Jun 21: Top Sirloin Roll; Fajita Steak Salad

Lunch

Once again, we baked off some rustic panini rolls and stuffed them with the some sliced roast beef (top sirloin from the Chateaubriand) and spread the roll with home made relish (Philip’s brother) and the garlic spread.

It was a really tasty lunch.

  • The panini roll is 63c per serve
  • We used half a serve of the roast beef shared between us, or $1.94 per serve
  • The tomato relish was free
  • Add 20c for garlic spread.

A really good lunch for $2.77 per serve.

Dinner

Thursday night steak night on a hot night is always a challenge. One easily met with a Fajita Steak Salad!

The onions and peppers were first sautéed on a cast iron griddle to soften and enhance flavor.

  • The dry aged NY Strip steak is way overkill from our Keller Crafted meat delivery at $19.43 or $9.71 peer serve
  • The tomatoes were $2.49 and we used half, or 63c per serve
  • We purchased shredded red cabbage for $1.49 and used half, or 38c per serve
  • The avocado was 99c or 50c per serve
  • Bell peppers were $2.15 or $1.07 per serve
  • Add 20c for onion
  • Add 50c for seasoning and dressing ingredients.

The onion and peppers were exceptionally good and reminded both of us of an Australian BBQ where onions were always cooked on a steel flat top. The cabbage provided a crunch missing from the other ingredients, but otherwise seemed superfluous. The dressing provided a nice tangy balance. A good meal for $12.99 per serve.

 

Jun 20: The Country Deli; A “too hot to eat” Curry!

Lunch

For lunch we went to The Country Deli at then end of another errand. Both of us went with our regular choices: Pastrami on Rye for Foodie Greg and the Marinated Skirt Steak, Eggs and Home Fries for Philip.

Lunch at The Country Deli runs $21.62 per person (average) with tax and tip.

Dinner

Foodie Greg prepared a Green Curry from the sample pack of curry pastes we recently purchased. For a couple of reasons it turned out to be very spicy! Too hot to eat as it turns out. Neither of us could manage more than a couple of mouthfuls.

So we skipped dinner after a large lunch. The curry will probably be redeemed for a later meal.

Jun 19: Grilled Asparagus & Swiss; Bacon and Black Bean Chili

Lunch

Since we had fresh grilled asparagus left over from two nights ago, we decided to try the asparagus and Swiss that we’d been experimenting with using canned asparagus, again with fresh. It made a huge difference!

  • The asparagus was $3.69 and we shared about 1/4, or 46c per serve
  • Sprouted Rye bread is 32c per serve
  • Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 33c per serve
  • Add 45c for butter and garlic dip.

The fresh asparagus is a way better than canned and a pretty decent sandwich for $1.56 per serve.

Dinner

For dinner we repeated the chili with avocado and labné for $3.22 per serve.

Jun 18: Roast Beef Rolls; Gordon Biersch

Lunch

For lunch we baked off some rustic panini rolls and stuffed them with the some sliced roast beef (top sirloin from last night’s Chateaubriand) and spread the roll with home made relish (Philip’s brother) and the garlic spread.

It was a really tasty lunch.

  • The panini roll is 63c per serve
  • We used half a serve of the roast beef shared between us, or $1.94 per serve
  • The tomato relish was free
  • Add 20c for garlic spread.

A really good lunch for $2.77 per serve.

Dinner

Our regular “developers” meeting at Gordon Biersch where Foodie Philip had the Gastro Pub burger, while Greg had Chicken Tacos. Both were pretty good.

Thanks to a 30% discount we paid $13.60 per serve with tax and tip (on the pre-discounted total).

Jun 17: Baked Vegetable Crustless Quiche; Chateaubriand with Roast Mushrooms in Garlic Butter and Asparagus

Lunch

We had quite a lot of roasts vegetables from the tray bake a couple of nights ago, so rather than reheating, we put them in a pan and mixed in a savory custard to make a baked vegetable, crustless quiche.

It turns out to be a great way to use up the vegetables and halloumi when reheating tends to dry them out.

  • Baked vegetable and halloumi was $1.93 per serve
  • Add two eggs per serve or $1.00.

Lunch today was really good for $2.93 per serve.

Dinner

This month’s meat box came with a Chateaubriand – a top sirloin roast – so we gave it the prime rib treatment by cooking slow and low to medium rare, then a hard, hot blast to render the fat and give a good crust on the outside.

The Chateaubriand will make at least four serves, as does the asparagus, but we finished all the garlic butter mushrooms tonight! We also prepared a horseradish cream sauce.

  • The 2 lb Chateaubriand was $31.03 or $7.76 per serve
  • Baby Bella Mushrooms were $2.99 or $1.50 per serve
  • The asparagus was $3.69 and we used about half, or 92c per serve
  • The creme frisch was $3.79 but we used only ⅛ or 23c per serve
  • Add 75c for butter, horseradish and seasonings.

An excellent meal for $11.16 per serve.

Jun 16: Pastrami, Bread & Butter Pickels & Swiss, Pastrami, Sauerkraut & Swiss; Bacon and Black Bean Chili

Lunch

With a fresh supply of pastrami, we prepared two sandwiches for toasting: pastrami, bread & butter pickles and Swiss and pastrami, Sauerkraut & Swiss. Both were good.

  • The pastrami was $11.99 for 16 oz and we used 3 oz across two sandwiches, or $1.13 per serve
  • Sprouted Rye bread is 32c per serve
  • Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 33c per serve
  • The Bubbies (natural) Sauerkraut is expensive at $6.99 or 22c per serve, but it is a very superior sauerkraut without the bad odor of most sauerkraut
  • Add 45c for butter and garlic dip.

Lunch today cost $2.45 per serve.

Dinner

An unseasonably cool day lead to our favorite Bacon and Black Bean Chili, which makes around six serves.

  • The ground beef was $9.17 or $1.53 per serve
  • The beans are $1.19 per can and we used two, or 40c per serve
  • Canned tomatoes were $1.29 or 22c per serve
  • Tomato paste was 79c or 13c per serve
  • Bacon pieces were $4.49 for the pack and we used about 1/4, or 19c per serve
  • Add 30c per serve for seasoning
  • Add 20c for labné
  • The avocado was 25c per serve.

This is a pretty good chili made even better by the ‘fixin’s’ on top for $3.22 per serve.

Jun 15: Smokey Cheese & Kambocha Squash Quiche; Bratwurst and Roast Vegetables with Halloumi

Lunch

For lunch we finished the second half of the Smokey Gouda and Kambocha Squash Custard/Quiche from two nights ago. It was definitely better this time, even though we served cold. We thought that the kabocha squash absorbed some moisture while the cooler temperature firmed the cheese a little improving the texture and flavor.

A good lunch for $2.20 per serve.

Dinner

Nigella Lawson is famous for her baking sheet meals. We’ve cooked variations on her Double Potato Halloumi Bake many times and tonight we created our own variation: Bratwurst, Asian Yam, Onion, Bell Pepper and Garlic.

The vegetable and halloumi portion makes four serves. The bratwurst, just two.

  • The bratwurst are $3.49 for the pack, or $1.75 per serve
  • The oriental yam was $1.09 or 27c per serve
  • The bell pepper was $1.49 or 38c per serve
  • The red onion was 67c or 17c per serve
  • Halloumi cost $3.64 or 91c per serve
  • Add 20c for seasoning and garlic.

We enjoyed this sheet bake very much. The asian yam is not as sweet as sweet potato and not as mealy as regular potato, so it was a hit. Everything melded together well for $3.68 per serve.

Jun 14: Avocado & Smoked Trout; Rib Eye with Cauliflower Gnocchi in Blue Cheese Sauce

Lunch

Instead of sharing two different sandwiches, today we both had avocado and smoked trout as the avocado and trout are too much for one sandwich.

  • Sprouted Rye bread is 32c per serve
  • The avocado was 50c or 25c per serve
  • The smoked trout is $3.49 per can or $1.75 per serve
  • Add 45c for butter and garlic dip.

This is a pretty good sandwich for $2.77 per serve.

Dinner

It’s been a long time since we had a rib eye steak, but tonight we broke the drought and grilled it. Served with the Cauliflower Gnocchi in Blue Cheese sauce it was a satisfying (and filling) meal.

  • The Rib Eye was $19.90 or $9.95 per serve
  • The gnocchi was $2.69 or $1.35 per serve
  • Blue cheese crumbles were $3.49 and we used half or 87c per serve
  • Heavy cream is $3.29 per pint, but we used only ¼ or 42c per serve
  • Organic frozen peas were $1.99 per pack or 50c per serve
  • Add 30c for other ingredients.

Again, a satisfying, but not outstanding, meal for $13.39 per serve.

Jun 13: Turkey Breast, Swiss & Tomato; Smokey Gouda and Kambocha Squash Custard

Lunch

The Foodies are still on independent lunch track due to Foodie Greg’s dental work, so Foodie Philip added smoked turkey breast to the Swiss and moon touched tomatoes – along with the garlic spread – for a pretty tasty sandwich.

  • Sprouted Rye bread is 32c per serve
  • Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 33c per serve
  • The turkey breast is $2.99 for 8 oz and one went on the sandwich, or 38c per serve
  • The moon touched tomato adds 15c per serve
  • Add 45c for butter and garlic dip.

A decent sandwich for $1.53 per serve.

Dinner

With Foodie Greg on a “soft food” diet, we prepared the smokey gouda and kabocha squash custard, a.k.a. crustless quiche.

As an experiment we used turkey bacon instead of pork. If turkey bacon is your only bacon choice, don’t bother. It’s terrible: tastes of nothing in particular and has a weird texture.

  • Five eggs are $2.50 or 63c per serve
  • The kabocha squash was $1.94 and we used the remaining half, or 24c per serve
  • The turkey bacon is $2.99 and we used ⅓ or 25c per serve
  • The gouda was $6.99 and we used half, or 88c
  • Add 20c for heavy cream and seasoning.

The kabocha squash may have been a little past its prime, but overall it was a good meal for $2.20 per serve.

Jun 12: Tomato & Swiss; Southwest Beans and Sausage

Lunch

With Foodie Greg still limited to soft, cold food, Philip had a moon touched tomato and Swiss sandwich, with a generous spread of garlic spread.

  • Sprouted Rye bread is 32c per serve
  • Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 33c per serve
  • The moon touched tomato adds 15c per serve
  • Add 45c for butter and garlic dip.

Lunch was late because of a local community breakfast, but still appreciated for $1.25 per serve.

Dinner

Foodie Philip finished the Southwest Beans and Sausage, without rice, for $3.00, while Foodie Greg again had cold soup.