Mar 29: BBQ Chicken, Heirloom Tomato in a Rustic Panini Roll; Hot Smoked Salmon with “Everything but the Bagel” Salad

Lunch

We decided to repeat yesterday’s lunch so we could use the second half of the heirloom tomato. Without a baguette, we completed some par baked Rustic Panini Rolls and spread liberally with the garlic spread before stuffing it with the chicken and tomato.

  • The panini roll is 63c
  • The chicken is $6.99, but we shared ¼ or 88c per serve
  • The heirloom tomato was $2.55 and we shared half, or 64c per serve
  • Add 30c for the garlic spread.

The freshly baked roll is almost as good as the baguette. Almost. Still a great sandwich for $2.45 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we hot smoked wild caught salmon fillets and served with a salad that was all the other ingredients from a smoked salmon bagel, without the bagel.

  • The salmon fillets were $9.83 or $4.92 per serve
  • Half a shallot is 10c per serve
  • Cucumbers were 15c or 8c per serve
  • Tomatoes were $2.75 but we used half, or 69c per serve
  • Add 20c for labné
  • Add 10c for “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning.

We managed to get the salmon almost perfectly cooked. The meal was a successful riff on the smoked salmon bagel, turned into a meal for $6.09 per serve.

Mar 28: BBQ Chicken & Heirloom Tomato on Baguette; Rib Eye with Sautéed Radicchio and Balsamic Vinegar

Lunch

A rare shopping trip to Jon’s Market had us come back with – as we usually do – a BBQ chicken, fresh baguette and an heirloom tomato. We spread the baguette liberally with Trader Joe’s Garlic Spread/Dip for extra flavor.

  • The chicken is $6.99, but we shared ¼ or 88c per serve
  • The baguette is $2.79 and we each had ¼, or 70c per serve
  • The heirloom tomato was $2.55 and we shared half, or 64c per serve
  • Add 30c for the garlic spread.

Proving, again, that really good ingredients need minimal treatment to make a great meal. This is always good for $2.52 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight’s Rib Eye was first seared on the fat side and then on a very hot plate to cook it to a perfect blue. We served with seared radicchio with Balsamic vinegar.

  • At 10 oz the rib eye is $8.10 per serve
  • The radicchio was $1.05 and we used about half, or 26c per serve
  • Add 30c olives
  • Add 50c for balsamic.

Dry aged and cooked to perfection the steak was as good as we have come to expect from Keller Crafted. The radicchio turned out well and is something we’ll likely repeat, and probably experiment with. A really enjoyable steak night for $9.16 per serve.

Mar 27: Egg Salad Rolls; Pizza

Lunch

For lunch we stuffed a heated panini roll with egg salad and sprouts.

  • The panini roll is 63c per serve
  • The egg salad is $3.69 for 10 oz and we used 2 oz per serve, or 92c per serve
  • The sprouts cost $1.96 and we shared about 1/8 or 13c per serve.

We enjoyed this roll a lot for $1.68 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight was our regular user group night, that concludes with pizza where we contribute $10 each to cover the cost of the shared meal.

Mar 26: Japanese Take Out; Heuvos Rancheros

Lunch

Business has taken us to San Diego where a friend treated us to take out Japanese. Foodie Greg had a Chicken Terryaki Bowl, while Foodie Philip had a Shrimp Bento box.

Our friend paid for the meal.

Dinner

Arriving home from the trip a little late to prepare a meal, we stopped in at a nearby Mexican restaurant and picked up some Heuvos Rancheros to take home.

They were middling Rancheros: not the best we’ve had, not the worst for $10.22 per serve.

Mar 25: Avocado & Smoked Trout; Chorizo Stuffed Braised Squid

Lunch

For lunch we had a ripe avocado so we had to do something right then! So we paired it with a can of Smoked Trout in a toasted sandwich.

  • The smoked trout is $3.49 per can or $1.75 per serve
  • Sprouted Rye bread is 32c per serve
  • Two avocados were $1.98 but we shared one, or 50c per serve
  • Add 30c for butter.

A good sandwich for $2.87 per serve.

Dinner

Although it’s officially “meatless Monday” we’re just catching up with “fishy Friday!” Tonight’s Chorizo Stuffed Braised Squid was originally scheduled for last Friday, but was definitely worth the wait. We got three serves from this recipe3

  • The soy chorizo is $2.29 at Trader Joe’s and we used half, or 58c per serve
  • The squid was $4.14 or $1.38 per serve
  • Wine adds 70c per serve
  • Stock adds 34c per serve
  • A can of tomatoes is 99c or 33c per serve
  • We crumbed a slice of bread for 16c or 5c per serve
  • Add 30c for onion and seasoning
  • Add 18c for farro and peas.

We were impressed with this dish. The squid cooked beautifully and the chorizo stuffing was very tasty. Because we had such small squid it was a chore to stuff them, so we will likely modify the technique in the future. An excellent meal for $3.86 per serve.

Mar 24: Fried Egg, Bacon, Baked Beans & Fry Bread; Gordon Biersch

Lunch

On Sundays we often put a little more effort into lunch, so today we fried some bacon and eggs, heated some Giant Baked Beans, and served it with a slice of bread “toasted” in the panini press.

  • Two eggs per serve costs $1.02
  • The bread is 16c
  • Add 20c for butter
  • The baked beans work out at $1.00 per serve.

A satisfying lunch for $2.32 per serve.

Dinner

We met with a business associate for dinner at Gordon Biersch where Foodie Philip had the Brewer’s Steak while Foodie Greg had the Fish Tacos. We were both very pleased with our meals. Foodie Philip’s steak was cooked to a perfect ‘blue’ and of sufficient quality to make that work.

The meal averaged to $21.25 per serve with tax and tip.

Mar 23: In and Out Burger; Soy Chorizo Eggs with Refried Beans

Lunch

As we had to pick up some printing near an In and Out Burger, we stopped there for lunch. We find their burgers are very superior when eaten fresh. Last time we found that even the 10 minute ride home was enough for the burgers to deteriorate.

One Cheeseburger and one Double Double (both Animal Style) averages $3.87 with Ventura County’s lower sales tax.

Dinner

A last minute shuffle of menu plans had us eating our “meatless Monday” meal tonight, so we had soy chorizo eggs with refried beans.

  • The soy chorizo is $2.29 at Trader Joe’s and we used half, or 58c per serve
  • Two pastured eggs are $1.02 per serve
  • Refried beans are 25c per serve
  • Add 30c for the tortilla chips.

We both enjoyed the spicy flavor of the eggs, but Foodie Greg found the firmer texture disturbing. Still, not a bad meal for $2.15 per serve.

Mar 21: “Reuben”; Rib Eye with Farro Tabbouleh

Lunch

We took some of the remaining corned beef, created a fake Russian dressing, piled on some sauerkraut and a slice of Swiss cheese to create a pseudo Reuben sandwich.

  • The Rye Bread is 32c per serve
  • Corned beef works out at $2.13 per sandwich serve
  • Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 34c per serve
  • Add 30c for butter and garlic spread.

Our Russian Dressing may not be authentic, but we had a good sandwich for $3.09 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we seared a Rib Eye and served it with a Farro Tabbouleh, which was new to us.

  • At 10 oz the rib eye is $8.10 per serve
  • The farro was $1.79 for the pack, but we shared ⅓ or 10c per serve
  • Tomatoes were $2.75 but we used half, or 69c per serve
  • Parsley was $1.89 for the bunch and we used half or 47c per serve
  • Mint came from our garden.

The steak was a perfect ‘blue’ – seared on the outside and just warm in the middle – and the Farro Tabbouleh was an excellent replacement for the classic version, with the Farro giving more of a “chew” than buck wheat. A really good meal for $9.17 per serve.

Mar 20: Corned Beef with Roast Potato & Peppers; Beef Massaman Curry

Lunch

We decided to finish the corned beef, but instead of repeating our pseudo Reuben we heated some frozen Roasted Potatoes with Peppers from Trader Joe’s.

  • The roast potato mix was $2.99 or $1.50 per serve
  • Corned beef works out at $2.13 per serve.

We were not particularly impressed by the potato mix. It was a little mushy and would have been better if the potato had a little crispness to it. Still not a bad lunch for $3.63.

Dinner

Since we had some cross rib steak, we made Massaman!

  • The beef was $8.84, or $4.42 per serve
  • The curry is $3.38 per can or $1.69 per serve
  • Coconut milk is $1.69 per can or 85c per serve
  • Peanuts were $2.99 but we only used half, or 75c per serve
  • Peal onion adds 20c per serve
  • Brown rice adds 33c per serve.

This is probably our favorite curry for $8.24 per serve.