by Janet Wilson
posted June 5, 2008
) Photo by Janet Wilson Dream Dinners is located at 2265 Gunbarrel Road. Click to enlarge. |
It wasn’t what I expected, although I am not quite sure what I was expecting. I had a preconceived notion that maybe you went in and fixed your plate with prepared food, took it home and either ate it or froze it for later, sort of like a “to go” box. I was certainly wrong.
This is like going into a kitchen with different counters and having all the ingredients laid out before you. Everything has measuring spoons/cups so you do not have to guess. Above each entree is a menu stand with the list of ingredients needed for your particular entree, with one side having measurements for three servings and the reverse side for six servings. It’s as if you were in your own kitchen with your recipe and all the ingredients in front of you. The only thing is, you don’t have to go buy a full container of something of which you only need ½ teaspoon – and you don’t have to clean up the mess; they do it for you!
The first entree I prepared was Mango Glazed Indian Salmon. Along the top of the kitchen area counters you will find the preparation/storage containers such as foil pans and zip lock bags. You simply follow the instructions on your menu stand as it tells you exactly what containers, etc., to use. In one zip lock bag I put three separately packaged, frozen salmon fillets and sealed them. In a second bag I mixed all the ingredients for the marinade and sealed it. Then I dropped both bags into one larger bag, along with the complete cooking instructions, and sealed it up. The instructions were to either broil for five to seven minutes per side, or grill three to five minutes per side. I went with the grill method – my entree was ready in less than ten minutes!
Another item was Chicken with Honey, Garlic and Orange – Wayne’s favorite of the four meals. With this item, you mix everything in one bag so the chicken is frozen in the marinade. The instructions for this were to broil or grill four to six minutes per side – so here was another quick, delicious meal in just minutes. I served the chicken with an Uncle Ben’s infused rice produce, Garlic and Butter, which was measured for me at Dream Dinners. The rice needs to cook for twenty to thirty minutes. A meal fit for any “foodie”!
The Italian Stuffed Shells were the easiest to prepare at the store, but the most time consuming to prepare at home. The shells were already frozen so you just put them into a baking tin and poured marinara and alfredo sauce over them. To cook, you had to bake covered for thirty minutes, then ten to fifteen minutes uncovered.
My last meal was Maple Glazed Bacon Wrapped Turkey Medallions. This was my favorite. It took a little longer than the others, but much less than had I started from scratch. These look like the little bacon wrapped steaks you get at the grocery store, only larger (and, of course, turkey). You have to brown about five minutes on each side, then put in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes, spooning the glaze over the medallions once during the baking. I served this with Dream Dinners Mashed Potatoes. All you have to do is heat them up. The turkey was extremely tender and juicy and I would select this meal again!
These four meals were absolutely delicious, comparable to any you might be served in a restaurant (and better than some).
What makes this so great is that you can go to Dream Dinners, put the meats and all the ingredients in your containers and take them home, saving that much at the grocery store. The only things you would need from the grocery would be your side items, other than those mentioned. They also have brown rice and whole wheat pastas. Your grocery bill should be reduced a great deal when you have a freezer stocked with Dream Dinners. And – it certainly saves you time in the kitchen!
You do need to schedule an appointment for your meal preparation so they can get the items you want ready and waiting. You do not have to sign up for a set number of visits – you can go only one time if you like – but I’ll bet after once, you’ll be back! All you have to do is go on line to dreamdinners.com and select your time and menu choices. There is a minimum order size – you must prepare 36 servings. That is not 36 meals, but 36 servings. The smallest meal is three servings, which is what I did, so that would be 12 meals to serve three. You could have 12 ready-to-cook meals just waiting in your freezer (you do have to let them thaw in the refrigerator for at least one day prior to cooking).
Dream Dinners is a way to have great tasting, wonderful gourmet meals at home without the hassle and mess of mixing all over your kitchen, plus going from store to store to find that one little ingredient you don’t have and can’t find.
Some of the unique offerings for June (the menu changes from month-to-month) are Blackened Grilled Sirloin Steaks with BBQ Glaze, Grilled Adobo Pork Roast and Herb Dijon Chicken with Rice Pilaf. Looking ahead to July I noted Garden Tarragon Chicken, Asian Style Burgers, and Coconut Shrimp.
Session times for Dream Dinners are: Wednesday, 4:00, 5:15 and 6:15 p.m.; Thursday from 9:30 AM until 6:15 p.m.; Friday 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.; and Saturday at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Dream Dinners even does parties – you can reserve a time and take a group with you. In fact, Tuesdays are reserved for private parties. Even though they are not open on Monday and Tuesday, they are there doing food prep, etc., and you can call with any questions.
Maybe I will see you there!
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