Take-out Tonight

With all the preparations involved with hosting Thanksgiving dinner this week, the last thing I want to think about is preparing dinner ahead of time. Fortunately, we have two take home meal stores in town so I decided this was a great time to try them out.

Local Baskit is located at 10 Ferry Street, Concord. They started out as an online only store, but earlier this year opened a storefront where you can stop in and order or pick up your meal kits. While in the store I noticed that they also have a cooler of craft beers. If you are familiar with on-line meal kits, you know that they provide are all or most of your ingredients, proportionately-sized, along with a recipe card. At Local Baskit you can sign-up for weekly meal subscriptions with a $6 delivery charge, or you can order ahead and pick up at one of their locations across the state. I did not order ahead, but was still able to stop in the store and pickup a Spinach Ravioli kit for two.  This meal was great because the raviolis had already been made, so all I had to prepare was the sauce.

Spinach Ravioli Meal kit from Local Baskit

The kit came almost complete with all the ingredients - all I had to provide were oil, butter, salt and pepper. The recipe card had clear photos and easy to follow instructions.

Preparation was a breeze, and for the cost of not much more than going out for fast food, we had a tasty and healthy meal at home with half the effort. The final result looking almost like the photo on the recipe card, and my husband and I both agreed that it was delicious.

Finished spinach ravioli with pistachio lemon cream sauce

When you don't even have time to prepare a meal from take home ingredients, yet want to eat healthy without dining at a restaurant, Concord has another option - The Clean Take, at Capital Two Plaza, conveniently located next to the Durgin Block parking garage.

The Clean Take's meals are already prepared for you and come in reheat-able containers. Like Local Baskit, Clean Take uses fresh and local ingredients whenever possible. Last night we picked up eggplant "meatballs" over rice with a tossed salad. After just twenty minutes in the oven we had a satisfying vegetarian meal which I would definitely order again.

Eggplant meatballs over a bed of rice with fresh salad greens

The Capital Region is fortunate to have two such high quality take-home meal service locations. Check out their websites and if you live in the area, do not hesitate to stop in and chat with the owners about their philosophies on the importance of healthy eating and how they can make meal preparation both simple and enjoyable.

Beef and Apple Chili

One thing that helps get me through the cold days of fall and winter is cooking warm meals in the crock pot. This recipe adds fruit to a basic chili which results in a unique flavor.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon oil
1/2 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can kidney beans or other
beans of your choice
1 cup chopped apples
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup beef or chicken broth
 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oil and saute onion and garlic. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add all ingredients to slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours. Garnish with cheese if desired.
 

Protect Evergreens from Winter Stress

It is now November and although the temperature is supposed to stay in the fifties tonight, the calendar says that freezing temperatures are not far off. This weekend was spent doing fall cleanup, raking leaves, picking up dead branches from the storm Sunday night and spraying our evergreen leaf shrubs with Wilt-Pruf®. I use it on Rhodedendrums, Azaleas, Boxwood and Andromeda. Although these plants are winter hardy, sometimes during severe winters if the leaves are exposed to drying winds and thawing then freezing temperature, this can stress the plant, resulting in brown curled leaves that may not recover in the Spring. Although it may not be needed every winter, to be safe, I apply this spray each year after the temperatures dip below freezing. Since, using it I have not lost any  shrubs due to winter weather. Wilt-Pruf® contains a trademark chemical Pinolene®, a Lewis acid catalyzed polymer of beta-pinene which is derived from the resin of a pine tree. It can be purchased in a spray bottle, or as a concentrate. Also, note that Wilt-Pruf® is not the only brand out there. Bonide sells a Wilt Stop® made from Pinene. Both brands offer a ready-made spray or a concentrate.

Ready made on left and concentrate Wilt Pruf on right.

I prefer the concentrate as it is less expensive and easier to apply with a pump-style sprayer. It is important to apply early in the day as it needs several hours of daylight to properly dry. If you can, it's best to apply on both sides of the leaf surface.

Another way to protect shrubs from winter damage is to wrap them. I do this for our Yew and Arborvitae, but the primary reason is to keep deer from browsing on them. If we get a lot of snow, they will be coming up to the house looking for exposed plants and these two shrubs seem to be their favorite. I use burlap which can be reused for several years. I will do this chore in a couple weeks, after it gets a little colder and before a significant snowfall. I feel a little bad that the shrubs are covered from sunlight for five to six months, but it's better than being eaten.