Month: March 2017

Lunch

Since we had smoked salmon on hand, we put it on an artisan flatbread that we also had left over. We toasted the flatbread, then smeared with labne, sprinkled with capers and shallots and spread with smoked salmon. Delicious.

• The artisan flatbread works out at $1.00 per serve
• Salmon was $5.99 or $3.00 a serve
• Add 25c for  labne, shallot and capers.

Lunch today was generous and delicious for $4.25 per serve.

Dinner

Foodie Greg had the idea of converting the puttanesca pasta into a warm salad as a side for ‘Thursday night steak night.’ Tonight’s steak was a rib eye from our Prather Ranch delivery.

The salad worked well, although we were a little heavy handed with the anchovies, so it was a little salty by itself, but with the unseasoned steak, it balanced nicely. The baby ravioli, from Trader Joes, were pretty boring.

• The steak was $20.47 or $10.24 per serve
• The ravioli with cheese was $2.99 and we used half, or 75c per serve
• Anchovies are $1.59 a can or 80c per serve
• The organic baby plum tomatoes were $2.79 for the pack, and we used the second half, or 70c per serve.
• Add 20c for garlic, oil and seasoning.

Tonights steak was – as always – extremely tender, which is why we eat it blue: uncooked inside, with a good crust seared on the outside. The pasta salad was flavorsome, and a good match for the steak. All in tonight’s meal cost $12.69 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we went back to our gyro/yeros meat 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
• We served 1/4 of the tabouli salad or 67c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.50.

Dinner

It’s been a while, and the weather is warm, so what better than a Cobb Salad? The egg was supposed to be hard boiled, but it turns out a coddled egg is perfect on a Cobb.

• Blue cheese crumbles are $3.49 for the pack and we used about 1/3 or 58c per serve.
• You can tell by the deep gold yolk that these are pastured eggs: 50c each -one per serve – but worth it for the taste.
• Avocados are 65c per serve.
• The bacon was $6.99 for 12 slices, and we used 2 per serve, or $1.27 per serve
• The chicken breast came from our supermarket chicken, and is 88c per serve
• The organic baby plum tomatoes were $2.79 for the pack, but we only used half, or 70c per serve.
• Add 10c for the greens.

Tonight’s Cobb Salad cost $4.68 per serve.

Lunch

Philip was in Burbank – as is common on a Monday – and had his usual Double Double at In and Out, while Greg had a serve of the fish pie.

The fish pie is $4.47 a serve, while the Double Double is $4.08 or an average of $4.27 per serve.

Dinner

A new recipe for us, Gnocchi with mushrooms & blue cheese, we made half the recipe, with blue Castello as the cheese of choice. We also added a little pasta water to help the cheese become a sauce, even though it’s not in the recipe.

• The gnocchi was $1.69 or 85c per serve
• The blue Castello was $5.09 but we used just under half, or 96c per serve
• Sliced crimini mushrooms were $2.29 or $1.15 per serve
• Add 30c for butter, mushrooms and spices.

Tonight’s meal was not as cheesy as we thought it would be. The overall verdict was “good, but not great”for $3.26 per serve

Lunch

Another perfect day, another BLT, but this time on a par baked rustic roll.

• Par-baked roll is 63c
• The bacon was $6.99 for 12 slices, and we used 2 per serve, or $1.27 per serve
• We used one kumato per serve or 58c
• Eggless mayo add another 15c per serve
• Lettuce adds 15c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.78 and was pretty good.

Dinner

Sunday night seems to be trending as “pot roast night.” Tonight a new recipe from Emeril, which features garlic, as you expect.

With the addition of a little horseradish and worcestershire to the blended ‘gravy’ elevated this to “really good.” Although Emeril says the dish serves six, we got three and a half generous serves, say three.

• 2.3 lb of Cross Rib Roast cost $21.37 or $7.12 per serve
• A pack of six micro packs with 20 organic garlic cloves per pack cost $2.79, or 16c per serve
• Organic celery was 59c or 20c per serve
• Organic carrots were 26c, or 9c per serve
• Onion adds 10c per serve
• Add 35c for wine and seasonings
• The pilaf – rice and onion – runs 63c per serve.

Tonight’s excellent dinner cost $8.65 per serve.

 

Lunch

A perfect day for a BLT on a fresh baguette.

• 1/4 of the baguette is 68c
• The bacon was $6.99 for 12 slices, and we used 2 per serve, or $1.27 per serve
• We used one kumato per serve or 58c
• Eggless mayo add another 15c per serve
• Lettuce adds 15c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.83 and was pretty good.

Dinner

Being fans of the Two Fat Ladies a natural choice was Jenifer’s Fish Pie, but with a few variations. We left out the shrimp and chose smoked salmon belly for a smoked fish, and cod for white fish. Instead of potato we used a cauliflower mash topping.

The recipe seems to make six serves.

• The organic cauliflower was $5.17 (1.4 lb) or 86c per serve
• For the firm fleshed fish, Greg used Kroger Wild Caught Pacific Cod. The 40 oz pack costs $16.89 but only 8 oz was used (two filets) or 56c a serve.
• The smoked salmon belly was $7.99 or $1.33 per serve
• The baby spinach cost $2.99 or 50c per serve
• A red onion is 16c or 3c per serve
• The half and half was $4.49 and 3/4 was used, or 75c per serve
• Butter and seasonings add another 44c per serve.

Tonight’s  dinner cost us $4.47 a serve.  Since it lacks all structural integrity, it’s hard to understand why this is a “pie” when it’s more of a fish stew. We felt it could use a little more heat, like curry. Oh wait, that would be kedgeree!

 

Lunch

Since we had smoked salmon on hand, we put it on an artisan flatbread, which we’d toasted, then smeared with labne, sprinkled with capers and shallots and spread with smoked salmon. Delicious.

• The artisan flatbread works out at $1.00 per serve
• Salmon was $5.99 or $3.00 a serve
• Add 25c for  labne, shallot and capers.

Lunch today was generous and delicious for $4.25 per serve.

Dinner

A classic “Thursday night, steak night” meal: rare rib eye with Caesar salad.

• We buy Prather Ranch meat because of the quality, no price so 12.8oz for $20.47 is definitely not the cheapest Rib Eye you can buy, but I doubt you’d find better meat for $10.24 per serve
• A pastured egg is 50c or 25c per serve.
• Seasonings ran about 45c per serve
• An organic lettuce cost $1.99 or $1 a serve
• Instead of croutons and cheese we used Trader Joe’s Oven Baked Cheese Bites which worked extremely well, for $1.25 per serve.

Tonight’s steakhouse quality meal was $13.19 per serve. The steak was exceptionally tender with a great beef flavor and the dressing is about the best Caesar salad dressing we’ve had, especially since we added a little more garlic than the recipe called for.

Lunch

Foodie Philip was in Burbank in the middle of the day, so the Tuesday special at Popeyes called.

• Each two piece pack is $1.95 with tax
• Half the Large Red Beans and Rice is $2.19 with tax, per serve.

Lunch today cost $4.14 per serve.

Dinner

For a period we had congee quite regularly then we got tired of it, as happens, but after more than a year, it was time to give it another go with Brown Rice Congee with Shiitake Mushrooms and Greens.

We substituted the remaining bok choy for the greens, and opted for a poached egg(s).

• The mushrooms were $2.79 or $1.40 per serve
• Brown rice adds 50c per serve
• Stock adds $1.00 per serve
• The bok choy was $1.99 but we used the second half, or 50c per serve
• Add 35 for garlic, ginger and seasoning
• Eggs add an average of 75c per serve.

Dinner tonight was very satisfying with good flavor, and cost $4.50 per serve.