Extra Helpings - A Blue Apron blog
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Our Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe
Basil pesto is a simple but flavorful sauce. The traditional Italian recipe is made from just basil, garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese. Blue Apron sends a delicious, fresh nut-free recipe. There are hundreds of variations available on the internet, but our favorite recipes stick pretty close to the classic.

Sloppy Joe History: The Origins of this Iconic Comfort Food
There’s nothing complicated than a Sloppy Joe.
At its most basic, the Joe is a sandwich made with ground beef and a tomato sauce. The Sloppy Joe’s history, however, is a bit more complex.

Never Waste a Scallion: Make Scallion Jam
Scallions are the perfect garnish— they’re crisp and verdant, with a slight garlicky tang. Unfortunately, they don’t last very long on their own. By cooking them and packing them with oil, you can extend their shelf life by a few weeks.

Penne alla Vodka Recipe
Every winter, I say I’m going to watch The Sopranos. Somehow, I never get around to it. Whenever my fellow test kitchen Chef Lauren asks me how it’s going, I have the same answer: “I’m waiting for a blizzard, so that I have time to really get into it.” Well, here I am, the cherry blossoms in peak bloom outside my window, 40-odd hours into a blizzard with Tony, Paulie, Furio, and most importantly, my girl Carmela, who makes a mean ziti.

Make Instagram’s Favorite Dalgona Coffee (Whipped Coffee) at Home
What is Dalgona'? In short: it’s gorgeously caramel, fluffy, and sweet—perfect for an Instagrammable quarantine treat. Bonus: It can be made hot or cold. Even though you need to start with hot water to melt the coffee crystals, after it’s whipped it can be finished over cold milk and ice.

A Shakshuka Recipe to Use up Whatever Is in Your Fridge
Shakshuka is one of the most comforting, versatile dishes out there. This recipe always sparks excitement and lifts me out of my usual cooking routine. Shakshuka can be served for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. If you need to serve a larger group, you can easily bulk it up by adding another can of tomatoes and more eggs. It’s also a one-pan wonder, so in my eyes, it’s perfect.

A Guide to Duck Confit
Attention fans of big cooking projects: making duck confit is the perfect way to bust out of your poultry rut. Duck is widely available in US supermarkets, but it’s a far less common addition to the dinner table than its feathery counterpart, the chicken. If you’re looking to master a new skill, read on to learn all about this traditional method for preparing duck.

How to Make a Pie for Any Size Party
Pies are a perfect party dessert. Unfortunately, the classic 9-inch pie tin isn’t one size fits all. For small households, there’s a serious risk leftover pie could languish in the fridge—a true tragedy. For large celebrations, one pie just isn’t going to cut it. From parties for one to full-sized crowds; here’s how to make a pie to suit any size gathering.

Homemade Crispy Hash Browns Recipe: How To Make Them
The hash brown station came with a handout that said “HASH BROWNS: Daily Required Objectives.” In the interest of saving breakfast nationwide, let’s walk through them so you, too, can make restaurant-quality breakfast spuds at home.

The Bell’s Restaurant Egg Salad Sandwich Will Soothe Your Soul
Those in Los Alamos can order a kit with loaf of buttery bread, a quart of egg salad, and homemade pickles. It’s enough food to keep you assembling egg salad sandwiches all week. For those not in California, here’s your chance: recreate this rich and savory egg salad sandwich with tomato jam at home using the recipe below.

A Lemon Curd Icebox Cake to Ring in Warm Weather
I like to think of this as a cross between ice cream cake and frozen lemon meringue pie. The recipe is based on one of my favorite things to make: tart and luscious lemon curd.

Take on a Challenge: Make Pasta al Limone
The thing that I love the most about this Pasta al Limone recipe is its deceptive simplicity. It’s just 5 familiar ingredients, but it can be tricky to pull them together into an elegant “simple” sauce.

How to Cook Pork Belly
If you like bacon, you like pork belly. Bacon and pork belly are the same cut of meat, prepared and sold in slightly different forms. This versatile protein is an easy way to add savory decadence to dinner. Here’s how to get the most out of this delicious ingredient.

No-Bake Banana Cream Tiramisu Recipe
Tiramisu is an all-star dessert. This creamy spiked treat rose to popularity in the U.S. in the 80s, but a classic never gets old—we’re still enjoying its creamy coffee-soaked layers in our favorite Italian restaurants today. To celebrate our love, we’ve created a spin that combines the flavors of two beloved desserts: banana cream pie and tiramisu.

One Five-Ingredient Blondie Recipe, Infinite Possibilities
Sometimes, you want a simple dessert that you can make with ingredients you have on hand. Other times, you’re looking for a baking project that lets you exercise a little creativity. This easy five-ingredient blondie recipe is the solution in both cases.

Cream of Mushroom Tuna Croquettes Are a Pantry-Friendly Throwback
They’re inexpensive, comforting, and utilize lots of canned goods — great for a cold winter’s night, and great for a pandemic. The ingredients showcase pantry staples, which can typically be found hiding in my cupboards or on the back shelf of any bodega. While the fresh aromatics and herbs add a bright touch, they can always be substituted for their dried counterparts.

Rethink Your Pineapple Pizza
A classic Hawaiian pizza is topped with tomato sauce, ham, pineapple wedges, and cheese. It’s an endearing combination of sweet, savory, gooey, and cheesy. Pineapple pizza, while not classically straight out of Naples, is an interesting idea. The sweet and bright fruit adds a spike of acidity that enhances the salty, savory ham and balances out the fatty cheese.

Homemade Almond Butter and Jam with a Healthy Twist
Pick a team: jam and jelly, or nut butters. Don’t want to choose? I suppose you can make both. The Blue Apron test kitchen put a few healthful tweaks on each of these familiar ingredients. Enjoy them on their own, or make both to create a hearty twist on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Make Chicken Noodle Soup with Whatever You Have
This, my friends, is where I am going to give you the trick for the most delightful chicken noodle soup. Place the cooked noodles in the bottom of your soup bowl.

Halloween Candy Cake (With Leftover Candy)
Sometimes you overestimate the number of trick-or-treaters that will pay you a visit, sometimes you underestimate the size of your own candy haul, and sometimes you just get a little carried away in the Halloween aisle. Whatever the reason, the holiday is over and you still have a big pile of leftover candy lying around.
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