Month: August 2016

Lunch

After a morning of yard work, The Country Deli was calling. Foodie Philip had his usual marinated skirt steak, eggs and home fried potato; foodie Greg had a half pastrami sandwich with steak fries.

Lunch at The Country Deli runs around $20 per serve with tax and tip.

Dinner

When you have left over baguette, how better to use it than Alton Brown’s panzanella salad. Because we used arugula instead of romaine lettuce, we dropped the mint. The arugula served as both green and herb.

• 1/4 of the $2.69 baguette went to each serve or 68c
• The bacon came from Prather Ranch on special at $9.00 for 12 oz and we used about half, or $2.25 per serve
• The wild arugula was $1.99 but we use about 1/3 or 33c per serve
• Organic plum tomatoes were $2.99 but only half was left or 75c per serve
• Add 15c for the oil and vinegar in the dressing.

Dinner tonight was a refreshing summer salad at $4.16 per serve.

Lunch

A trip to Jons market always provides a baguette and liverwurst to add to our cheddar, pickles, egg and cornichon. Make your own.

• 1/4 of the $2.69 baguette went to each serve or 68c
• We used about 1/4 of the $4 block of cheese, or 50c a serve
• We used about 1/2 of the $2.49 liverwurst, or 63c a serve
• We shared a boiled, pastured egg or 25c each
• The heirloom tomato was 25c or 12c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.18 a serve.

Dinner

We started with the ` because Foodie Greg wanted to try it, and we’d just started making our own yoghurt. Once it was decided to use it as a dressing for whole potatoes the logical choice of protein was lamb.

The neck chops were not what we expected, without a lot of meat, but were quite tasty.

• The lamb neck chops were $5.47 or $2.74 per serve
• The yoghurt and mint came free
• The greek feta is $6.49 for four blocks, and we used half of one block in this dressing, or 41c per serve
• Limes were $1.56 and about half went into the dish, or 26c per serve
• The baby gold potatoes were $2.99 or 75c per serve
• Tabouli was $2.69 and we used half, or 68c per serve.

The best part of dinner tonight was the yoghurt feta and mint dressing on the potatoes. Dinner tonight cost $4.84 per serve.

Lunch

A return to the gyro meat wrap. We ran out of cucumber!

• The fully cooked sliced gyro/yeros meat is $3.99 per 10oz pack. There are really four serves, so each serve is very slightly cheaper than the chicken, at $1.00 per serve.
• The flatbread is 50c per serve
• Hummus is $3.99 per container and we used about 1/6 or 33c per serve
• We served 1/4 of the tabouli salad or 67c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.50.

Dinner

Thursday night is, by tradition, ‘steak night’. We interpret it very loosely but tonight NY Strip is definitely steak! Paired with the last of the ratatouille and one (or two) organic eggs, it is essential steak, eggs and cooked tomato!

As usual we prepared the steak ‘blue’ – essentially uncooked in the middle – because the aged beef is tender that way and, since it’s not concentrated feed lot beef, it’s safe that way.

• The steak was from our Prather Ranch delivery: just under 12 oz for $19.45 or $9.76 per serve
• The ratatouille was $2.05 per serve (details on Aug 12)
• Each pastured egg is 50c or an average of 75c per serve tonight.

Dinner tonight cost $12.56 and reminds me that we do pay a premium for pastured eggs and grass raised beef, but it’s important to us that the animals that contribute to our feed – with their lives frequently – should have a good life. We also appreciate the improved flavor in the steak and eggs.

Lunch

A return to the gyro meat wrap with the addition of cucumber, as it was so good in a wrap.

• The fully cooked sliced gyro/yeros meat is $3.99 per 10oz pack. There are really four serves, so each serve is very slightly cheaper than the chicken, at $1.00 per serve.
• The flatbread is 50c per serve
• Hummus is $3.99 per container and we used about 1/6 or 33c per serve
• A box of Persian cucumbers was $2.49 for five, and we used one, or 25c per serve
• We served 1/4 of the tabouli salad or 67c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.75.

Dinner

A return to a favorite: Filet Americain or Belgian style tartar.

This is the same recipe we prepared last Saturday, although we prepared less this time. We paired it with crip bread and a cucumber, edamame and avocado mix marinated in rice wine vinegar.

• The Sirloin was sourced locally for $14.03 for 1.17 lb, or $4.67 per serve
• The shallot added 98c or 17c per serve
• Mayonnaise cost $3.49 for the jar, and 1/5 was used, or 12c per serve
• Worcestershire sauce is $4.13 per jar but only two tablespoons (not four) were used which works out to 5c per serve.
• Similarly mustard adds 7c per serve.
• The crisp bread comes in a pack of 8 for $2.99 or $1.13 each
• Our side salad cost an additional 45c to prepare.

Dinner tonight cost $6.66 per serve.

Lunch

We had a working lunch down in the Hollywood area and ended up at Eat This Cafe. We had two different panini’s: Foodie Philip had the Grilled Truffle Cheese and Foodie Greg had the Italian. Both were very good, but we agreed the Grilled Truffle Cheese was the winner! The (presumably) home made chips were also very good.

Lunch was $17.00 per serve with tax and tip.

Dinner

We’re always looking for summer salads that aren’t heavily built on leafy greens! Not that there’s anything wrong with leafy green salads, but they can get boring during the long hot summers we enjoy/endure.

Succotash salad was new to us but turned out well. It’s also an easy preparation if you drop the onion. Cooked edamame and frozen roast corn came from Trader Joes, as did the tomatoes and feta. Preparation is as complex as cutting the tomatoes, rinsing the corn (to defrost) and mixing everything together.

We dropped the cooked onion and substituted a small amount of shallot we had sliced and left over from another meal. We decided to add some mint in place of the cilantro, which worked very well.

• The roast corn kernels are $2.49 for the pack, but we used only 1/3 or 42c per serve
• Pre-cooked and shelled edamame is also $2.49 per pack, but we used half or 63c per serve
• Organic cherry tomatoes are $2.99 per pack, but again only 1/3 was used, or 50c per serve
• The greek feta is $6.49 for four blocks, and we used half of one block in this salad, or 41c per serve
• The mint came from our garden.

Dinner tonight was a refreshing and filling salad for just $1.96 per serve

 

Lunch

With some cucumber as the main ingredient, the wrap with hummus and tabouli was really good.

• The flatbread is 50c
• Hummus is $3.99 per container and we used about 1/6 or 33c per serve
• A box of Persian cucumbers was $2.49 for five, and we used one, or 25c per serve
• We served 1/4 of the tabouli salad or 67c per serve.

Lunch today cost $1.75 per serve

Dinner

Some excellent ‘rustic’ pork sausages from our Prather Ranch delivery, paired exceptionally well with room temperature ratatouille. We smoked the sausages to heat them while adding another layer of flavor.

• The pork sausages are $6.23 for four, or $3.12 per serve
• The ratatouille was $2.05 per serve (details on Aug 12).

Dinner tonight was $5.17 per serve.

Lunch

We were in Burbank. We were buying something at Ikea. Having lunch there was inevitable!

Swedish Meatball lunch, with soup and drink, is $9.30 with tax.

Dinner

As an antidote to meatball overload, we opted for Ratatouille for dinner. It probably breaks a French law but we cooked in duck fat, not olive oil. I’m good with breaking that law!

We scaled the recipe down, and used many of the leftovers from our kebabs. The recipe makes about six serves.

• Two bell peppers were $2.63 but we used only one, or 22c per serve
• Baby bella mushrooms were $2.49 but we used the second half or 21c per serve
• The eggplant was $3.06 and we used the remaining 3/4, or 25c per serve
• .46 lb of roma tomatoes cost $1.76, or 30c per serve
• Zucchini squash was 69c or 12c per serve
• Organic eggs are 50c each. Foodie Philip had two, Greg one, or an average of 75c per serve
• Add 45c for garlic, onion and herbs
• An English muffin is 50c.

Tonight’s dinner was delicious, although a little salt was needed that wasn’t included in the recipe. At $2.80 it’s a great way to feed a crowd.

Lunch

We were shooting another Lunch with Philip and Greg and our guest chose Sushi Roku in Pasadena. The atmosphere was appropriate, and the food – especially the eggplant in our bento boxes – was excellent.

Lunch was $19.60 per serve, with tax and tip.

Dinner

We had some cross-rib steaks in our freezer and decided to make a ‘beef and burgundy’ style casserole. It was partially successful, but lacked a lot of the depth of a real beef and burgundy.

• The .69 lb cross rib steak was $5.98, or $2.99 per serve
• A packet of frozen pearl onions is $1.69 for a 16oz pack, but we used the last quarter, or 21c per serve
• We used the second half of the baby bella mushrooms from the kebabs: $2.49 or 63c per serve
• One cup of red wine is around $1.33 or 67c a serve
• Egg noodles are $1.99 for the pack, but we only used half, or 50c per serve.

Dinner tonight could have had a bit more flavor. It was okay, but lacking excitement, for $5.00 per serve.