Weekend Living: Flowers in My Grocery Basket (Fresh Direct's Floral Delivery Service Review)

My love of the NY-based grocery delivery service Fresh Direct is WELL-documented on this blog. Given the amount of groceries I buy for recipe testing, cooking classes, as well as our own personal meals (and the fact that I don't drive), I can't even begin to imagine how difficult life would be without them. Apart from the convenience and the amazing quality of their food (especially the local produce & meat), I love that they occasionally add some really fun options to their site.

Like their new local floral delivery service!

I've always wanted to be the sort of woman who regularly keeps gorgeous fresh flowers around the home. The truth is that I am not that sort of woman. I'm more the sort of woman who buys fresh flowers, enjoys them for a few days, and then keeps forgetting to throw them out as they sit withering and drying and crumbling into dust all over my coffee or dining table. Way more Miss Havisham than Martha Stewart.

They finally get thrown out and then months and months pass before I even think to buy another bouquet.

But a service like this could be pretty great. Because I always remember to buy groceries (naturally) and it's easy enough to pick something lovely and seasonal and add it to my basket.

This weekend, I decided to test out the service to see just how it works in real life, and took pictures so that I could share with you in case you've also been thinking about trying it.

NOTE: This is NOT a sponsored post; I'm just sharing because I think it's a cool service and figured other folks in NYC might also be curious about it. Fresh Direct did not ask me or pay me to write this, though I am sharing my affiliate link at the bottom which means you'll get a discount and I'll get a small credit if you use it as a first-time customer.

The site said that the flowers arrive with closed buds, wrapped in parchment paper in twine. Once cut and placed in water, they start to bloom and look perfect within 1 or 2 days.

It sounded easy enough to me, so I added a $19.99 bouquet of peonies to my basket. Since the flowers come just in bouquet form without vases, they're all pretty inexpensive, ranging in price from $12.99 to $29.99.

As promised the flowers arrived closed and wrapped in brown butcher paper labeled with instructions. I decided to use an old mason jar as a vase, and cut the stems down very short to fit in the jar and create a nice tight bouquet.

Ever vigilant, Hudson was keeping his eye on the neighborhood while I worked on my flowers.

Tip: I find that cutting flowers (even inexpensive bodega flowers) very short and putting them into small vases makes them look much more elegant and expensive than leaving the stems long.

It also allows you to be creative with your vessel (I've used large mugs, watering cans, even old plum tomato cans to create really cool looking arrangements.)

From the above photo, you can see that I used my lobster shears to cut them. I couldn't find regular scissors, and it's always nice to find another use for lobster shears, since I don't really make lobster all that often.

Not wanting to waste the parchment paper, I cut it down a bit (also using lobster shears) and scrunched it up around the jar, tying it in place with the twine, for a perfectly lovely rustic look.

I arranged the cut flowers in the jar, which I prepared by filling with room temperature filtered water and a bit of the provided flower food. I then placed them in the sun, feeling rather fancy about myself.

It wasn't long (mere hours) before the tight buds started springing to life with plush, fragrant blossoms. By the next afternoon, the flowers were absolutely perfect.

While I have no illusions that a standing peony order is going to turn me into a perfect homemaker, I can't deny the fact that having the gorgeous blossoms on the table motivated me to do a bit of straightening and dusting up. We'll see how long this lasts, but for now I am most definitely a happy customer!

Do you like to keep fresh flowers around the house? Do you find that it helps you keep your home tidier?

If you've never tried Fresh Direct before, you can click on this invite link which will give you access to a $100 discount off your first 2 orders ($50 off each). (I'll get a $25 credit, too, but that won't affect your discount in any way.)

Fresh Direct Coupon Code: Want to try Fresh Direct? Click here for a first-time Fresh Direct customer coupon and save $100 on your first two orders!

Disclaimer:  This is NOT a sponsored post. Fresh Direct did NOT pay me or even ask me to write this. I just decided to try it and share it with you on my own accord. I included my referral link above so if you use it to sign up and have never ordered before, I will get $25 credit and you'll get a $100 discount, but that's not influencing my opinions in any way.

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What's in My Grocery Bag 12/9/12

I got a comment on Facebook from one of my readers, Michele, who asked if I could bring back the "What's in my Grocery Bag" feature where I share my shopping list and my plans for the ingredients for your voyeuristic pleasure and/or inspiration.

I'm not really sure that I can actually call it a feature since I really only did it twice before I forgot about it (classic Alejandra move). Eugene saw the comment and seconded the request because it's also one of his favorite "features."

I think it's because he likes to know what I'll be feeding him in the coming weeks.

Or maybe he just wants to know what exactly it is that I do with the grocery money...

Either way, I just did groceries a couple days ago, and this is what I bought.  Please note that it had been nearly a month since I did groceries because of travel and events, so this was a much larger order than usual:

Dairy & Eggs
1/4lb Bulgarian Feta (To crumble over cucumber salads and to use in some merguez sausage tacos I've been toying with in my head. I typically prefer Greek feta, but Bulgarian is also good and about 3/4 the price. Thrifty!)
1/4lb Gorgonzola Dolce (For a little holiday appetizer idea I'm planning: crostini with spiced walnuts and poached pears. Will post that recipe soon!)
1lb Lioni Latticini Fresh Mozzarella (For general snacking throughout the week. I slice it, let it hit room temperature, then sprinkle it with salt and olive oil.)
3 Containers Fage 0% Greek Yogurt with Cherry Pomegranate (Eugene likes this flavor so I got him a few for breakfast. Personally, I prefer the full fat plain kind although the mango guanabana is also pretty good--I just add the jammy stuff to my full fat yogurt. I think 0% yogurt is pointless.)
1 quart Farmland Heavy Cream (for homemade whipped cream and to make chocolate ganache)
2 - 1lb Unsalted Sweet Butter Blocks (for holiday baking: fruit cakes, rum cakes, and cookies. I love buying butter in blocks--it feels kind of old fashioned)
2 Dozen Pastured Large Brown Eggs (They're more expensive, but I only ever buy pastured eggs. They're always a little bit wonky-sized, the yolks are bright orange, and they sometimes have bits of chicken poop stuck to the eggshell...that's how you know they're good! I use them for baking, breakfast, and pasta carbornara. (Obviously, I wash the poop off first.))
1/2 gallon Ronnybrook All Natural Creamline Milk (Non-homogenized so the fat rises to the top, just the way God intended. Super creamy NY milk. I don't drink milk straight--I use it mostly for baking and hot chocolate, and the rare cafe con leche when I need an extra dose of focus. Eugene uses it in his post-gym protein shakes.)
1/2 gallon Silk Coconut Milk (I admit I don't 100% love all the funky additives in this, but I love the taste of it and it's a great non-dairy option for breakfast smoothies, drinking straight, and hot chocolate. Also it's about 90 calories a cup, compared to 350 calories in the canned kind--not even exaggerating here.)

Deli
Citterio Cubetti Pancetta (I like to cook these until crisp and add to salads in place of lardon. Also great with roasted Brussels sprouts.)
D'Artagnan Chorizo Sausage (My favorite! Made from heritage pork. I already used half of this in a chorizo, kale, and chickpea soup. The other half became shrimp and chorizo tacos.)
1/2 lb Provolone Cheese, Sliced (sandwiches, maybe in some kind of baked pasta dish if Eugene doesn't snack his way through the whole package)
3/4lb Schaller & Weber Bauernschinken (cured thin, super salty farmer's ham. Amazing in sandwiches, but Eugene and I usually just eat slices of this plain as a snack. I also occasionally fry a slice on a dry skillet to have with my morning scrambled eggs.)
1/2lb Schaller & Weber Smoked Bacon, Extra-Thick (I dice this and use in soups, salads, and with roasted veggies. On the weekends, Eugene will make himself a slice or two along with his eggs.)

Fruit
2 Bosc Pears (Poached as part of the aforementioned crostini with Gorgonzola dolce--if Eugene doesn't eat them first! He's a fruit fiend.)
4 Hass Avocados (We already ate all of these! We had guacamole for dinner on Friday and I ate the other one smashed on sprouted grain toast with a sprinkle of salt.)
4 Honeycrisp Apples (My favorite! Super crisp and the perfect blend of tart and sweet. Love these just on their own or with slices of cheese and ham--a mini ploughman's lunch, if you will.)
4 Organic Pink Lady Apples (2nd favorite--also very crisp, tart, bright pink skin.)
8 Lemons (Zest goes into baked goods, pasta, yogurt sauces. Juice goes into my daily water. I drink lemon water all day long every single day. My body is about 60% lemon water.  I also use it in marinades and Eugene has thin slices of it with his tea at night.)
2- 12oz bags Ocean Spray Cranberries (Not totally sure yet. Some baking, probably. I might make this Cranberry Ropa Vieja again, too. They were on sale so I snagged them. They may end up in the freezer.)
5 Red Grapefruits (Eugene's favorite snack. He eats one a day and the entire apartment smells like citrus for an hour. His hands always smell like grapefruits, which I suppose is better than my hands, which always smell like smoked paprika, garlic, and vanilla.)
1 Banana Bunch (smoothies, Eugene's protein shakes, on-the-go breakfasts, occasionally frozen and dipped in melted dark chocolate)

Meat
1 6lb Beef Brisket (Braised in a coffee and ancho chili rub until fork tender. Then I pulled it and we had it for dinner tonight as tacos. Amazing. Recipe coming soon.)
4lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (I cut these down into tenders, marinated in chimichurri, and divided into 1lb portions that I put in the freezer for future quick meals.)

Seafood
2 Verlasso Salmon Fillets (I brushed these with olive oil, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper, then broiled until crispy on top for dinner on Thursday. Eugene had the leftovers for lunch on Friday along with a cucumber and red pepper salad.)

Vegetables & Herbs
Celery (for snacks, salads, and as a base in soups)
1 Bunch Cilantro (on tacos and in marinades)
6 Heads Garlic (in everything!)
1lb Green Beans (trimmed, tossed with olive oil and salt, then roasted)
3 Large Green Cucumbers (Sliced thinly with my mandoline, then dressed with olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Crumbled feta on top. Easiest side ever! I eat this almost daily for lunch.)
2 Large Bunches Green Kale (For soup, sauteed with olive oil, garlic & red chile flakes, and in salads)
1 Bunch Italian Parsley (For chimichurri marinade that I use on chicken, shrimp, and steak. I took pictures when I made it, so I'll post the recipe for you soon.)
2 Red Bell Peppers (For salad and sofrito.)
3 Red Onions (Sliced thinly and pickled to serve on tacos with the pulled brisket, also roasted in the oven along with root veggies, and diced into guacamole.)
1/2lb Satur Farms Brussels Sprouts (A local NY farm that grows amazing produce. Roasted in the oven with pancetta or bacon.)
1 lb Satur Farms Wild Arugula (For quick salads with olive oil and lemon, topped with pancetta or avocado, served alongside salmon or grilled chimichurri chicken)
4lbs Yellow Onions (For use in marinades, soups, sofrito, caramelizing…pretty much everything!)

Grocery
Dole Pineapple Juice (For cocktail recipes I'm working on for an article. Also for marinades and deglazing the pan after grilling the aforementioned chimichurri chicken. Eugene will probably just drink most of this unless I stop him.)
1 Quart Coconut Water (For drinking. Most amazing stuff ever.)
3 Cans Carnation Evaporated Milk (For making homemade Coquito--the Puerto Rican version of Egg Nog, and Christmas fudge to gift.)
2 cans Goya Coconut Milk (For coquito, coconut rice, and curry)
2 packages La Tortilla Factory Hand Made Style Corn Tortillas (My FAVORITE brand of tortillas! They're half corn and half flour, which makes them 100% delicious. For all the aforementioned tacos)
Rosa Mexicano Kitchen Corn Tortilla Chips (For guacamole.)
Spice Supreme Oregano (I was out of it. I use oregano in pretty much everything that I cook.)
2 Bags Stacy's Pita Chips--Simply Naked (These were on a 2 for 1 sale so I got a couple to keep in the pantry for snacks and last-minute company. Love these with hummus!)

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What's In My Grocery Bag II

Many of you seemed to really enjoy the What's in My Grocery Bag post I wore a couple weeks ago, so I've decided to make this a regular feature!

Just like last time, I'm including a detailed list of every single thing in this week's grocery bag, along with a few notes on how I plan to use each item. My hope for this series is that you'll get some ideas for using ingredients, and learn a little bit more about the way that I cook and shop beyond the recipes that I post here. (Plus, I can totally appreciate the voyeuristic element of seeing what's inside somebody else's fridge.)

If you have any questions about how to cook an ingredient I mention here, or want to share your own recipe ideas for things, just leave it in the comments below.

Enjoy!

Dairy
1/2 lb New York State Extra-Sharp Cheddar (I'm going to make jalapeno and cheddar tater tots with these using a recipe I got from Marc Murphy based on the one he serves at his restaurant Ditch Plains.)
1 16oz carton of Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt in Plain (I typically prefer Fage yogurt, but they were out so I got Oikos. I use this as a substitute for sour cream in dips, sauces, tacos, and chili).
1 gallon Organic nymilk Whole Milk (I'm going to attempt homemade fresh mozzarella using a mozzarella-making kit that Eugene bought me. According to the instructions, this 1 gallon of milk should yield 1 pound of mozzarella. Fingers crossed!)

Fruit
2 6oz cartons of blueberries (they're back! Will probably just eat these fresh with a bit of cream or ice cream; perhaps use a few in pancakes)
1 16oz carton of strawberries (strawberries have just come back in season in NY. Will enjoy this first batch sliced with perhaps a touch of fresh mint)
1 Cantaloupe  (I love how affordable fruit is in season; this huge, sweet melon was just $1.99!, I'll cut it up and eat it fresh and cold. I also like to pop a few cubes in the freezer and eat them like ice pops.)
1 Francine Mango (Francine mangoes are a very soft and sweet Haitian variety; I want to try this kind as I've never had it before.)
2 Tommy Atkins Mangoes (Tommy Atkins mangoes are firmer and more common. I'm planning to slice these and served topped with chili powder, salt, and lime.)
8 Lemons (lemon water, tea, in cooking for marinades, on fish and seafood)
5 Hass Avocados (I want to try an avocado popsicle recipe I read, and of course, a lot of salads! My favorite is arugula, avocado, sardines, and a lemon vinaigrette--perfect summer lunch full of fiber, protein, and good fats.)
1 Bunch Bananas (quick breakfast or snack on the go, but really mostly for doing this thing I do where I dip the peeled banana in melted semi-sweet chocolate and freeze, then eat. It's my favorite weeknight dessert!)
2 On the Vine Tomatoes (for fresh salsa)


Vegetables & Herbs
1 package Organic Alfalfa Sprouts (love these in sandwiches with just a bit of mayo on whole grain bread, also great in salads and turkey burgers)
1 bunch Organic Watercress (my favorite salad green--love that spicy, peppery bite. It's also great pureed with Greek yogurt and garlic for a quick salad dressing or veggie dip)
Organic White Mushrooms (going to add these to my turkey burger patties)
1 bunch Local Asparagus (roasted with olive oil and lots and lots of pepper--seriously my favorite way to eat them)
3 Belgian Endive (I'm planning to braise these in olive oil and serve with gremolata, just like we had at Eat Write Retreat! Sublime.)
Cilantro (I use this in salsa, sofrito, on fish tacos, and in cocktails)
Parsley (to make gremolata for the braised endive)
Mint (will julienne and sprinkle on fresh berries, use in my morning water along with some lemon and cucumber juice, use in cocktails)
6 Jalapeno Peppers (will be using these in the aforementioned jalapeno and cheddar tater tots (!!), also in salsa, guacamole, and cocktails)
1 Red Bell Pepper (not exactly sure yet, but always good to have around)
1 package Satur Farms Wild Arugula (salad with avocado, lemon vinaigrette, and sardines or smoked oysters)

Seafood
2 Farm-Raised Tilapia Fillets (pan-fried and served with a lemon, butter, and parsley sauce)
1lb Shell-Off Cleaned Fresh Wild Rock Shrimp (sauteed over salad)
4 Wild Soft-Shell Crabs (I actually already cooked and ate these! Made soft-shell crab tacos with cumin yogurt, avocado, and fresh salsa.)

Meat
2lbs Ground Turkey (turkey burgers! I'm thinking chipotle mayo, alfalfa sprouts, and freshly baked wholegrain buns)
2lbs Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef (meatballs; Eugene really liked the ones I made last week so I'm going to reprise and make extra that I can freeze for quick meals in the future)

Grocery
1 can Goya Coconut Milk (I want to make a Puerto Rican frozen dessert that my grandmother used to make me. It's called limber de coco. I'll definitely be posting about this!)
1 bag Goya Red Lentils (braised lentils, lentil soup)
1 bottle Monini Il Monello First-Pressed Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, 2009 Vintage (good olive oil for salad dressing, soup garnishes, and to dip bread into)
Rice Select Jasmati Long Grain Jasmine Rice (to accompany the lentils, chicken, other dishes. I'm not a huge rice fan, but I love jasmine rice)
1 jar Roland Hot Sliced Jalapeno Pepper (to use in those tater tots I keep mentioning. Also for garnishes on burgers, sandwiches. Eugene also just likes to eat pickled things along with his food.)
1 Spice Supreme Chili Powder (I'd just run out so I got a new jar for chili, black bean soup, to sprinkle on fresh sliced mangoes along with a bit of cayenne, salt, and lime juice)
1 Spice Supreme Curry Powder (I never buy curry as I don't really love it, but I wanted to experiment a bit with it on lentils and possibly chicken)

Bakery
2 Par-baked French Baguettes (I love to bake from scratch, but par-baked (partially baked) breads are amazing because they allow you to have freshly baked bread in a total of 40 minutes. I keep a few of these in my freezer and pull them out and finish baking them whenever I want something to accompany a soup, or to serve with cheese, or for sandwiches.)
1 Par-baked Raisin Pumpernickel Bread (this kind is especially good with creamy aged cheeses, just add some fruit and a glass of wine for a perfect summer supper or picnic)

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What's in My Grocery Bag

I totally had a picture of my grocery bag overflowing with food to accompany this post, but my camera ate it. (It must have looked very delicious.) Anyway, now you get a picture of 2 shelves in my refrigerator instead.

Do you know what I love? Those articles in magazines that feature celebrities "revealing" what they have inside their purse. I know that a lot of times these lists are totally staged and edited, and that the pics don't even feature the actual things, but I'm still a sucker for that voyeuristic peek inside a stranger's life.

With that in mind, I thought that it would be fun to start including my own version of the "What's in my bag" feature by spilling the contents of my grocery bag (figuratively, that is; I don't want any eggs on the floor). It's supposed to be fun, but I also want to give you a little more insight into the way that I (we) shop and eat around here on a daily basis, and what I do with ingredients beyond what makes it onto the site.

So here it is. The contents of this week's grocery bag (I've also included notes on what I plan to do with each of the ingredients.)

Dairy
1/2 lbs of Parmigiano-Reggiano, aged 2 years (to shave over salad and soup, use in pesto)
2 17.6 oz cartons of Fage TOTAL Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt (that's the full-fat kind; I use this in and on everything…fish tacos, on soup, to make dipping sauces and dressings and lassi, on potatoes, in baking.)

Seafood
3 Wild Soft-Shell Crabs (Hello, lover! One for Eugene; TWO for me!)
1 bag Shell-Off Medium Farm-Raised Uncooked Shrimp (frozen; don't have specific plans for these right now, but they were on sale and they're always great to have on hand for quick meals)
10oz Wild Caught Mahi Mahi Fillets (also on sale and frozen; I'm going to make fish tacos with these)

Meat and Poultry
9 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (these were on major sale, hence the huge quantity I purchased; I will separate it and most will go in the freezer for future meals. Some will become chicken paillard.)
1 1/2 lbs Organic Grass-Fed Lean Ground Beef (this will become meatballs)

Fruit
5 Hass Avocados (I love having plenty of avocados around for sandwiches, tacos, salads, and guacamole)
4 Lemons (we go through lemons like crazy in this apartment; these won't even make it to Friday. I use them for salad dressing, baking (the zest & juice), my morning water, and Eugene's nightly tea)
2 Red Grapefruits (I'd like to broil these with raw brown sugar on top but the reality is that Eugene will probably get to it first. He likes them plain.)
4 Organic Pink Lady Apples (for snacking along with cheese and to put in salads; I already made an arugula and apple salad with one of these; stay tuned...)

Vegetables & Herbs
1 bunch Organic Broccolette (sauteed with olive oil and garlic, then tossed with whole wheat pasta and the Parmigiano-Reggiano)
3 Organic Garnet Yams (diced and roasted with sage; will probably serve with chicken)
1 bunch Organic Scallions (for eggs and mashed potatoes; also for cream cheese if I end up making bagels)
1 lb Local Asparagus (roasted with olive oil and a LOT of black pepper (I may also make risotto with this and the parmigiano)
10 Baby Artichokes (trimmed, blanched, and sauteed with butter, olive oil, and garlic; baby artichokes are so much easier to deal with than their full-grown counterpart)
16 oz Brussels Sprouts (I will be making this with these)
6 Kirby Cucumbers (pickling these into half sours)
2 bunches Organic Lacinato Kale (for raw kale salads and soup)
4 stalks Rhubarb (rhubarb crostata or maybe compote)
5 lbs Russet Potatoes (mashed potatoes and potato skins)
10 oz Satur Farms Wild Arugula (salads with the avocado, apple, and some lemon juice; so simple and good)
Sage (for the yams)
Chives (for the mashed potatoes)
 
Grocery
1 box Arrowhead Mills Organic Quinoa (a side for chicken, as bulk and to replace breadcrumbs in the meatballs)
1 jar Roland Anchovy Fillets in Olive Oil (for pasta sauce and salad dressing)
1 package Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast (3pk) (baking whole wheat bread and english muffins; maybe bagels)

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