Month: April 2022

Apr 28: Deconstructed Paella

Breakfast and Lunch

Our day started with a full breakfast prepared by one of our tour hosts that started with a Yoghurt and Fresh Fruit cup, followed by a full cooked breakfast of Ham, Scrambled Eggs, Toast, Avocado, Orange, and I’m sure there was more! The Foodies ate heartily even though we don’t normally eat breakfast, but this was so good.

Dinner

After the fabulous breakfast, Mandy – the cook in our little tour – put together an excellent deconstructed Paella with Polenta at the foundation, with Shrimp, Sausage, Olives, etc in a very tasty Tomato-based Sauce. It was followed by a dessert of Gelato with Fresh Fruit. It was at least as good a meal as any restaurant.

Apr 27: Rare Roast Beef with Infused Flavors of the Mediterranean with Salad

Lunch

We missed our planned lunch on the shores of Lake Garda, so we ended up at a “truck stop” where we had some very excellent food. The Foodies shared a Speck and Brie hot sandwich, for $3.95 per serve. Not only was our sandwich excellent, but everything our group ate was not just “good for a truck stop,” but really excellent food, period.

Dinner

If our late lunch set the bar fairly high, our dinner moved it even higher. After an extended walk from our Venice apartment on the Grand Canal, to San Marco where we ended up at Ristorante Algabbiano, one of the many harbor-side restaurants, but one our guide had been to before.

Foodie Greg had the Scallop Risssot with Lemon and Saffron, which was very good. Foodie Philip had a house speciality that was very rare Roast Beef with a sauce that in Italian said “was infused with the flavors of the Mediterranean” (while in English it detailed the Garlic, Thyme, Rosemary…). By itself the Roast Beef was very good, but the Mediterranean Sauce was transformative. The Beef became a totally different flavor profile.

It turns out it is a family owned restaurant and the recipe was from our waiter’s grandmother. Unfortunately he declined to share the recipe, but we hope to get back again for another chance to have this exceptionally good dish.

With wine and appetizers etc, it was (coincidentally) $56.50 per serve.

Apr 25: Chicken in a Sauce

Lunch

At Los Angeles International Airport we grabbed a Roast Beef and Cheese sandwich for an outrageous $7.00 per serve. It wasn’t particularly good.

Dinner

The “Chicken” option for the in-flight meal was variable. The Chicken and Mashed Potato were okay, but the vegetable that was with it, was inedibly bad. The salad had the KLM limit of one Cherry Tomato with the rest being Iceberg Lettuce! A very ordinary meal included in the air fare.

Apr 24: Smoked Salmon Pizza with Endive and Lemon Salad

Lunch

For lunch we enjoyed a Hummus Salad Sandwich on toasted Bread.

  • Dave’s Killer Bread is 74c per serve
  • Add 35c for Hummus
  • Add 30c for Pickled Beetroot
  • Add 20c for Salad Greens.

As always a tasty sandwich for $1.59 per serve.

Dinner

We were fortunately enough to be able to grill and eat outside thanks to a warm day.

  • Sockeye Smoked Salmon pieces were $5.49 or $2.75 per serve
  • The Pizza Dough was $1.49, or 75c per serve
  • We used semi-dried Cherry Tomatoes for 60c per serve
  • About two ounces of Neufchatel went on each Pizza, or 25c per serve
  • Preserved Lemon adds 5c per serve
  • Two Endive were $3.99 or 50c per serve.

It’s probably as un-Italian as a pizza can be, but we like our Jewish Italian version! Good eats for $5.00 per serve.

Apr 23: Caramelized Ginger Pork Bowl with Asian Slaw

Lunch

Time for a Smoked Salmon Bagel!

  • The Brioche Bagel is 58c
  • The Smoked Salmon pieces were $1.38 per serve
  • Add 20c for Neufchatel
  • Add 60c for Cucumber, Semi-dried Tomatoes , Onion Sprouts & Capers.

An indulgent lunch for $2.76 per serve.

Dinner

For dinner we repeated the Caramelized Pork Bowl with Asian Slaw but skipped the Noodles, for $2.40 per serve.

Apr 22: Sous Vide and Seared Duck l’Orange on Wild Rice Mix with Endive Salad

Lunch

The Foodies were apart at lunch so snacked separately.

Dinner

A very welcome return to our Sous Vide and Seared Duck Breast, tonight served on

  • The Duck Breasts were $13.93 or $6.97 per serve
  • Wild Rice Mix is 64c per serve
  • Two Endive were $3.99 or $1.00 per serve
  • Preserved Lemon was from our pantry
  • Add 45c for Almonds
  • The Orange was $1.84 or 92c per serve
  • Add 20c for Garlic and seasoning.

Always a very tasty meal for $10.18 per serve.

Apr 21: Caramelized Pork Bowl with Asian Slaw and Red Rice Noodles

Lunch

Once again, a Ham Salad Sandwich with toasted Bread.

  • Dave’s Killer Bread is 74c per serve
  • Breakfast Ham is 60c per serve
  • Add 40c for Salad ingredients.

A decent sandwich for $1.74 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight’s Vietnamese Style Caramelized Pork Bowl was served with a Vietnamese inspired Coleslaw on Rice Noodles.

  • The ground pork was $5.99 and we’ll get four serves from that, or $1.50 per serve
  • Add 40c for ginger, shallot, garlic and chili, etc
  • The Coleslaw Mix is 30c per serve,
  • Dressing ingredients add 40c per serve
  • Mint came from our garden
  • Red Rice noodles are $3.56 per 14oz box, we used about 1/2 of the box, or 90c per serve.

The Caramelized Pork is always tasty, as long as you like Fish Sauce! A good combination and a decent meal for $3.50 per serve.

Apr 20: Lamb Gyro Meat on Buttered Rice and ‘Salad’

Lunch

Our lunch today was a return to the Chorizo, Smoked Bell Pepper and Gouda toasted sandwich.

  • The Dave’s Killer Bread is 74c per serve
  • Gouda is 34c per serve
  • The Chorizo was $4.72 and we used half, or $1.18 per serve
  • Fire Roasted Peppers cost $1.99 and we used half, or 50c per serve.

A great sandwich for $2.76 per serve.

Dinner

We swapped our nights and had take-out from Skewers a day early. Both Foodies had Lamb Gyro meat on Buttered Rice with Iceberg Lettuce as the ‘Salad’ for $14.54 per serve.

Apr 19: Ham, Semi-dried Tomato and Neufchatel Frittata

Lunch

A simple Ham, Cheese & Semi-dried Tomatoes with Garlic Spread was on the menu today.

  • The Aldi Bread is 58c per serve
  • The Quattro Fromage is 64c per serve
  • Garlic Spread is 40c per serve
  • Semi-dried Cherry Tomatoes add about 40c per serve
  • Breakfast Ham is 60c per serve.

We were out of Gouda so we substituted a Quattro Fromage (Four Cheese) Mix, that made the sandwich much ‘looser’ than withe the Gouda. A decent sandwich for $2.62 per serve.

Dinner

As we have a little left-over Ham (although less than you’d expect thanks to our snacking) we made a Ham, Semi-dried Tomato and Neufchatel Frittata.

  • Two Eggs are 76c per serve
  • The Ham adds 13c per serve
  • Semi-Dried Tomato adds 40c per serve
  • Neufchatel adds 25c per serve.

An inexpensive, but very tasty, meal for $1.54 per serve.