Author: Philip

Lunch

For lunch we repeated the Chicken Breast Baguette.

• The Chicken was $4.97 and we shared a Breast, or 63c per serve
• The Aldi ‘Bake at Home’ Baguette was $1.89, but we shared half, or 48c
• Semi-dried Cherry Tomatoes add about 40c per serve
• The Mayonaise adds 40c per serve.

A very tasty sandwich for $1.91 per serve.

Dinner

We finished the Roast Chicken by serving the Legs with Spiral Past and a Lemon Alfredo Sauce.

• The Chicken Leg was $1.25 per serve
• The Lemon Alfredo was $3.79 or $1.90 per serve.
• The Spiral Pasta was 89c per serve
• Peas add 30c per serve.

A decent meal for $4.34 per serve.

Lunch

A simple Ham and Coleslaw Sandwich met today’s lunch needs.

• Dave’s Killer Rye Bread is 76c per serve
• The Breakfast Ham is $2.99 for six, or 50c per serve
• Coleslaw adds $1.25 per serve.

A decent sandwich for $2.51 per serve.

Dinner

We still had some Shredded Lamb in the freezer, so we served on Hummus, scooped with Pita Chips and had a little salad on the side.

• The Lamb was $21.01 or $2.10 per serve
• Mint was free
• Add 15c per serve for unfiltered Pomegranate juice
• Add 30c for Onion and seasoning
• The Lettuce was $1.49 and we used half, or 38c each
• Cucumber was $2.69 and we used half, or 68c per serve
• Add 15c for Dressing ingredients
• Add 20c for Preserved Lemon
• Add 46c for Hummus.

This is a meal where every component balances each other. Definitely good eats for $4.52 per serve.

Lunch

We had a ready-to-bake Baguette and when Foodie Greg picked up a Roast Chicken from Amazon Fresh, we were set for a Roast Chicken Sandwich.

• The Chicken was $4.97 and we shared a Breast, or 63c per serve
• The Aldi ‘Bake at Home’ Baguette was $1.89, but we shared half, or 48c
• Semi-dried Cherry Tomatoes add about 40c per serve
• The Mayonaise adds 40c per serve.

A very tasty sandwich for $1.91 per serve.

Dinner

With some warm weather came a welcome return to our Smoked Salmon Pizza.

• 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.

Having realized that most Italian Pizza is unconventional we feel better about our Smoked Salmon version for $5.00 per serve..

Lunch

Foodie Greg picked up our regular Fried Scallop, Fries and Coleslaw from Mr Fish and Chips for $7.84 per serve with tax and tip.

Dinner

After a fabulous vacation to Italy it was time to settle back in to our routine and start cooking, which Foodie Greg did tonight with Saltimbocca with Ricotta and Lemon Zest Ravioli.

• The Pork Chops were $7.99 or $4.00 per serve
• The Speck was $3.99 or $2.00 per serve
• The Sage came from our garden
• The Ravioli was $3.69 or $1.85 per serve
• Add 30c for Arugula.

The Saltimbocca has become a definite favorite and tonight’s pairing worked well for $8.15 per serve.

Most of April was, as has been our usual, pretty quiet and the Foodies didn’t venture out much. Until April 25th when we headed for a vacation in Italy. Because that is so unusual, the Italy days are excluded. Our typical evening meal out on the trip averaged around $55.00.

The averages for this month were all over the place, but within our range of “normal”. We did have more lunch take-out than typical.

• Lunch prepared at home $2.07 ($2.51 in Mar 22)
• Lunch eaten or purchased outside the home: $9.43 ($10.33)
• Dinner eaten at home: $5.433 ($5,43)
• Dinner prepared in a restaurant $20.99 ($14.81)

The variation is usually small month to month.

Our most expensive meal of the month (again) was The Country Deli for $27.44 per serve, because we each had a meal.

This month, lunches at home cost 22% of the cost of eating lunches prepared outside the home. Our evening meals prepared in the home are also 22% of the cost of take-out meals.

Had we purchased every lunch and prepared none it would have cost us $282.90 per person in April. We actually spent $43.55 for lunches at home plus $18.85 for lunches purchased or eaten out:  $159.21 per person in total.

If every evening meal cost us the same as our average this month, it would be $629.70. We actually spent $95.40 for dinners at home and $41.98 for our two dinners from a restaurant, or $137.38 per person in total, excluding the Italy trip.

We saved about $453 per person by preparing almost all our meals at home and we have a lot more control over what we eat.

While the Foodies were able to keep up with the blog during the first couple of days of our Italy trip, we became too busy enjoying Italy, and some amazing food, to keep up.

Two of the highlights have already been mentioned: the Rare Roast Beef with Infused Flavors of the Mediterranean with Salad from Ristorante Algabbiano on the shore near St Mark’s Square; and Mandy Stanton’s Deconstructed Paella. (See the last two days’ entries.)

But honestly, we did not have a bad meal the entire trip. Mandy prepared a feast for every breakfast with Prosciutto, Parmesan or other cheeses, fresh fruit and a different preparation of eggs every morning. We ate well. Even our “after site seeing, before dinner” snacks were extraordinary.

Everything was shopped locally, or surprisingly, at an AutoGrill. Host Chuck Fazio (Chuck@ChuckFazio.com) had effused about the “truck stop” AutoGrills and rightly so. They were amazing. We had some excellent meals from there. For example, Brie and Prosciutto in one and Bresaola, Parmigiano Reggiano, with Salad. (Bresaola is a cured Beef similar to Prosciutto.) The wine selection at an AutoGrill is usually better than most small Liquor stores! Plus comically oversize packs of everything from Chips to Popcorn to Lollypops! They are very unlike any truck stop you’ve been to in the USA.

We were surprised to find that, as well as more traditional Pizza, there was a lot of unexpected combinations to be found, even with Pioneer Woman-style Arugula on top. We definitely enjoyed some non-traditional examples, including a Seafood Pizza that included both Clams and Mussels in their shells!

On Burano (near Venice) we shared two seafood platters – one grilled, one fried – that perfectly hit the mark between being a light meal, having variety and being full of flavor. One of the better waitstaff recommendations.

Upon arrival at our Farmhouse in Campora (near Parma) we enjoyed a table laden with local Parmesan, Prosciutto and wine, along with a Potato Torte and Prosciutto Wrapped Melon that we very much enjoyed in the most amazing surrounding.

During our stay there, we visited a local Parmesan Factory run by two cheesemakers making six Parmesan Wheels a day, every day of the year. We had special dispensation to dine at a local ‘members only’ club where the Foodies enjoyed authentic dishes including Rabbit.

At the family run Prosciutto factory, we learnt that there were only five members processing a couple of dozen Ham Legs a day, but there was hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of aging Prosciutto at different stages during the process. Some of the best food we had were the simple Prosciutto sandwich they served us at the end of the tour, with Prosecco of course! Both Bread and Prosciutto were excellent.

Mandy continued to cook amazing meals, and this pasta dish was heavy with Bacon, Salami and Mushrooms, but also memorable because we enjoyed it on the terrace of our 10 bedroom Villa overlooking Florence, even looking down at the runway for Florence airport.

While touring the Tuscan countryside, Chuck guided us to a roadside Burger Truck, where we had a luscious, juicy Burger, with Red Wine Caramelized Onions, and an interesting Aoli.

While in Florence we celebrated Chuck’s birthday at Trattoria I Ricchi, and the restaurant had an excellent Steak with Truffle on a bed of Arugula, that Foodie Philip and Foodie Greg was envious of, as he chose the same Steak, but with roast vegetables.

The next night we celebrated the birthday of another of our travel companions at Lo Streetoio, where the Foodies both had a very excellent Duck Breast as their main course, while Foodie Philip had an okay Steak Tartar, that needed more seasoning.

On the road from Florence to the Amalfi Coast for our next adventure, we stopped at another Chuck’s recommendation- a roadside Porchetta Truck. The bread was crusty and tasty and the Porchetta filling balanced the flavor of the Pork perfectly with the seasoning of the Porchetta.

The final noteworthy meal was on our final ‘real’ night on our way back from a most enjoyable day on Capri. We stopped in Sorrento after our boat dropped us off, and the Foodie chose the Black Pork from the menu at La Cazzarola Trattoria. Having assured ourselves that it was the Pig, not the meat, that was black, we ordered. (In Italian, there is not the distinction between the live animal and the meat.)

The Pork was the best we’ve had! Cooked perfectly the Pork was flavorsome and moist in a way it rarely is in the USA. The “Black” Pig is a heritage breed, from before it became “the other white meat,” so the meat is marbled with fat which moistens it as you eat.

When every meal is excellent, these are the stand outs from our two week trip. And if you’re thinking of going to Italy take Chuck’s advice and don’t go in Summer. Take my advice and go with Chuck’s Italy. Chuck can be contacted at Chuck@ChuckFazio.com. It is our best vacation ever.

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.