Emma's Food Bag

I should mention right now that this is not a sponsored post. I'm writing about this because I'm excited about this.

OKAY YOU GUYS. I'm stoked. I just received my Emma's Food Bag delivery and it's pretty exciting stuff.


What's Emma's Food Bag, you say? Well, let me tell you. It's a week's worth of recipes and local ingredients delivered right to your door. You view the menu and pick which bag is right for you, order, and then wait for the groceries to show up at your door! I never realized how exciting it is to receive your groceries at your front door. IT'S AWESOME.





I found a deal through TreatMe Waikato and thought I would give it a go. So aside from the discount, here's why I'm excited about it:

• We get to try new things. WIN! I get a little bored of our regular routine. This is a great way to switch things up a little and try things I normally wouldn't cook! EXCITING.
• Planned recipes. This means I don't have to dedicate much brains to organizing dinners this week. My recipes and ingredients are all ready to go. Super win.
• FRESH. LOCAL.
• Delivered groceries. I love my beautiful wee babes but sometimes going to the grocery store with two little ones feels like it's in the too-hard-basket.

Cons:

• -I don't have any control over what's in the foodbag. Not that big of a deal, but there it is. As much as I hate meal planning sometimes, I also enjoy meal planning. I'm a confusing person.
• -I don't get to go grocery shopping. As much as grocery shopping is stress inducing, it also means I get out of the house.

So, let's get to the details.

We ordered the Couple's Bag which is enough for 2 people for 5 meals.



Meat, Fish, & Dairy
Chicken mince 600g
Eggs 6
Feta 50g
Skirt Steak 400g
Smoked Pork 200g
Squid tubes 8

Dry Good and Deli
Chickpeas - 1 tin
Cranberry sauce 90g
Flour 200g
Nachos 200g
Rice Noodles 200g

Vegetables & Herbs
Capsicum green
Capsicum yellow
Capsicum red
Carrot
Coriander
Parsley
Courgette
Cucumber
Garlic
Ginger
Green chilli
Iceberg lettuce
Lemon
Lime 2
Red onions 3
Red cabbage 1/4
Spring onion
Tomatoes 4

Sounds good right?? I'm excited to cook every thing up this week and share our food bag journey here on the blog. Would you ever try ordering a food bag? Why or why not?

Make It Yourself: Homemade Taco Seasoning

Making your own taco seasoning is simple, super yummy, and best of all there is no MSG. It's good to know exactly what is going into your meals.

My recipe for taco seasoning hails from my dad who makes killer tacos. He never measures stuff so I decided to add some measurements into the mix. This taco seasoning works as a great base and you can add more or less of the spices to tweak it to your liking.



Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper

Mix it all up and use immediately or place it in an air-proof container for later use.

Notes: I would normally add 1 Tablespoon of onion powder, but I couldn't find any anywhere and fresh chopped onion would work fine as well.

If you like the taco seasoning less spicy, lessen the amount of cayenne or omit it all together. I personally like less spicyness and more garlic powder and more cumin in my taco seasoning.



To use the taco seasoning to make taco meat:

Brown 2 pounds of ground beef and drain off the excess fat. I would throw in some chopped onions in as well, but if you're an onion hater you and skip this step. Stir in 3-4 tablespoons of the taco seasoning over the meat to taste.

Yum. Let me know if you have any questions!

xoxo
Talia Christine

How to: Dulce de leche

If you're anything like me you'll constantly look for ways to treat yourself with incredibly delicious and unhealthy things. What I'm about to share with you is no exception.

I love dulce de leche.

Dulce de leche is spanish for sweet milk. It is a milk caramel made out of sweetened condensed milk. It's makes an incredible spread or fruit dip. I like to spread it on toast or a warm scone, or my fave, a warm tortilla. YUM! The best part? It's so easy to make!
You can do it yourself and impress all your friends!

Here's what you'll need:
-A can of sweetened condensed milk(I like to make two at a time, so maybe splurge and grab an extra can)
-A large pot (Make sure it's big enough to fully cover the cans in water! Super important!)
-Aluminum foil
-A bit of a sweet tooth


Grab your can(s) of sweetened condensed milk and remove the labels.


Don't open the cans. Leave them unopened for now.


Grab some aluminum foil and scrunch it up and put it at the bottom of the pan and fill it with water. This is so the cans rest on the foil and not on the bottom of the pan. It prevents the can from getting too hot from sitting on the direct heat and scorching the caramel. If you have a small wire rack you can fit in the bottom of the pan, go for it! Add in the cans and fill with water. The water MUST cover the cans completely! This is very very important!

Bring the water to a boil then bring the heat down to a simmer. Now take a rest. Continue to simmer the cans for 2 hours.

Super important note: Keep an eye on the water level and add water as needed to keep the cans covered. If the water level gets too low and the cans aren't covered the cans could explode and cover your kitchen, and you, in a scalding hot caramel sauce. It wouldn't be the best part of your day.

After two hours turn the heat off. I like to cook them for about an hour and a half and then let the cans sit in the hot water and wait for the water to fully cool before taking them out. It doesn't really matter. The longer you cook it, the thicker the caramel will be!
I went ahead and cooked the cans for 2 hours this time.

Let the cans cool completely before opening.


Grab a can opener, then enjoy.



I like to use it as a spread on toast. Give it a try. You'll thank me.



Let me know if you have any questions!

xoxo
Talia Christine