Maybe one of your resolutions for 2013 is to cook at home more often.  And maybe it isn’t.  Either way, Scratch DC is making it easier for busy Washingtonians to cook a seriously stellar dinner for a fraction of the time and money required.

Here are three reasons Scratch DC is awesome:

1. Price per ingredient.  The ingredients are fresh and locally sourced.  They even outline which farms their cheeses & produce came from (ours were from Farmdale Organics, Natural by Nature, Trickling Springs Creamery, and White Swan Acres, all in PA).  The price for our two-person brunch (full disclosure: we got a great dinner offer with friends Friday night, so we made our bundle for brunch this afternoon.  even more disclosure, we poached eggs and threw them on top) was only $26.00, and I can easily see myself spending twice that at Whole Foods on the same meal.  But since Scratch pre-portions all of the ingredients, there are no leftover bunches of parsley or sad can of chipotle peppers of which you only used one.  Genius!

2. Time saver.  Ordering is easy as pie online, delivery is free and straightforward, and the cleanup & prep work that Scratch DC takes care of for you is incredible.  From start to finish, this took us 40 minutes.

3. It’s nom-nom-nommable!  The fresh ingredients shine and the guys at Scratch are not afraid of flavor.  They tell you which ingredients are most spicy or powerful so that you can add to taste and the components are marinated and seasoned well.  Plus, they now include general nutrition facts for each meal.

We chose Friday’s meal- Shrimp and Veggie Enchiladas with a Creamy Jalapeno Sauce.  And listen- I’m a Hungry Texan, people, so shrimp and enchiladas are my life blood.  I make shrimp of most every variety, and these enchiladas were truly great.  Here’s our story in pictures:

The bundle is cute, succinct, and biodegradable:

We made our sauce from the sour cream, chicken stock & jalapenos and sauted our cabbage, spinach & carrots.

And thanks to Scratch’s surprises & delights, we enjoyed surprise cookies and mimosas

(the cookies were a gift from Scratch, and since we didn’t have to worry about prep, we could focus on mimosas!)

And the whole thing turned out beautifully!

Sure, there were a couple things they need to improve on- pictures in the instructions would be nice for unseasoned chefs who don’t make roux on the reg.  But this is the first iteration of a company that is fit to succeed.  Can’t wait to try it again!

xoxo,

hungry texans