Category: Daily recipe

Lunch

Since Philip was on the way back from Studio City, a stop at Popeyes seemed like a good thing to do.

• 10 pieces of dark and spicy chicken is $15.25 or $3.81 a serve with tax, because Philip had three pieces.
• Half the Large Red Beans and Rice is $2.17 with tax, per serve.

Lunch today cost $5.98 per serve.

Dinner

Since we had remaining leftover meatloaf, which was made to a rissole recipe, we thought we might emulate an Australian style burger. Unlike the US an Australian burger always has grilled onion – never raw – and there is onion in the rissole recipe.

The other essential additions are pickled beetroot and an egg. Cheese has only appeared in Australian burgers (we think) since the introduction of an American cheeseburger, but we added cheddar anyway, because why not!

This is a genuine works burger from last December’s Australian trip. We know it’s authentic because the proprietor was Greek!

• A full server of the meatloaf was $5.10 but we used 1/3 serve per burger, or $1.36 per burger. Since Philip had two after working up an appetite in the yard, the average was $2.04 per serve
• The sprouted wholemeal is $3.49 a loaf with 18 slices, or 39c per two slice burger/sandwich, or an average of 57c per serve
• The cheese is $5.99 for an 8oz block, and we used 1oz per burger, or $1.13 per serve on average
• The beets were 69c for a small can, of which we used about half, or 35c per serve
• The kumatos (black tomato) are $3.49 for six, and we used two, or 39c per serve
• A pastured egg is 50c or 75c per serve average
• Add 10c for the lettuce.

While not an authentic burger this was a very satisfying sandwich, evoking the flavor profile of an Australian burger for an average of $5.33 per serve. Each sandwich was $3.55 and, truthfully, one would have bene enough, even after some heavy yard work.

Lunch

Time to finish off last Sunday’s pulled pork. We finished baking some rustic par baked rolls and stuffed them with reheated pork and some ceviche onion.

• Par-baked roll is 63c
• We shared one serve of the pulled pork, or $1.68 per serve
• Add 5c for ceviche onion.

Lunch today, as it always is with this combination, was delicious for $2.36 per serve.

Dinner

We had a top sirloin roast from our Prather Ranch meat delivery, and were having a guest for dinner, so it was the right time to roast it, using the prime rib method of a slow cook to internal temperature, then a quick, hard heat to brown the outside. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare without gray rings.

The roast garlic butter mushrooms used to be a regular dish in our rotation but we haven’t had it for quite a while, apparently not since we started keeping this record!

• The top sirloin was $29.94 but we’ll get at least five serves, or $5.99 per serve
• One pound of mushrooms were $4.49 or $1.50
• The butter is $3.99 per block, and we used about 1/5 for three serves, or 27c per serve
• Garlic adds 5c per serve.

Tonight’s excellent steak and mushroom dinner was $7.81, or a fraction of the cost of the same meal

Lunch

Because we were at Whole Foods anyway, we picked up some sushi for $9.19 per serve.

Dinner

As we had a lot of ground beef in the freezer from our Prather Ranch delivery, we decided to make meatloaf, but in the style of an Australian rissole. Even though the cooking method is completely different, the smell of the meatloaf cooking was the smell of rissoles cooking.

The double recipe make four very generous serves, although we’ll probably use the half remaining for sandwiches.

We paired it with a butternut squash and quinoa salad from Whole Foods, which turned out to be one of the most boring salads we’ve ever had. So much unrealized potential, but bland as heck.

• Dry aged 85/15 ground beef $8.69 and $8.86 or $4.38 per serve
• 16 oz Panko breadcrumbs are $2.99, or $1.00 per serve
• A pastured egg is 50c and two were required for the double batch or 25c per serve
• The onion is 6c per serve
• The boring salad was $6.48 or $3.24.

Tonight’s dinner cost $8.34 per serve. The meatloaf was delicious and served with my brother’s home made tomato relish, which made the perfect accompaniment to the rissole meatloaf.

Lunch

As we still have pulled pork left over, we finished baking some rustic par baked rolls and stuffed them with reheated pork and some ceviche onion.

• Par-baked roll is 63c
• We shared one serve of the pulled pork, or $1.68 per serve
• Add 5c for ceviche onion.

Lunch today, as it always is with this combination, was delicious for $2.36 per serve.

Dinner

Muffaletta Pasta Salad, a.k.a. meat salad, has been a regular for a couple of years, from the days we went to the Hollywood Bowl somewhat regularly. In the purest form it has multiple meats, but we simplify to salami alone.

Tonight we served with cheese tortellini from Trader Joe’s, which was probably one of the most boring tortellini we’ve ever had. We’ll be using another past next time.

The recipe as we prepared it serve three, as neither of us finished more than half our serve.

• The tortellini was $2.29 or 76c per serve
• The salami was $4.49 but we only used half, or 75c per serve
• A bell pepper is 99c or 34c per serve
• Pitted olives come in $2.99 jars and one quarter was used, or 25c per serve
• Add 55c for the sauce ingredients.

Dinner tonight was more than we could eat and, despite the boring tortellini, was tasty for $2.65 per serve.

Lunch

The return trip from Chicago also involved airport food, and the breakfast English muffin sandwich was probably the worst airport food I’ve ever had. Muffin not toasted and dry, an overcooked egg, spare overcooked bacon and boring cheese does not make for a satisfying meal for $6.53 with tax.

Dinner

Home again and back to real food, with a pork scallopini piccata based on a chicken version served with buttered spinach and white rice (to soak up all that delicious piccata sauce).

• The pork scallopini was $11.19 or $5.60 per serve
• Baby spinach was $2.69 but we used half, or 68c per serve
• Rice adds 33c per serve
• A bag of Meyer lemons out $3.99 and we used half, or $1.00 per serve
• Chicken stock adds 14c per serve
• Add 10c for capers and parsley
• Cultured salted butter is $2.99 per 8oz block, and six tablespoons is half the block or 75c per serve.

Tonight’s dinner was very tasty, particularly because of the piccata sauce, and cost $8.60 per serve.

Lunch

More lunch sandwich variations: Avocado and Sardine, Neufchatel and Pickled onions.

• The sprouted wholemeal is $3.49 a loaf with 18 slices, or 39c per two slice sandwich
• A can of sardines in water is $1.99 or $1.00 per serve
• The avocado was $1.50 or 75c per serve
• The neufchâtel cheese is $1.49 for the pack, and we used less than half, or 38c per serve

Lunch today cost $2.52 per serve

Dinner

The potsticker stir fry recipe is a new one for us, and quite intriguing: could a potsticker replace a protein?

Yes it can. In fact the potstickers were definitely the best part of this otherwise quite dull dish, which made three serves

• The potstickers were $2.99 or $1.00 per serve
• Sliced criminal mushrooms were $2.29 or 77c per serve
• A tray of asparagus was $3.69 or $1.23 per serve
• Organic baby carrots were $1.69 for the pack, of which we used half, or 43c per serve
• Green onions (scallions) were $1.29 and 1/2 went into the recipe, or 22c per serve
• Ginger adds another 25c per serve
• Add 35c for seasonings per serve.

Tonight’s dinner was okay with the potstickers being the best part, for $4.25 per serve.

Lunch

Burbank Monday time so another trip to In and Out Burger for a Double Double animal style, $4.08.

Dinner

Time to finish last week’s supermarket chicken, although this one from Jon’s is a cut above those from Ralph’s! We paired it with a BBQ Ranch salad kit from Ralph’s for a quick and easy Monday night meal.

•  The chicken leg (thigh and drumstick) is $1.75 per serve
• The salad kit is $3.50 but makes four serves, or 88c per serve.

Tonight’s meal was on the table in under five minutes and the salad was pretty tasty. All in all a good Monday night meal for $2.63 per serve.

 

Lunch

What is Sunday brunch without eggs? Put them on a ‘quesadilla’ and they’re especially good. Today we used quesadilla cheese, but it didn’t seem to make much difference to the taste.

• One flatbread (half of two) costs 50c a serve
• Half a can of refried beans, shared across two halves: 26c
• A generous splash of spicy sauce is 15c per serve
• Quesadilla cheese is $2.69 for 8oz and we used 2oz, split between two is 34c per serve
• Two eggs each adds $1.00 per serve.

Lunch today was satisfying for $2.25 per serve

Dinner

Our meat box once again had a Boston Butt included so pulled pork it is! Paired with Esquites (Mexican corn salad) and white rice to absorb the run-off from the pork. Yum.

• At $20.32 for just over 2 lbs it makes at least six good serves, or $3.37 per serve
• Onion and garlic for the pork adds 25c per serve
• Chicken stock adds 14c per serve
• White rice adds 35c per serve
• For the corn we used Trader Joes Fire Roasted frozen corn to get grill flavor, which cost $2.49 for a pound, and we used half a packet for three serves, or 42c per serve
• Cotija cheese is probably the most important ingredient in the esquites and fortunately this time we found some at our local Ralph’s supermarket for $3.99 for 8oz, and we used about 1/4 or 33c per serve.
• 1 lb of limes we $1.29 and we used 1/6 or 5c per serve
• Add 30c for seasoning and oil
• Add 30c for the pickled onion.

Dinner tonight was excellent for $5.16. The esquites were definitely better with cotija and perfect with the pulled pork and rice.

Lunch

Today’s sandwiches use up the last of the egg mix and finish the pastrami.

• The sprouted wholemeal is $3.49 a loaf with 18 slices, or 39c per two slice sandwich
• The sliced pastrami is $4.99 per pack, but we’ll get three sandwiches from that, or 83c per serve
• The sliced yoghurt cheese is $4.79 a pack of 12 slices, or 80c per slice or 40c per serve
• The tomato chutney was made by Philip’s brother in Australia
• Pastured eggs are 50c each and we used labné instead of mayonnaise to create enough to make two sandwiches, or 25c per serve
• Watercress adds 5c per serve.

The sandwiches today were interesting, although we overdid the labné in the egg a little. Lunch today cost $1.92 with good variety.

Dinner

Although the recipe uses beef, we opted to use ground pork instead, which worked really well. Pork Larb is a new recipe for us, but definitely one we’ll repeat.

There are four serves in the dish, particularly when you use 1lb of pork, instead of half that in the recipe.

• The ground pork was $8.36 or $2.09 per serve
• Allowing 50c per serve for the remaining ingredients would be generous
• Cucumber adds 50c per serve
• Bean sprouts add 14c per serve
• Organic baby carrots were $1.69 for the pack, of which we used half, or 43c per serve
• Radishes were 99c or 25c per serve.

The Larb is very good, along with the fresh vegetables make a perfect hot weather meal for $3.91 per serve.