ScratchDC delivers

 
My apartment has no heat. It has some heat, limited heat. It stays warm enough to keep frost off the floors. I live in pajama pants and thick boot socks (okay, that part's not so bad). The other night, I tried to ignite a gas heater our landlord recently had rigged (totally unsafe and illegal, I'm 100% positive). It wouldn't light. I tried again. And again. And 87 more times, all while on the phone with Zander, until I broke down crying. So that's how my living situation is going these days.

I wanted to curl up into a ball under blankets in my bed and not move for the rest of the night. I probably would have eaten pasta with a lackluster attempt at some bottled marinara thrown on top. And then I remembered my ScratchDC bundle. And it saved my night.

ScratchDC is a new culinary concept from Ryan Hansan, a native Virginian. After graduating college in D.C., he wanted to make homemade meals, had an appreciation for good food and even considered himself a foodie, but found himself spending huge amounts of money on spices and ingredients he'd only need a teaspoon of and would never use again. He wanted to find a way to take the hassle out of making great home-cooked meals. Enter Scratch.

He and his small team of three full time staff (small and mighty!) create gourmet menus Monday-Friday. As orders come in online, they prep the locally sourced ingredients for each meal - meat/veggies, sauces, olive oils, spreads, bread crumbs, seasonings and fresh herbs, and package them with instruction cards. The bundles are hand-delivered to your home at your preferred time. And you're ready to cook! The meals take as little as 20 minutes to put together.

When I finally convinced myself to come out of hibernation the other night, I excitedly opened my thoughtfully put-together Scratch bundle. My menu for the night was red curry chicken with peppers and shiitake mushrooms over rice noodles. I loved how organized and cute the small containers of soy sauce, olive oil, fresh Thai basil, peanuts and carefully wrapped chicken were.

Ryan's team adds humor and wit to the easy-to-follow instruction cards that had me smiling at every step. Within 12 minutes, the smell of ginger, garlic and red curry filled my house and warmed me to the core. My favorite part of the experience quickly became learning a new recipe. I've made Thai red curry a million times it feels like, but I'd never added chicken broth to it - a step that Scratch included. I loved the depth the broth gave to the sauce, and I'll continue to use it when I make curry on my own.

Scratch doesn't skimp on ingredients. Mine made enough for at least three meals. Of course, Zan was at home sick, and Matt was gone for the night, so that meant it was just me eating. If the guys had been around, I'm sure there wouldn't have been a drop left.

They don't skimp on their menus, either. There are vegetarian options, as well as unique dishes and hearty steak and potatoes dinners. Ryan's favorite is Pan Seared Duck Breast with Goat Cheese Polenta and a Port Wine Reduction. I drooled typing that. 

Ryan hopes to expand Scratch out to Maryland and Virginia in the coming months as the new business continues to grow. There may also be some dessert additions to the menu... I may or may not have heard whisperings of "lava cake." (Sign. Me. Up.)

 My over-all thoughts on my first experience with Scratch...

The good

• It put me in a good mood! The little bits of personality and thoughtfulness go a long way. It makes cooking fun. 
• The meal I tried was very good and taught me a new recipe.
• Generous portions 
• They included two small balls of cookie dough as a "Thank you" that was very appreciated!  

The not-so-good: 

• My bundle included such a large portion of rice noodles that soaked up the curry, it became more of a pad-thai fusion. It was delicious fresh, but re-heated as leftovers, it's a little dry. That said, they included a bit of soy sauce and a few drops made it moist again.

As someone on a frugal budget who likes to cook, when would I use Scratch? 

• A romantic date night. It'd be nice to talk over a few glasses of wine and have the prep work done for us.
• A weekend meal. Friday's are for fun, not slaving in the kitchen. I would order one of these babes and a movie On Demand, pop open a bottle of bubbly, and feel spoiled staying in. 
• A busy week -if I don't have time hit the grocery store, this is a great substitute. 
• Supporting a local business with locally sourced ingredients.

Want to try ScratchDC? (You really should. I mean, cookie dough!) Ryan has generously offered a 15% discount to my blog readers on your order! Enter "TravelHikescratchDC" in the promo box when you checkout on ScratchDC's website. The promo code is valid through February 8th so get your orders in! Thanks Ryan, and the entire Scratch team!

Now, where are some more boot socks?