Month: August 2022

Lunch

Today we had Giant Baked Beans on Italian Bread Toast spread with Garlic Spread and topped with Chipotle Cheddar.

• The Giant Baked Beans are $1.99 or $1.00 per serve
• Italian Bread is 38c per serve for two slices
• Chipotle Cheddar adds 36c per serve
• Garlic Spread adds 40c per slice.

A tasty lunch for $2.14 per serve.

Dinner

It was time for the Gingery Caramelized Pork on Bean Sprouts with Kumato and Cucumber.

• The ground pork was $6.99 and we’ll get four serves from that, or $1.75 per serve
• Add 50c for ginger, shallot, garlic and chili, etc
• Add 50c for a Kumato each
• The Cucumber was $1.37 and we used ¼, or 35c per serve
• The Bean Sprouts were $1.59 and we shared half, or 40c per serve.

The Fish Sauce is what makes it tasty, for $3.50 per serve.

Lunch

A Ham Salad Sandwich at the picnic table made for a delightful lunch.

• The Dave’s Killer Bread is 74c per serve
• Ham is 92c per serve
• Add 30c for Mayonnaise
• Add 40c for salad ingredients.

A decent sandwich for $2.36 per serve.

Dinner

We swapped meal planning around to have Folded Eggs on Avocado Toast with Chili Onion Crisp tonight.

• The Pastured Eggs are 50c per serve
• The Italian Bread was 38c per serve
• The Avocado was $1.29 or 65c per serve
• Add 30c for the Chili Onion Crisp.

A very tasty meal for $1.83 per serve.

Lunch

We filled a Ciabatta with one of the remaining Soutzoukakia and toasted it in the Panini Press.

• The Ciabatta is 58c per serve
• The Soutzoukakia was $1.14 per serve.

A decent sandwich for $1.72 per serve.

Dinner

A return to one of our regulars: Beer Bratwurst with Apple Endive Slaw.

• Beer Bratwurst were $4.49 or $2.25 per serve
• The Endive were $1.49 or 75c per serve
• The Apple was 48c or 24c peer serve
• Add 30c for dressing ingredients.

A decent meal for $3.54 per serve.

Lunch

We picked up Chili Verde Enchiladas from Viva La Fiesta for $17.00 per serve with tax and tip.

Dinner

Foodie Greg found some Lamb Loin Chops that were even in size and with a reasonable fat spine, so we grilled them and served with an Arugula, Feta and Raspberry Salad.

• The Lamb Loin Chops were $12.59 or $6.30 per serve
• Arugula adds 30c per serve
• The Feta adds 68c per serve
• The Raspberries were $1.49 per punnet and we used ⅔, or 50c per serve
• Add 35c for Balsamic Vinegar.

We cooked the Loin Chops, starting with the fat layer down over a low grill as it heated up. Fifteen minutes of smoking slightly baked the Chops, while a relatively short grill finished them. A very good meal for $8.12 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we had Shin Ramen with Cabbage for $1.67 per serve.

Dinner

Being Fishy Friday we pan fried Branzino and served it with an Arugula, Lemon and Potato Salad, with some very purple potatoes.

• The Branzino (an ocean going version of Striped Bass) was $4.39 per serve
• Arugula adds 45c per serve
• Baby Potatoes were 68c per serve
• Preserved and Fresh Lemon was from our garden.

Foodie Greg got a perfectly crisp skin on the fairly boring Branzino. The salad was a good complement for a combined meal of $5.52 per serve.

Lunch

We revisited out new regular order at Pho Saigon 1: a shared serve of Egg Rolls and a shared Bahn Mi for $12.92 per serve with tax and tip.

Dinner

The preprepared Saucy Scallops with Mushroom packet is a little light on Mushrooms, so we enhanced it with some frozen pre-cooked mushrooms and served with Black Rice.

• Black Rice is 34c per serve
• The Scallops were $6.99 or $3.50 per serve
• The Mushrooms add 89c per serve.

The Mushrooms and Scallops are better when they are in balance! A decent meal for $4.73 per serve.

Lunch

We enjoyed a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich for lunch.

• Dave’s Killer Bread adds 74c per serve
• The Bacon was $6.69 for 12 slices, and we used ⅓ or 96c per serve
• Add 50c for Lettuce & Tomato
• Add 30c for Duke’s Mayonnaise.

A decent sandwich for $2.50 per serve.

Dinner

Dinner tonight was a moved around ‘Steak Night’ so we settled on trying a new recipe for Filet Américain, which is a Belgian variant on Steak Tartar.

• The Top Sirloin was $6.52 per serve, or $3.26 per serve
• Add 20c for Capers
• Add 20c for Shallots
• The Demi-baguette was $1.29 or 65c per serve.

There was definitely enough of the Filet Américain for three people, although Foodie Philip made sure none was left over. It was very good for $4.31 per serve.

Lunch

We enjoyed another Ciabatta Panini stuffed with Speck and Arugula, with a little Mayo.

• The Ciabatta is 58c per serve
• The Speck was $3.99, or $2.00 per serve
• Arugula adds 40c per serve
• The Duke’s Mayonnaise adds 25c per serve.

We heated the Speck in the Ciabatta, which softened it and released more flavor. A good sandwich for $3.23 per serve.

Dinner

A simple meal of sous vidé Shrimp on a Lemon and Pea Alfred Rigatoni. We seasoned the Shrimp with a Lemon Seasoning we bought back from a roadside stall on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

• The Shrimp is $7.99 on special,  or and we used a bit over half or $2.50 per serve
• The Lemon Alfredo was $3.79 or $1.90 per serve.
• The Rigatoni was $1.89 and we used half, or 48c per serve
• Peas add 30c per serve.

The Lemon Seasoning almost overpowered the Lemon Alfredo, but overall a pretty good meal for $5.18 per serve.

Lunch

Foodie Greg bought home a Tarte au Brie et aux Tomates from Trader Joe’s for $4.29 or $2.15 per serve. It was pretty good.

Dinner

Our Meatless Monday this week was a simple Eggs in Purgatory or Eggs in a Marinara Sauce.

• Two Pastured Eggs are 76c per serve
• The Organic Marinara Sauce was $1.69 or 85c per serve
• Italian Bread adds 28c per serve
• Garlic Spread adds 45c per serve.

Very tasty for $2.34 per serve.

Lunch

The Foodies took a nostalgia drive to downtown Burbank, mostly to see how it had changed in six years, but also to get an In and Out Burger each for an average of $4.74 per serve.

Dinner

While not officially “Lamb Week” we followed last night’s Lamb Shoulder Chops with Soutzoukakia – Greek Ground Lamb Meatballs. Tonight we served with a Greek Chickpea and Cucumber Salad.

• Australian Ground lamb was $5.99 at Aldi or $2.00 per serve
• An egg is 32c or 11c per serve
• 8 oz Panko breadcrumbs are $2.99 and we used half, or 25c per serve
• Parmesan is $3.99 for 8oz and we shared 2 oz or 50c per serve
• 1/4 cup and a tablespoon of red wine – halved – is 34c per serve
• Parsley was $1.49 for the bunch, but we only used 1/4 or 13c per serve
• Onion and Garlic add 10c per serve
• The Feta adds 48c per serve
• Cucumber was $2.69 and we used half, or 68c per serve
• The canned Chickpeas were $1.99 or $1.00 per serve
• Lemon Juice came from Lemons from our garden.

While there was a mixed reaction to the Chickpea, Cucumber and Feta Salad, both Foodies agreed that the Soutzoukakia is a favorite, for $5.59 per serve.