Dec 1: Pulled Pork ‘Quesadilla’; Gordon Biersch

Lunch

With pulled pork left over we added it to our version of a quesadilla made with flatbread.

  • The pulled pork cost $1.47
  • One flatbread (half of two) costs 50c a serve
  • Half a can of refried beans, shared across two halves: 26c
  • 2 oz of cheddar split between two is 50c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.73 per serve.

Dinner

A final opportunity to socialize before we head for Australia saw us at Gordon Biersch for dinner tonight.

Foodie Philips’ Brewer’s steak was a perfect rare and very tender. It’s clear that Gordon Biersch have upped their food game from a few years back when the food was very average ‘pub food’.

Dinner tonight averaged at $25.15 per serve, with tax and tip.

Nov 30: Yeros Wrap; Pizza

Lunch

A repeat of yeros wraps.

  • 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

Tonight was the last LACPUG meeting of the year, followed by pizza, as it our tradition. Each person contributes $5.00.

Dinner tonight cost $5.00 per serve.

Nov 29: Burrito; Pulled Pork with Kale and Broccoli Salad

Lunch

Our morning was taken up (mostly) waiting for an interview with CIS, so we grabbed a burrito from our favorite Mexican place on the way home.

Burritos are $5.50 each.

Dinner

Since we had another Boston Butt in freezer from our Prather Ranch delivery, we decided to have pulled pork again, because why not? The ability to prepare a slow cooked meal like this is a side benefit of working from home.

Paired with a semi-prepared kale and broccoli salad from Trader Joes we had a great meal for three, with enough leftover pulled pork for another two meals.

  • The pork but was $20.53 or $4.10 per serve
  • Chicken stock adds about 14c per serve
  • Onion and garlic adds about 15c per serve
  • The kale and broccoli salad was $2.49 or 84c per serve

Dinner tonight was, again, excellent for just $5.23 per serve.

Nov 28: In and Out; Chipotle, Bacon and Black Bean Soup

Lunch

An almost normal Burbank Monday schedule had Foodie Philip back at In and Out Burger for his Double Double Animal Style.

Lunch today was $4.03 per serve with tax.

Dinner

Although it was a favorite last winter, and the winter before that, this is the first time we’ve had the Chipotle Bean Soup with Bacon Recipe this year.

  • Bacon ends cost $4.99 for the container, but this recipe used about 1/2 of that, or 50c per serve
  • Onion and garlic – about 5c a serve
  • Spices – about 12c a serve
  • The beans were 99c a can, or 99c a serve
  • The adobo chipotle adds 50c per serve
  • The avocado cost $1.29 or 65c per serve
  • Sour cream cost $3.99 but we used 1/8 on tonight’s meal, or 25c per serve.

All up dinner cost us $2.56 for a very filling serve.

Nov 26: Chicken Wrap; Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Lunch

For variation, and because it was cold, we heated the chicken, then sliced it thinly for the wrap. This worked much better than the larger chunks of chicken we had been working with.

  • The flatbread is 50c per serve
  • The roast chicken is $9.99 for the bird, but we used .75 of a breast, or 94c 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 $2.44 per serve.

Dinner

The Lemon Chicken Orzo soup has been missed during the warmer months, but now the weather is cooling down, it’s a great cool weather meal, that’s quick to prepare, if you use cooked chicken. The recipe makes four serve. Orzo is a small pasta with the size of rice grains.

For the observant, this is basically just a grown up version of chicken noodle soup that we served with a par-baked Roll.

  • Carrots cost 25c or 7c per serve
  • Celery, thyme, oil and garlic adds 15c per serve
  • Chicken broth cost 40c per serve
  • The store-bought rotisserie chicken breast is $2.25 each leg and thigh and we used the other 2/3 of a breast, or $1.50 per serve
  • The orzo is $1.42 for a 1 lb box, but only half was used for our four serves, or 18c per serve
  • Add in 12 c for the other seasonings, etc.
  • Six par baked rustic rolls were $3.29 or 55c per serve

Dinner tonight cost $4.07 per serve!

Nov 25: The Country Deli; Butternut Squash, Bacon and Smokey Cheese ‘Rellenos

Lunch

We had to go to Lowes, which takes us right past The Country Deli, so that’s where we had lunch.

Lunch at The Country Deli averages $21 per serve with tax and tip.

Dinner

Tonight we had the rest of the butternut squash, bacon and smokey cheese version of Pioneer Woman’s Easy Chilli Rellenos.

  • The pre-cut butternut squash was $1.99 for a 12oz pack or $1 per serve
  • We used half the $2.84 pack of ‘Dutch smoked cheese’ (not Gouda!) or 71c per serve
  • Eggs are 50c each or $1.25 per serve
  • We used bacon ends and pieces where the pack was $3.49 but we used about 1/3 or 58c per serve
  • A pint of half and half is $1.49 and half was used or 37c per serve
  • Add 5c for seasoning.

Tonight’s dinner cost $3.96 per serve. The squash, bacon and cheese is an excellent combination.

Nov 24: ‘Tomato Soup’; Turkey Thanksgiving Dinner

Lunch

For lunch we had some of the remaining liquid from the Cioppino with a par baked sourdough roll covered in melted cheddar: tomato soup with a cheese toasty!

  • The cheddar is $5.99 for the 8oz block or $1.13 per 1.5 oz serve
  • Six par baked rustic rolls were $3.29 or 55c per serve
  • The cioppino liquid is about $1.43 per serve.

Lunch today cost $3.11.

Dinner

We had Thanksgiving dinner with friends, as you do.

We prepared a roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts dish, which was pretty good.

Our contribution cost $3.30 split across the two of us. With it we had the full Thanksgiving spread.

Foodie Philip carved the turkey using an Alton Brown tip: cut the breast out and then slice it vertically, across the ‘grain’ of the muscle fibers. That makes the breast taste much more juicy and tender.

Nov 23: Chicken Wrap; Butternut Squash, Bacon and Smokey Cheese ‘Rellenos

Lunch

  • The flatbread is 50c per serve
  • The roast chicken is $9.99 for the bird, but we used .75 of a breast, or 94c per serve
  • Deli rice salad salad is $2.69 or 67c per serve
  • Hummus is $3.99 per container and we used about 1/6 or 33c per serve

Lunch today cost $2.44 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we did a variation on Pioneer Woman’s Easy Chilli Rellenos.  In this iteration we substituted butternut squash, bacon and smokey cheese for the basics in Pioneer Woman’s recipe.

Once again, we purchased butternut squash pre-cut. The biggest hassle with using it as an ingredient is the peeling and chopping. Buying pre-cut eliminates the issue. Baked ahead of the casserole, it should be just soft when going into the oven.

Bacon and smokey cheese are always a good combination. We decided the bacon could be cooked a little longer, until just crisp, to add more texture.

  • The pre-cut butternut squash was $1.99 for a 12oz pack or $1 per serve
  • We used half the $2.84 pack of ‘Dutch smoked cheese’ (not Gouda!) or 71c per serve
  • Eggs are 50c each or $1.25 per serve
  • We used bacon ends and pieces where the pack was $3.49 but we used about 1/3 or 58c per serve
  • A pint of half and half is $1.49 and half was used or 37c per serve
  • Add 5c for seasoning.

Tonight’s dinner cost $3.96 per serve. The squash, bacon and cheese is an excellent combination.

Nov 22: Popeye’s Chicken with Salad; Chioppino (Take 2)

Lunch

Time for the second meal from our Popeye’s purchase, but with salad instead.

  • Eight pieces, dark and spicy – of which we eat 2 per serve – is $10.89 with tax, or $2.73 per serve.
  • Chickpea Balela salad from Trader Joe’s $2.69 or $1.35 per serve.

Lunch today cost $4.08 per serve.

Dinner

There is an enormous amount of Chioppino and even taking out the balance of the fish, shrimp and mussels there’s at least four serves of ‘soup’ left.

Dinner tonight cost $9.78 a serve with even more of the tasty solids than last time because we hadn’t divided evenly. There’s still a lot of flavorsome liquid left that will likely become a lunch time soup.

Nov 21: Popeye’s Fried Chicken; Cottage Pie (Take 2)

Lunch

Burbank Monday’s aren’t what they used to be with some schedule changes that make getting to In and Out for lunch impossible. So today we delayed lunch and Popeye’s Fried Chicken (Dark meat, spicy) with Red Beans and Rice were procured in Burbank and shuttled to be eaten in Twin Lakes.

  • Eight pieces, dark and spicy – of which we eat 2 per serve – is $10.89 with tax, or $2.73 per serve.
  • Large Red Beans and Rice is $4.35 and we split it, or $2.18 per serve.

Lunch today cost $4.91 per serve.

Dinner

Take two on the cottage pie from last night.

Tonight’s meal cost $3.28 per serve and was delicious and warming.