter 'champ' mash. Okay, everything about this meal was great — the chicken was super tender and juicy and the mashed potatoes were flavourful and fluffy (maybe my best yet, actually) — but the only criticism I have to make is that there weren't nearly enough vegetables to split into two servings. The amount of veg was so paltry that I ended up having to cook another two cups of frozen broccoli just so there was enough substance. I'm just saying, the photo on the recipe sheet was TOTALLY MISLEADING. Otherwise, it was a basic but totally delicious meal. (Even mom agreed.)

Cooking at Home: Chicken Pot Pie Stew with Crusty Garlic Toast

Chicken pot pie stew with crusty garlic toast

It's become cold again after the insane storm this past Saturday, so I'm starting off this week's Hello Fresh dinners with the chicken pot pie stew with crusty garlic toasts. This was actually really tasty — great flavours, good ratio of chicken to veggies, and especially excellent garlic bread. The only things I would have changed is cutting the chicken into smaller chunks and adding less water so the broth becomes thicker. It felt more like really chunky soup than a stew. But other than that, I would definitely make this again, maybe adding a bit of cream as well. Particularly comforting in cold weather.

Cooking at Home: Za'atar Chicken Bulgur Bowls with Baby Spinach and Chopped Olives

Za'atar chicken bulgur bowls with baby spinach and chopped olives
In an effort to both save money and be healthier, I decided to stay home for dinner and make my last Hello Fresh kit of the week: Za'atar chicken bulgur bowls with baby spinach and chopped olives. The chicken came out really juicy (again, props to my air fryer) and I don't mind bulgur (it was my first time trying it), but at the end of the day, the whole dish just tasted really... healthy. I don't mind eating healthy, but with the amount of seasoning and the addition of olives, I thought it would be more enticing. It really was just like a warm chicken salad. Also, I absolutely hate the feta that Hello Fresh includes in their kits. It's already pre-crumbled, so it doesn't look or taste like real feta. It's not a huge deal but, you know, it's a new-found pet peeve.