Aug 20: BBQ Chicken Breast & Kumato on Baguette; Gus’ BBQ

Lunch

Foodie Greg found a par baked Baguette at Aldi so we cut it in half, and finished cooking the first half, repeating our Chicken & Baguette of a few days ago.

  • The Baguette was $1.49 or 38c per serve
  • The Chicken Breast is $1.00 per serve
  • Five Kumato were $3.49 and we used one, or 35c per serve
  • Add 40c for Garlic Spread.

The Baguette was a success and close to the cheapest “bread” we buy. A great lunch for $2.13 per serve.

Dinner

The Foodies haven’t eaten an evening meal prepared outside the home since March, largely because it’s hard to find food that will still be good when it gets home. BBQ certainly fits that bill and fortunately a new BBQ place – Gus’ BBQ – opened recently nearby in Porter Ranch.

We picked up a Fried Chicken dinner that included half a Chicken, with small servings of Brisket and a Smoked Sausage. We chose Mac and Cheese and Baked Beans as our sides.

The Mac and Cheese was terrible – no ‘Mac’ and no real Cheese. Spiral Pasta coated in flavorless Parmesan is not Mac and Cheese!

The Fried Chicken was excellent and a deboned half Chicken served both of us. The Brisket and Smoked Sausage were also very good.

While Gus’ sells this as a meal for one, we shared it for $17.70 per serve.

Aug 19: Ham, Sauerkraut & Swiss on a Brioche Bagel; BBQ Chicken Leg with Salad

Lunch

We piled Sauerkraut, sliced Ham and Swiss Cheese on a Brioche Bagel.

  • The Brioche Bagels are $2.89 for five, or 58c per serve
  • Swiss adds 34c per serve
  • Black Forest Ham is $3.29 per pack, or 55c per serve
  • The Artisanal Kraut is $3.29 per packet and we used about ⅛, or 21c per serve
  • Add 40c for Garlic Spread.

A filling Bagel for $2.08 per serve.

Dinner

For dinner we had the remaining Chicken Legs cold with Salad.

  • The Chicken was $7.99 or $2.00 per serve
  • Spinach was $1.49 or 38c per serve
  • The cherry tomatoes were $2.99 and we used half or 75c per serve
  • Pickled beets in vinaigrette are $1.69, of which we used about ⅓ or 28c per serve
  • We used about ⅓ of the $5.75 Caramelized Onion Cheddar, or 96c per serve
  • Add 30c for Dressing ingredients.

A serviceable meal for $4.67 per serve.

Aug 18: BBQ Chicken Breast, Tomato & Garlic Spread on Fresh Baguette; Sous vide Poached Shrimp, with Avocado and Mango Salad

Lunch

A now infrequent trip to Jon’s always scores a good BBQ Chicken and a fresh Baguette. If possible we buy a Heritage Tomato but today we settled for a Dashi, which turned out to be quite flavorsome.

  • The Baguette is $2.99 and we shared half for lunch, or 75c per serve
  • The Chicken is $7.99 and we shared ¼ or $1.00 per serve
  • Five Dashi Tomatoes were $1.55 and we used one, or 16c per serve
  • Add 50c for Garlic Spread.

As always simple, but great ingredients, make great food for $2.41 per serve.

Dinner

We decided we had to have the Sous vide Poached Shrimp, with Avocado and Mango Salad again. We had a full Avocado and Mango each!

  • 1 lb of shrimp is $10.99,  or $2.75 per serve.
  • A Mango was 45c per serve
  • An Avocado was 49c per serve
  • Add 30c for Spinach
  • Add 20c for dressing ingredients.

It was the day for “simple but great” as this dish is always a winner, for $4.19 per serve.

Aug 17: Turkey Club on Home-made Sourdough; Egg Tostadas

Lunch

Foodie Philip scored another half boule of home-made Sourdough Bread from a neighbor and we made Turkey Club Sandwiches from it.

  • The Sourdough was free
  • We used two slices of Smoked Turkey Breast on each sandwich, or 33c per serve
  • Smokey Cheddar was $2.69 for 10 slices, or 54c for two slices on each
  • Five Kumato were $3.49 and we used one each, or 70c per serve
  • Add 30c for greens
  • Add 20c forMustard.

The Sourdough was full of flavor and made a great carrier for the sandwich, at $2.07 per serve.

Dinner

Egg Tostadas with Refried Beans, Avocado and some excellent Salsa makes a great Meatless Monday Meal.

  • Tostados were $1.39 for 21, or 13c per serve
  • Pastured Eggs are 51c each $1.02 per serve
  • An Avocado is 49c or 25c per serve
  • Refried Beans are 49c per can at Aldi, and we used half a can, or 13c per serve
  • Add 40c for Salsa.

These were very tasty for $1.93 per serve.

Aug 16: Heuvos Rancheros; Sous Vide and Seared Duck Breast with Garlic Bok Choy and Yakisoba Noodles

Lunch

We picked up Heuvos Rancheros from our La Fiesta for $10.09 per serve, with tax and tip.

Dinner

When you have a winning combination, you repeat it, so again we sous vidé the Duck Breast to a perfect medium rare, then seared the skin in a very hot pan that was then used to wilt the Garlic Bok Choy. We served with Yakisoba Noodles.

  • The Duck was $16.82 or $8.41 per serve
  • The noodles are $3.19 for the pack, or $1.60 per serve
  • The Bok Choy was 89c or 45c per serve.

An excellent meal, as always, for $10.46 per serve.

Aug 15: Egg in a Brioche Bagel; Caramelized Pork Bowl on Mung Bean Sprout Salad

Lunch

Last time we cooked Eggs in a Bagel, we used it to test a new non-stick pan. This time we are using the griddle side of our new “Panini” press. The advantage is that this surface is big enough to do both serves at once so the Foodies can eat together!

  • The Brioche Bagels are $2.89 for five and we shared one, or 58c per serve
  • Pastured Eggs are 51c each or $1.02 per serve
  • Add 30c for Salsa.

The new multifunctional tool is a hit and, once we topped with some excellent Salsa, the Bagels were exceptional. A very good lunch for $1.90 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we repeated the Caramelized Pork Bowl on Sprout Salad for $3.34 per serve.

Aug 14: Afghani Kebabs; Seared Scallops on Esquites

Lunch

For lunch we turned to Skewers Halal for two Naan Pockets. Foodie Philip picked the Kobide, while Foodie Greg had the Falafel. Two great meals for $10.30 per serve with tax and tip.

Dinner

Being ‘Fishy Friday’ we returned to the Aldi Gian Scallops and Esquites.

  • The frozen “dry packed” Scallops were $9.69, or $4.85 per serve
  • The fire roasted corn is $2.49 per pound or, or 56c per serve
  • Add 40c for Cotija
  • Add 2oc for Spring Onion.

The Scallops seared perfectly and went perfectly with the Esquites. An excellent meal for $6.01 per serve.

Aug 13: Ham, Sauerkraut, & Swiss; Dry Aged New York Strip with Slow Cooked Broccoli

Lunch

We continue our run of sandwiches, in this case Ham, Sauerkraut & Swiss.

  • Dave’s Killer Bread is 74c per serve
  • Swiss adds 34c per serve
  • Black Forest Ham is $3.29 per pack, or 55c per serve
  • The Artisanal Kraut is $3.29 per packet and we used about ⅛, or 21c per serve
  • Add 40c for Garlic Spread.

A pretty good sandwich for $2.24 per serve.

Dinner

It’s been a long time since we received any New York Strip Steak in our Keller Crafted meat box, so we were happy to see two this month.

  • The NY Strip Steak was $20.18 or $10.09 per serve
  • The Organic Broccoli was $2.79 or $1.40 per serve
  • Shallots and Garlic add 25c per serve
  • The Valbreso Feta was $10.99 but we used 1/6 each or $1.83 per serve
  • The Béarnaise sauce was $3.29 and we used about ⅓, or 55c per serve.

The Steak was excellent, as always, and the Slow Cooked Broccoli made a perfect accompaniment for $14.12 per serve.

Aug 12: Tuna Melt, Kumato & Swiss; Caramelized Ginger Pork on Bean Sprout Salad

Lunch

A couple of melts today: Smokey Tuna & Swiss; Kumato & Swiss.

  • Dave’s Killer Bread is 74c per serve
  • Swiss adds 34c
  • Tuna adds 50c per serve
  • Five Kumato were $3.49 and we used two, or 70c per serve
  • Add 40c for Garlic Spread.

Decent sandwiches for $2.18 per serve.

Dinner

The Caramelize Pork Bowl is a great way to use some of the ground pork we get each month in our meat box. We prefer it on a simple salad and sprouts.

  • The ground pork was $8.35 and we’ll get four serves from that, or $2.09 per serve
  • Add 40c for ginger, shallot, garlic and chili, etc
  • Add 10c for grated carrot
  • Mung Bean Sprouts were $1.49 or 75c per serve
  • The other Greens add 30c per serve.

A reasonably quick and easy meal that tastes great, for $3.34 per serve.

Aug 11: Supermarket Sushi; Traditional Mexican Tostadas

Lunch

Foodie Greg was early at Whole Foods, so there was no Rice-based Sushi available, so we got our usual Albacore Tuna Sashimi with some delightful fresh vegetable rolls with a good Peanut Sauce, for $11.49 per serve.

Dinner

We repeated our Traditional Mexican Tostadas from a few nights ago, for $4.19 per serve.