Apr 18: Tomatoes and Burrata with Garlic Toast

Lunch

Lunch was a simple Ham Salad Sandwich on 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 Meatless Monday dinner was an experiment with a Barefoot Contessa recipe for Tomatoes and Buratta.

  • The Burrata was $4.99 or $2.50 per serve
  • The Tomatoes were $3.99 and we shared half, or $1.00 per serve
  • Add 28c for Italian Bread
  • Add 40c for Garlic Spread
  • Add 30c for Balsamic Vinegar
  • Add 40c for Olive Oil.

A surprisingly tasty meal for $4.88 per serve.

Apr 17: Sous Vide Ham with Apple Bacon Slaw and Creole Red Beans

Lunch

For lunch we heated a Ciabatta Roll and used it for an open faced ‘sandwich’ of Green Apple and Delice de Bougogne.

  • The Ciabatta Roll is 58c per serve
  • The Delice de Bourgogne was $5.38 and we shared ½, or $1.35 per serve
  • The Apple adds 17c per serve.

A very tasty lunch for $1.10 per serve.

Dinner

The Easter season brings discount Hams to Aldi so we indulged in a small one and sous vide it, then served with Creole Red Beans and an Apple Bacon Slaw.

  • The Ham was $5.44 or 27c per serve
  • Bacon was $4.99 and we used four of 10 slices, or 50c per serve
  • The Coleslaw mix adds 35c per serve
  • The Envy apple was $1.38 or 35c per serve
  • Add 20c for apple cider vinegar and seasoning.

The Ham was tender and juicy with a great balance from the Apple Bacon Slaw. The Creole Red Beans would probably be better with a Pork Chop, but weren’t bad. Overall, a pretty good meal for $1.67 per serve.

Apr 16: Beer Bratwurst with Choucroute

Lunch

For lunch we put together a “Pho” bowl with a Pho Broth, Ramen Noodles and the left over Meat & Mushroom Mix from the other night.

  • The Ramen Broth was $1.79 at Aldi, or 90c per serve
  • The Ramen Noodles are 93c per serve
  • The Meat Mix was $1.20 per (half) serve.

An odd combination that, surprisingly, worked really well for $3.03 per serve.

Dinner

As the weather evolved, so did our dinner plans for tonight, until we settled on Beer Bratwurst with Choucroute.

  • The Choucroute is $1.13 per serve
  • Beer Bratwurst were $4.49 or $2.25 per serve
  • Potatoes add 40c per serve.

A very decent meal for $3.78 per serve.

Apr 15: Rainbow Trout, with Riccota and Lemon Zest Ravioli and Tabouli

Lunch

For lunch we had a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich from Skewers. The sandwiches and shared fries were $11.85 per serve.

Dinner

A simple meal of pan fried Rainbow Trout with Ricotta and Lemon Zest Ravioli, and Tabouli.

  • The Rainbow Trout was $9.37 for four pieces, or $2.34 per serve
  • Tabouli is $2.99 and we shared half, or 75c per serve
  • The Ravioli was $3.69 or $1.85 per serve.

The Ravioli was very tasty and a good side to a pretty decent meal for $4.94 per serve.

Apr 14: Rib Eye Steak, Béarnaise Sauce and Tabouli

Lunch

Our lunch was a classic toasted Ham, Cheese & Tomato Sandwich.

  • The Aldi Bread is 58c per serve
  • The Gouda is 34c per serve
  • Garlic Spread is 40c per serve
  • Breakfast Ham is 60c per serve.

A good sandwich for $1.92 per serve, enjoyed in the sunny outdoors.

Dinner

A return to a very classic ‘Thursday Night, Steak Night” meal for us: Rib Eye Steak, Béarnaise Sauce and Tabouli.

  • The shared Rib Eye was $3.44 per serve
  • Fingerling Potatoes were 68c per serve
  • Tabouli is $2.99 and we shared half, or 75c per serve
  • The Béarnaise sauce was $3.29 and we used about ⅓, or 55c per serve.

The Rib Eye (from Aldi) was very notably tender, which is particularly appreciated when we prefer it on the underdone side. A classic and very enjoyable meal for $5.42 per serve.

Apr 13: Bay Scallops with Mushrooms and Black Rice

Lunch

For lunch we took half of the reserved Meat Mixture from last night’s One Pot Stroganoff over a slice of Toast.

  • The Dave’s Killer Great was 37c per serve
  • The Meat Mix was $1.20 per (half) serve.

With a little Sour Cream to moisten it, the Meat Mix was very tasty for $1.57 per serve.

Dinner

Sometimes you take a night off from the preparation work and go for something pan-ready, like tonight’s Saucy Bay Scallops with Mushrooms from Trader Joe’s, served with Black Rice.

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

The Scallops could have done with a few more Mushrooms, and perhaps the flavor could have been amped up a bit, but way better than a “TV Dinner” for $3.84 per serve.

Apr 12: One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff

Lunch

We’ve definitely cracked the formula for an Aussie Sausage Roll, as ours are the best ever; way better than commercial offerings in Australia, for $3.10 plus 40c for the Salad: $3.50 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we tried a new recipe: One Pot Beef Stroganoff, although we had our doubts about some of the methodology going in. We used half of the Meat, Mushroom, Onion and Garlic mix for this dish and kept half for another time.

  • The Mushrooms were $2.79 or 70c per serve
  • Ground beef $5.99 or $1.00 per serve
  • Onion and Garlic add 10c per serve
  • The Pasta was $1.89 and we used half, or 48c per serve
  • Sour Cream adds 60c per serve
  • Add 40c for Paprika and other Spices.

Unfortunately, all one-pot meals have the same issue: every bite is the same. Despite that, this came together better than expected and was quite tasty for $3.28 per serve.

Apr 11: Eggs in Purgatory

Lunch

For lunch we had a Creamy Butternut Squash Soup was $4.04 after all discounts, or $2.02 per serve.

Dinner

Eggs in Purgatory with Italian Toast with Garlic spread makes a great Meatless Monday.

  • 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.

A very tasty meal for $2.34 per serve.

Apr 10: Warm Shredded Lamb on Garlic Hummus, with Pita Chips, and a Lettuce, Cucumber, Preserved Lemon and Mint Salad

Lunch

Our San Diego friend took us to the French Bakery (somewhere in San Diego) where the Foodies each had a good portion of a very excellent Quiche Lorraine.

Dinner

Back home, and for simplicities sake we defrosted another serve of our Shredded Lamb Salad, and served it warm on Warm Garlic Hummus, Pita Chips and the salad in the headline.

  • 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
  • We added some Pistachio nuts for 37c per serve
  • Add 46c for Hummus.

As it is every time, this is an excellent meal with a great balance of deeply flavored and very fresh ingredients. Always a hit for $4.89 per serve.

In another iPhone experiment, I tried Portrait mode on a plate of food.

Apr 9: Roast Lamb, Carrot, Mashed Potato and Dolmas

Lunch

Breaking out of our limited selection of toasted sandwiches, today we assembled a Gouda, Garlic Spread and Peanut Butter Toasted Sandwich.

  • Dave’s Killer Bread is 74c per serve
  • Gouda adds 34c per serve
  • Garlic Spread adds 35c per serve
  • The peanut butter was $3.99 and we used about 1/8,  or 25c a serve
  • Add 25c per serve for Hot Sauce.

All that could make it better would be the addition of Bacon, but then we’d be in Elvis Pressley territory. A nice change and a the addition of Hot Sauce gives it a real kick, for $1.83 per serve.

Dinner

The Foodies made an overnight visit to a friend in San Diego who prepared a very classic Roast Lamb dinner with steamed Carrots, Mashed Potato and Dolmas that hit all the right culinary notes, and a few nostalgic ones.