Y’all know I’ve loved cooking things from Pinterest, but as the site grew, it became more and more unstable as far as “following pins” was concerned. People unknowingly pinned pictures with no links, or pictures with links back to a site with no info about said recipe. As a result, I stopped going there.

But even though I was no longer pinning, it was the darndest thing: my family still demanded to eat. Like, DAILY. I don’t know what that’s about. I guess I spoiled them.

I have a revolving door of recipes, obviously, but since one of us (THE COOK, no less) is dairy free, that kind of limits what we can eat together. I will still bend a little and eat recipes if the dairy is small or negligible, but things like macaroni and cheese is off-limits now. (Related, sort of: I will always always always type “diary” the first time. So if you sometimes read that I’m diary-free, you know what’s up.)

So I happened upon a site called Relish, which came highly recommended from a couple of bloggers I read. And I started browsing and the recipes met two criteria that I have for all recipes I try: 1) food sounded good, and 2) they can be whipped up in 40 minutes or less.

I decided to take the plunge because, like I said, I was out of options for cooking. I signed up for a three month subscription, and to be honest? I didn’t mind paying the money. It was relatively cheap and I thought, hey, might get a good recipe or two out of it.

One of the things that I’ve most enjoyed about Relish is the grocery list option. New recipes are available every Thursday, so Friday before I go home for the weekend, I browse through the 20 or so new recipes and pick out four or five that look good to me. You have the option of choosing how many diners you’re cooking for (2 or 4 diners), hit a button, and BOOM! It creates your shopping list for you. And these aren’t weird ingredients that will have you hunting through the store. After using the site religiously for three weeks, I’ve built up quite an arsenal and my shopping trips are becoming more and more focused.

Relish aims to keep your shopping expenses at or around $90 a week, but I usually hover above that. Then again, we have family staples that aren’t covered in the Relish arsenal – milk, oj, toilet paper, etc. I am buying fewer impulse meal ideas, though. Also, there is a focus on real food with Relish; you’ll pick up few or no boxed mixes of any sort.

Relish ALSO has a gluten-free option! If you or a family member has gluten-free needs, be sure and browse that area as well. I imagine that if you are a gluten-free kitchen, finding new dining options can be a real challenge.

Okay, enough chatter. I’m going to share a recipe with you from last week that I cooked (and we loved) and then -  A GIVEAWAY!

PAN-SEARED TILAPIA WITH ALMOND BUTTER (Feeds 2)

• 2/3  lb tilapia filets (I used frozen that had thawed to room temperature)
• coarse salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/8 Cup chopped almonds (I used slivered because that’s what I had on-hand)
• 1 Tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped (I omitted this)

1. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour. Heat the oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Add the fish and cook for 4-5 minutes or until it is easy to move the fish with a spatula.

2. Gently turn the fish and cook for 2-3 minutes more or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove to a plate.

3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the skillet and when it begins to melt, stir in the almonds. Cook for a minute or two until the nuts are toasted; do not let the butter burn! Spoon the almond mixture over the fish; sprinkle with parsley and serve.

SKILLET CORN (Feeds 2 adults and 1 half-interested four year old)

• 1 1/2 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Cups frozen corn
• 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon cornmeal
• coarse sale and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in corn, sugar, and cornmeal. Cook, covered and stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve in individual bowls.

I know, right?! Sounds delicious. AND IT WAS. And you can try it too!

I actually love how Relish values their customers; I contacted them to see if I could post a recipe for you guys to show how awesome the site is and they responded that not only could I post it, but they would love for me to giveaway a three-month subscription! And all readers get a 2 week free trial! GLORY BE, WE ALL BE COOKIN’ UP IN HERE!

So here’s the deal to enter:

• Visit Relish.
• At the bottom, you’ll see the “Redeem a Voucher” link. Click it.
• Relish has allowed my readers a two-week, totally free trial.
• Use code “ANVIL” to redeem yours.
• Choose a menu for the week! Cook! Enjoy!
• Then come back here and comment with what recipe you’re most looking forward to.
• One winner will be chosen from comments – using Random.org – on Thursday.
• That winner will get a free, 3 months subscription!
• (Winner MUST have redeemed a two week free trial.)
• Two week free trial is JUST that – totally free. I asked specifically about that because over the span of a year one time, my friends all held these candle parties for an in-home based candle business, and in order to win a big candle, you had to put your name in this hat, and somehow, no one ever won a big candle, but we all ended up having to host another candle party. So literally, for almost a year, we had to visit two candle parties a month, and that was TOTALLY not free, nor did anyone ever win that big three-wick candle. So I asked, Is this “free” trial like those candle parties?  and she virtually patted me on the head and said, “No, not. I don’t think. But they don’t even ask for your credit card info.” So there you go. NO CANDLE PARTIES FOR YOU.

Alright! Let’s get cooking!

Although they are providing the free trial and winner’s prize, Relish is not compensating me for this post. I just really, honestly loved them and wanted to share it with you. I basically would’ve written most of this post ANYWAY, but it just happens to feature a giveaway on it. HOORAY!