Friday Night Dinner

Our Friday night dinner splurge wasn't lobster -- but it was seafood.  We had scallops, made in the Sous Vide.  I had given up spending money on good scallops because I could never cook them just right.  That is not a problem with the Sous Vide.  The correct temperature is 125 degrees, and they need 25 minutes.  After that, just a quick pan sear in butter -- 20 seconds per side.

 It was a simple dinner over all.  We served the scallops over a thin linguine tossed with spaghetti squash.  On the side, spinach salad topped with avocado, red pepper, orange, red onion, mushrooms, and gorgonzola cheese.  I drank pinot grigio, but TBG wanted a cab.

Scallops are a treat.  The bag of eight was $9.99 --  but again, much less expensive than buying in a restaurant.  While I realize I do not cook with the same skill as a professional chef, we do OK fending for ourselves.  I tossed the pasta in EVOO, fresh lemon and a generous grating of Pecorino Romano cheese.  I had planned on adding garlic too -- but after a couple of pre-dinner glasses of PG, I just forgot!

 

Another splurge I like on Friday is a bouquet of flowers.  For $3.99, I get a bunch of blooms that I can appreciate through the weekend.  I picked one with some lily buds that should open over the next few days. 

I did my shopping at Aldi because I knew that I could get the scallops there as well as a package of grav lox -- which is my favorite Sunday morning breakfast.  I may be on my own as I think TBG will be going out to de-winterize the trailer, but that's OK.  

I honestly don't worry about a grocery budget. My goal is to buy good ingredients that I can make into healthy meals.  Because I shop at a variety of value-oriented stores, I don't over-spend on what I buy.  We do much better eating at home and if buying what we like means we are eating more meals at home, I consider that a good result from a financial perspective.