Jun 11: Gordon Biersch; Dutch Mustard Soup

Lunch

We were meeting up with a friend from out of town, and Gordon Biersch is a good choice, as we needed to be in Burbank later in the day. It was gourmet burgers all round and our friend picked up the check.

Dinner

An intriguing and new recipe for us: Dutch Mustard Soup, or when we order it in September during IBC, Mosterdsoep! Foodie Greg prepared it ahead of time, so it was a simple reheat, add some bacon and finish off baking the bread to have a meal on the table, as we expected to finish the day late.

Which is what we did. Like a creamy, mustard version of French onion soup, this recipe is outstanding. The lardons of bacon on top give it a meaty flavor and texture, without dominating the dish. The onion and leek added sweetness, offset by the sharpness of the mustard, with the sour cream (in our version) moderating the flavors.

  • Bacon ends and pieces cost $3.99 or 50c per serve
  • Yellow onions were $2.79 for 2 lb, or 23c per serve
  • The leek was $1.38 or 35c per serve
  • Add 10c for butter
  • Garlic adds 5c per serve
  • Sour cream adds 50c per serve
  • Mustard adds 25c per serve
  • Add 20c for the remaining seasoning
  • The par baked roll was $3.99 or $1.00 per serve.

Dinner tonight was easy to prepare, delicious and only $3.18 with the bread!

Jun 10: Supermarket Sushi; Bubble and Squeak with Fried Egg

Lunch

On our way back home we stopped in at Whole Foods for some supermarket sushi for $9.69 per serve.

Dinner

With a lot of yellow mash left over, Greg decided to make bubble and squeak – refried leftover vegetables. Unfortunately, our non-stick pans were also no help creating a crust.

  • The squash cost $1.99 or 50c per serve
  • Russet potatoes weer $1.49 but we used 2/5 or 15c per serve
  • Sour cream is $2.99 for a tub, and we used 1/3 or 25c per serve
  • Spring onion adds 15c per serve
  • Bacon ends and pieces were $3.99 per pack, but we used about 1/3 or 67c per serve
  • An onion adds 12c per serve
  • Pastured eggs are 5oc each or $1.00 per serve.

Dinner tonight was tasty despite the lack of crust for $2.84 per serve.

Jun 9: Yeros Wrap; Shredded Beef Ragu, ‘Yellow Mash’ and Sugar Snap Peas

Lunch

Yeros wrap time again.

  • The fully cooked sliced gyro/yeros meat is $3.99 per 10oz pack. There are really four serves, so each serve is very slightly cheaper than the chicken, at $1.00 per serve.
  • The flatbread is 50c per serve
  • Hummus is $3.99 per container and we used about 1/6 or 33c per serve
  • We served 1/4 of the tabouli salad or 67c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.50.

Dinner

We still had half the shredded beef ragu left and decided to serve with mashed potato. Then Foodie Greg saw some chopped butternut squash and his mind went back to ‘yellow mash’ – the name his mother used for squash and potato mixed, in order to get him to eat squash or pumpkin!

We elevated the mash by using sour cream, pecorino and spring onion, and it was really tasty and a perfect companion to the ragu. It makes at least four serves, so we have two for bubble and squeak later.

  • Beef chuck steak cost $6.93 or $1.73 per serve
  • The sweet onion was 46c or 12c per serve
  • Sliced crimini mushroom – a bit more than the recipe called for – cost $2.29 or 58c per serve
  • Organic baby carrots were $1.69 for the pack, of which we used 1/4, or 11c per serve
  • Beef broth is $1.99 for 2 pints, or 13c per serve
  • Crushed canned tomatoes with no added salt were $1.49 or 38c per serve
  • Add 30c for thyme and other seasonings
  • The squash cost $1.99 or 50c per serve
  • Russet potatoes weer $1.49 but we used 2/5 or 15c per serve
  • Sour cream is $2.99 for a tub, and we used 1/3 or 25c per serve
  • Spring onion  adds 15c per serve
  • Snow peas were $2.99 but we used only half a container, or 75c per serve.

The mash was a much better accompaniment to the ragu, while the blanched sugar snap peas added crunch, all for just $5.15 per serve.

Jun 8: Feta & Tomato on Naan; Shredded Ragu of Beef with Gnocchi

Lunch

Take a small naan bread, top it with feta and kumato and sprinkle on fresh thyme, then roast until the feta has softened and the tomato dried. One of the tastiest lunches we’ve ever had.

  • The kumatos (black tomato) are $3.49 for six, or 58c per serve
  • The garlic naan is $3.69 for six and we had two each, or $1.23 per serve
  • The feta in brine was $6.50 and 1/2 went into lunch, or $1.63 per serve
  • Add 10c for the thyme.
Naan with feta, tomato and fresh thyme.

Lunch today was more expensive than our usual home prepared lunch at $3.54 per serve, but it was worth it.

Dinner

If you can have pulled pork, why not pulled beef, which for some reason is called shredded beef despite being prepared much the same way. Paired with some gnocchi it was basically “meat and potatoes!”

The meat sauce – ragu – made four serves.

  • Beef chuck steak cost $6.93 or $1.73 per serve
  • The sweet onion was 46c or 12c per serve
  • Sliced crimini mushroom – a bit more than the recipe called for – cost $2.29 or 58c per serve
  • Organic baby carrots were $1.69 for the pack, of which we used 1/4, or 11c per serve
  • Beef broth is $1.99 for 2 pints, or 13c per serve
  • Crushed canned tomatoes with no added salt were $1.49 or 38c per serve
  • Add 30c for thyme and other seasonings
  • The gnocchi was $1.69 or 85c per serve.

The ragu was intensely rich and satisfying, but didn’t pair well with the gnocchi so we’ll repeat the ragu with mashed potatoes tomorrow night. Still a very tasty meal for $4.20 per serve.

Jun 6: Pulled Pork in Panini Rustic Rolls; Creole Style Jambalaya with Sausage and Shrimp

Lunch

Finish a par-baked panini roll and the stuff it with home made pulled pork and top with pickled onion!

  • Par-baked roll is 55c
  • A serve of pulled pork is $3.89 or $1.95 per serve
  • Pickled onion or bread and butter pickles adds 20c per serve.

Lunch today was tasty and cost $2.70 per serve.

Dinner

It’s been a long time since we’ve had Jambalaya – either at home or out – and this recipe avoids the “stuck to the bottom” problem a lot of jambalaya suffers from, by cooking in the oven.

We dropped the chicken, but used a chicken andouille sausage and fresh shrimp, which is added fresh for each meal. It turned out well.

We made a half batch, which makes four serves

  • 1 lb of shrimp is $6.99, but we only used half, or $1.75 per serve
  • Instead of andouille sausage, we used an Applegate Farm sausage from Whole Foods for $8.99 or $1.13 per serve
  • Canned fire roasted tomatoes cost $1.69 or 43c per serve
  • Bell pepper was $1.00 or 25c per serve
  • Scallions, onion, garlic  and herbs adds 35c per serve
  • Tomato paste adds 12c per serve
  • Rice adds 35c per serve.

A satisfying, if a little hot in this iteration, meal with perfectly cooked shrimp, which was achieved by waiting until the meal was ready, then adding the peeled shrimp to the top and back in the over for 5 minutes. Not bad for $4.38 per serve.

Jun 5: In and Out; Pulled Pork Quesadilla with Fried Eggs

Lunch

It was back to Burbank Mondays, so Philip had his usual In and Out Double Double, animal style for $4.08.

Dinner

We have pulled pork pulling on our taste buds, so a simple quesadilla made with flatbread, topped with a fried egg or two makes a great tasting, but simple, meal.

  • The flatbreads add 50c per serve
  • Pastured eggs are 50c each or $1.00 per serve
  • Half a can of refried beans, shared across two halves: 26c
  • A serve of pulled pork is $3.89 or $1.95 per serve
  • A smear of siracusa and roasted garlic BBQ sauce adds 15c per serve
  • 2 oz of cheddar split between two is 50c per serve.

Tonight’s dinner was definitely one of the better ‘quesadillas’ that we’ve made, for $4.36 per serve.

Jun 4: Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs; Chicken Leg and Thigh with Brown Rice Pilaf

Lunch

Sunday lunch deserves to be special, and eggs are associated with breakfast, so smoked salmon scrambled eggs on rye toast completely met the brief!

  • Smoked salmon $5.99 for the 4oz pack or $3.00 a serve
  • Pastured eggs are 50c each, or $1.00 per serve
  • A shallot adds 10c per serve
  • The rye toast adds 33c per serve.

Lunch was delicious and cost $4.43 per serve.

Dinner

After an extravagant lunch, a simple dinner of the remaining chicken legs steamed over brown rice pilaf perfectly fit the bill.

  • The thigh and drumstick from the supermarket roast chicken are $2.00 per serve
  • Brown rice is 50c per serve
  • Shelled edamame was $1.29 or 65c per serve
  • We used water instead of broth
  • The left over esquites was a single serve split between us, or 73c per serve.

Dinner tonight was a simple, but tasty meal for $3.88 per serve.

Jun 3: Chicken Wrap; Pulled Pork, Esquites and Rice

Lunch

With a chicken breast still remaining, we reverted to chicken wraps for lunch.

  • The flatbread is 50c per serve
  • The roast chicken is $7.99 for the bird, which works out at $1.00 per serve
  • We served 1/4 of the tabouli salad or 67c per serve
  • Hummus is $3.99 per container and we used about 1/6 or 33c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.50 per serve.

Dinner

Our meat box 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 $21.04 for just over 2 lbs it makes six good serves, or $3.50 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 made four serves, or 63c per serve
  • Unfortunately we couldn’t find cotija cheese, so we settled for a different Mexican cheese, without as much flavor for $2.79, of which we used about 1/3 or 23c 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 $5.75. The esquites would have been better with cotija but it was still really good.

Jun 2: Smoked Salmon on an Onion Bagel; Seared Pork Chops with Cucumber, Melon and Feta Salad

Lunch

Uncertain of what to have for lunch, we decided on smoked salmon on an onion bagel.

  • Smoked salmon $5.99 for the 4oz pack or $3.00 a serve
  • The pack of six onion bagels is $1.99 or 33c per serve
  • Instead of soft cheese we used a kefir dip with shallot that is $5.49 for the tub, but we used only 1/10 per serve or 55c
  • A Persian cucumber is 65c or 33c per serve
  • Add 15c for capers and shallot.

Lunch today cost $4.36 a serve.

Dinner

Think cut heritage pork chops just taste better, as the fat hasn’t been bred out of the heritage breeds. Paired with a melon, cucumber and feta salad they make a very satisfying meal, although we’re still somewhat skeptical that a honeydew melon makes a good salad ingredient.

  • The pork chops were $10.19 or $5.10 per serve
  • The honeydew melon was $5.00 or $2.50 per serve
  • The cucumber was 65c or 33c per serve
  • The feta in brine was $6.50 and 1/4 went into this salad, or 82c per serve
  • The mint came from our garden.

The pork chops were perfectly cooked on our griddle and the whole meal came to $8.85 per serve.