And I complain that my favorite taco place charges $3.30 for their shredded beef with cheese tacos.

Going sleazy requires you to get the 2 for $1 Jack in the Box tacos.

I've had those too but aren't the JIB ones 99cents each?
yeah, I hadn't been to Tito's in over a year and was shocked at the price.

Leftover Detroit style pizza
mixed green salad

As a follow up, we loved it. You couldn't taste the squash at all. If we didn't know it was in there, we would have thought it was just more shredded chicken. So basically it adds a little more nutrition and greatly reduces the calories from a tortilla or bread, but still fills you up. That said, probably not a good reason to try it if you don't like the squash .

Now, I need to ask for some help. We have been trying to go out to eat either Friday or Saturday night since restaurants re-opened here. Given that today and tomorrow are cold and rainy, we decided to stay home this weekend and make something either new or more "upscale" than we would normally eat. But at this point I'm stumped, and need ideas. Here are the rules:

- It can't take more than 3 hours to make, including prep time
- Ingredients must be easily accessible. So for example, no caviar, because I can't run to the grocery store after work and get good caviar.
- Rough budget of <$100 for 2 people (similar to what we'd pay at a mid-range restaurant). Obviously lower is better .
- I don't expect you to provide a recipe, just the idea....something you love

If I can't figure something out in the next 4 hours, we'll probably order delivery instead. Thanks!!!

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/...ussels-sprouts

I think the texture of spaghetti squash is icky to me...but glad you liked it....i wish i did.
these will require a grocery store trip:
paella
osso bucco
zuni cafe roast chicken
roast duck
prime rib w/Yorkshire pudding /popovers
lasagna
baby back ribs
anything ethnic...Mexican, Indian, Asian

requires subscription.

cassoulet
risotto
chicken chili
chowder in bread bowl

Paella and lasagna are standing out to me. Thanks for all the great ideas. I love cassoulet but not sure my wife will go for that one, same with the duck. Prime rib is in the freezer and probably on the menu next weekend. Risotto is another one we haven't had in a while. I'm leaning toward paella since I've never made it before. That would require some good seafood, and I'm not making that trip this afternoon. So I'm now thinking about doing paella tomorrow night. It may be takeout tonight, but Saturday night paella would be a huge success. Way to come through on the ideas!

I don't have a paella pan, but I have a good, large stainless steel pan with maybe 2.5" sides. Will that do the trick? Otherwise a smaller cast iron.

I think the wider the better so I say yes on the stainless steel pan. The thing I like about paella is that you can be totally flexible with the ingredients. The only seafood I use in it is shrimp & sometimes scallops as well. I don't like mussels or clams so don't use them. I use chicken thighs usually and either chorizo or polish sausage or andouille (if I can find it) but again, use what you like. I use roasted red peppers from the jar and frozen peas at the end.
Now I want to make it too! Maybe when vaccinated friends are able to come over again since it is impossible to make a small amount.
Another thought--pasta primavera since it is springtime and you like veggies.

My local stores, perhaps with the exception of Target, all have employees at entrances enforcing limits.

I need a good Tito's fix -- that may be on the agenda this weekend.

The key to paella is a large flat-bottom pan. We do it in a 24" pan and an 18" pan (and for some dinner parties, do two versions and use both pans). I love paella!

We went down to our "local" for a drink and got one of their new menu items -- kimchi fries -- so now I'm not sure if I'm going to have dinner. If I do, I'm reheating purloo, which is the NC/SC version of paella. Ours has king salmon (from Sitka Salmonshares...such a beautiful piece I should have made sushi with it), smoked trout and bacon.

It's chilly enough out that we came home and I made a fire. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the last one of the season, and it's the first in at least 6 weeks. I'm finally getting feeling back in my fingers.

Anyone planning a special Passover seder? Three years ago we did a blow-out for about a dozen friends (Mr. CE was the token Jew). Two years ago we did a restaurant seder at Aba in Chicago, which is the best of the LEYE seders I've tried. (Mon Ami Gabi's is lousy.) We just realized Passover begins tomorrow night and we'll be at Topolobampo for Mr. CE's non-seder birthday dinner. Galit's seder looks awesome but is only tomorrow and is sold out. Any good Chicago (or suburb) recommendations for a Sunday take-out seder?

The normal tacos are 2 for .99, or 2 for 1.29 depending on location. I think they have a deluxe taco that is .99.

Fish tacos
Flour tortillas
raw organic carrots / celery

popcorn
Girl Scout cookies

My local Walmart which has three or four times the square footage of a Publix Supermarket, has a long line of people waiting to get in, even at 10pm. Meanwhile, no one limiting people at Publix, and they have removed the one way arrows down the aisles. They never really enforced the one way aisles for all the months it was posted. People do still have to wear masks and socially distance themselves, but with the vaccinations being more populated, how much longer do you think this will be required.

Spoke to my brother the other day about how Australia is handling Covid-19. He told me most of the country has no restrictions except for the Melbourne area, where he lives, because being an island country, and the restrictions on outsiders visiting, there has been very few cases of Covid-19. He is leaving Coles who recruited him from the USA in 2017, to joins Woolworth's. I hope he finds what he is looking for in his job.

Getting back on topic:

Had Olive Garden takeout. My wife doesn't eat much, so we can cheat. I ordered the Create your own w/Angel Hair and Meat Sauce. I order the Chicken Gnocchi soup as my included side. I then order a kid's meal Spaghetti and Meat Sauce with the included side of Spaghetti and tomato sauce. She will usually get two meals out of the Kid's portion, so we save money, and she consumes the soup over the two meals. If we dined in, she would usually eat a quarter of the full size meal and we would spend double in the restaurant. No harm/no foul in my opinion.

Bon app!! We discovered the joy of Olive Garden Italian salad dressing at Safeway. Oh so great and currently on sale for $4.99 instead of $5.49. It�s a bit rich in sodium & calories (to be expected) so I definitely must measure out the 2 tbsp portion and we eat it every 3-4 salads with olive oil & red wine vinegar as the majority dressing.