Month: February 2020

Lunch

We picked up Heuvos Rancheros from La Fiesta for $10.00 per serve with tax and tip.

Dinner

A recipe we’d like before – Greek Drunken Pork Stew -definitely feels like a cultural mashup when served with Pasta!

• The pork was $8.99 or $4.50 per serve
• Red wine adds 50c or 25c per serve
• Tomato juice add 33c per serve
• Add 60c for the other ingredients
• The Orzo was $1.75 or 87c per serve.

After a four hour cook, the pork is incredibly tender and the sauce has reduced to an intensely flavorsome liquid, although somewhat less than in the past. The Orzo we served it with wasn’t as successful. Still a very flavorsome stew and a good meal for $6.55 per serve.

Lunch

The frozen Japanese Style Fried rice comes from Trader Joe’s and is $3.29 or $1.65 per very generous serve.

Dinner

Tonight we souse vidé two Bone In Pork Chops from our Keller Crafted meat delivery, and then finished on the grill for 90 seconds per side. The grill was already on to cook the Asparagus.

• The pork chop was $9.72
• 1.09 lbs of really good, thick Asparagus was $5.44 or $2.72 per serve
• Add 50c for Lemon Juice, Capers and Butter.

The Asparagus was charred, but not burnt, and perfectly cooked. We souse vidé the Pork Chops to 130F instead of 135F, which we preferred. The Chops were finished on the Grill for 90 seconds per side to give some color to the outside. The Piccata Sauce was a perfect complement to both Chop and Asparagus.

An exceptionally good meal for $12.94 per serve, but worth it for the Heritage Pork.

Lunch

Today’s toasted sandwiches were Sweet & Spicy Tuna with Swiss, Turkey Breast, Kumato & Swiss, which were satisfying.

• Dave’s Killer Bread is (now) 77c per serve
• A slice of Swiss is 34c
• The Smoked Turkey Breast is 29c per serve
• Five Kumato were $3.49 and we shared one, or 35c per serve
• Sweet and Spicy Tuna is 50c per serve.

Who doesn’t love a toasted sandwich for $2.25 per serve.

Dinner

We’ve enjoyed the Marinated Skirt Steak at The Country Deli, which is claimed to be a Romanian recipe, that we decided to try our hand at it when Skirt Steak turned up in our meat box this month.

• The meat is approximately $4.15 per serve
• Add 60c for Marinade ingredients
• The farrow was $1.79 for the pack, but we shared ⅓ or 30c per serve
• Mushrooms were $2.99 and we used half, or 75c per serve
• Frozen peas are $1.29 per pack and we used half, or 33c per serve.

While perhaps not quite as good as The Country Deli, the Skirt Steak was very good. It has great beefy flavor and smokey overtones from the Smoked Paprika we used. A very tasty and satisfying meal for $6.13 per serve.

Lunch

A UPS drop off put us at The Country Deli, so we stayed for lunch. Foodie Philip had his usual Marinated Skit Steak with Eggs and Home Fries. It turns out this is the Breakfast version of the Skirt Steak. There’s a Salad, Sandwich and Dinner version as well.

Foodie Greg had the Magnificent Sandwich version, with sautéd Onions, Peppers and Mushrooms. It’s strongly reminiscent of an Australian Style Steak Sandwich, but with better bread and Peppers & Mushrooms! It’s good enough to tempt Philip to change his order.

Lunch at the Deli was an average of $23.29 with tax and tip.

Dinner

It turned out the Pork Chops in this month’s meat box were thicker than in previous months, and just two chops instead of in cutlets. We had expected thin and planned to smoke them, instead we used a Coffee Rub and souse vidé them to a perfect medium, and served with an Apple Endive Salad.

• The Pork Chops were $13.34 or $6.67 per serve
• Pink Lady Apple was 79c or 40c per serve
• The Belgian Endive is $2.69 or $1.35 per serve
• Add 40c for Coffee Rub, Apple Cider Vinegar and Oil.

The Coffee Rub was a great addition, with the subtle coffee flavor in every bite. They were cooked to perfection and the Apple Endive Salad was a perfect balance. A very good meal for $8.82 per serve.

Lunch

We used the final Breast from our BBQ Chicken by stuffing it into a hot Panini Roll lush with Garlic Spread and topped with Kumato. A simple, but delicious, sandwich.

• The Panini Roll is 63c
• The Chicken Breast is $1.75 or 88c per serve
• Five Kumato were $3.49 and we shared one, or 35c per serve
• Add 30c per serve for Garlic Spread.

Tasty and satisfying for $2.16 per serve.

Dinner

Being Meatless Monday we opted for Cauliflower Gnocchi with some Caramelized Mushrooms served in a RAO Roast Garlic Alfredo Sauce. We were impressed by the Rao’s Marinara sauce, so we thought the Alfredo was worth a try.

• The Cauliflower Gnocchi was $2.69 or $1.35 per serve
• The Alfredo Sauce was $4.69 or $2.35 per serve
• Mushrooms were $2.99 and we used half, or 75c per serve.

Based on the quality of Rao’s Marinara Sauce we had high expectations for the Roast Garlic Alfredo, but were disappointed. It had nowhere near the depth of flavor of the Marinara, and was a little boring. The Mushrooms rescued the meal, that cost $4.45 per serve.

Lunch

The Foodies had an overnight guest with whom we brunched at La Fiesta, our local Mexican. Foodie Philip had Heuvos Rancheros while Foodie Greg had Chilaquiles. Our friend paid for brunch.

Dinner

After our recent success with the Cuban Roast Pork, we decided to try Cuban Picadillo as we’re always looking for ways to use Ground Beef.

• We only used one pound of Ground Beef for $8.25 or $2.06 per serve
• White Wine adds 25c per serve
• Tomato Paste is 89c and we used half, or 12c per serve
• Fire Roasted Tomatoes are $1.69 or 43c per serve
• Raisins cost 58c or 15c per serve
• The Bell Pepper was 99c or 25c per serve
• The Potato Medley was $3.49 and we used half, or 43c per serve
• The olives come in a $4.49 jar, and we used half, or 56c per serve
• Add 50c per serve for onion, garlic, oil and seasoning.

This turned out to be surprisingly good: way better than we expected. It had a great depth of flavor. We will probably drop the potato next time and serve with Rice, but otherwise a great meal for $4.75 per serve.

Lunch

A visit to the alternative home improvement superstore still put us near New York Chicken and Gyro so we had a Lamb Gyro for $8.17 per serve with tax and tip.

Dinner

We steamed a Chicken Leg each from the BBQ Chicken, along with Frozen Peas and Frozen Pearl Onions, topped with a Chicken Gravy.

• The Chicken Leg is $1.75 per serve
• Frozen pearl onions are $1.69 but we only used ¼ of the pack, or 43c per serve
• Frozen peas are $1.29 per pack and we used half, or 33c per serve
• The Chicken Gravy was $1.99 or $1.00 per serve.

A satisfying meal for $3.51 per serve.

Lunch

Before lunch we went for a trip to Jon’s Market, where we always pick up a BBQ Chicken and a fresh Baguette. Add a Kumato and some Garlic Spread and it’s a simple, but great sandwich.

• The Baguette is $2.99 and we shared half for lunch, or 75c per serve
• The Chicken is $6.99 and we shared ¼ or 88c per serve
• Five Kumato were $3.49 and we had one each, or 70c per serve
• Add 50c for Garlic Spread.

As always, simple, but great ingredients make a great sandwich for $2.83 per serve.

Dinner

A quick return to cold weather, and a Fishy Friday, made Cioppino a very attractive option. Tonight we made it with a Clam base with Clams and added Cod for the white fish. We will get at least four serves.

• The cod fillets were six for $12.99 or $2.17 per serve
• The can of Clams and Clam Juice(instead of Fish Stock) was $11.49 or $2.88 per serve
• Fennel bulb at $2 makes for 33c serve
• Onion and Garlic add 10c a serve
• Tomato paste 90c can but only half was used, for 12c serve
• Diced tomatoes in juice – $3.99 or 67c serve
• 1.5 cups dry white wine – about $1 or 16c serve
• We served with the other half of the Baguette for 75c per serve.

While possibly a little Clam heavy, this was very tasty and the Clams were a good addition. A great meal for $7.18 per serve.