For my Try It Tuesday feature this month, I want to focus on a new business venture from my favorite local restaurant Montague’s called Chef it Up.

The concept is very simple: they prepare ingredients for you to take home and cook a delicious gourmet meal. The majority of the recipe’s ingredients are in the bag and already measured, chopped, and diced, ready for you to sauté in the saucepan. You may need some pantry items like butter, flour, or vegetable oil.

On their website (www.chefitupgreenwood.com) they say:

Our meal recipes are created by chefs, feature local meats and produce, and are ready to cook right out of the bag. We take the guesswork out of cooking and put the fun and enjoyment back in.

I am well known among my friends for my lack of cooking ability. I love to bake, but cooking, no so much. While I can follow directions for a recipe, cooking is not something that I have a passion to do. Thankfully, the hubs likes to cook more than I do.

However, the concept of having everything prepped already intrigued me enough to purchase Chef It Up bag meal chicken piccata from the Uptown Market last Saturday. In addition to having all of the ingredients already prepped, inside the bag was a recipe card and a QR code for a how-to video.

On Sunday afternoon, I set out my ingredients, got out two saucepans, and turned on the stove to begin cooking. I didn’t watch the video first, but the recipe card was very easy to follow.

Seasoning the chicken

Cooked chicken in the orange glaze and almonds

This was delicious!!! I was so surprised, mainly because I have little confidence in my own cooking ability. It was quick and easy to prepare. Being able to cook this AND it turned out like the picture gave my self esteem a boost.

Should you try? Yes!!! This is a great option when you want something a little fancy but don’t feel like trying to buy all the special ingredients to make that happen.

For someone who does not like to cook, I definitely am going to do this again. Signing up for their weekly newsletter will let me know what meal options are available in the coming week. I might even suggest to the hubs that I need to have a regular monthly cooking night.