Basil Chicken wrapped in Bacon, Greek Potatoes, Peas and Bean Salad

Raul buys bacon on extreme sale and is horrified at how fatty it is, not a bargain at all. It sits in the fridge but has to be used creatively at some point. He thaws some chicken breasts and layers them with a thick layer of basil from the balcony - the season is sadly ending but there is still a large crop growing - and then wraps them in bacon. He bakes them at the same time (350 degrees) as the Greek potatoes from food.com that have become a favourite. The bacon bakes up crispy and the chicken - being wrapped in all that fat - is moist and flavourful. A few grinds of Spicy Garlic and the taste explodes.

"The bacon was a disappointment but the chicken is magnificent," admits Raul.

"Not as great as the pork loin," notes Drew. "But then it was bbq'ed and not baked. That was before we started the blog but it was one of your greatest successes so you should really make it again and we'll document it."

As much as Raul hates to repeat himself, he entertains the idea.

Grilled Garlic Chicken on Penne Alfredo with Peas and Bacon

"This does not go on the blog," says Raul. "I used Alfredo sauce from Classico. From a jar."

"Just the sauce from the jar?" prompts Drew.

"Well no," admits Raul. "I simmered it with the leftover roasted garlic from the spaghetti squash that you didn't take enough time to pry out. And I added crispy bacon for flavour and peas for colour and vitamins. And put Parmesan cheese on top."

"And the chicken?" asks Drew. "What did you rub it with?"

"I used paprika," says Raul, "and some of that Dean Jacob's Spicy Garlic that your mother gave us." Drew's mom had found the adjustable grinder line of Dean Jacob's spices for her summer home where her spice choices are limited as she is far from her massive spice drawer. The Spicy Garlic was her favourite but the grinder clogged from moisture and she ultimately found it frustrating. Raul took the grinder apart, cleaned it and, aside from occasional maintenance, it is now working fine. Drew is puzzled when he tries to google a webpage for Dean Jacob's spices - there are lots of places offering them for sale but not a site for the manufacturer. Or at least that he can find.

"And isn't one of the points of this blog to describe how you, oh so valiantly and stylishly, turn ordinary and inexpensive foodstuffs into gourmet meals that are delicious, nutritious and cheap?" reminds Drew. "All while being hampered by a rather small kitchen, the dog underfoot and my interference?"

Raul shrugs and tastes the final result while Drew rebelliously takes a photo. "It's very garlicky," says Raul. "But delicious. The bacon makes it a little salty."

"And bottled sauces are always a little salty," notes Drew. "How hard is it to make an Alfredo sauce from scratch?"

"Not at all," says Raul as the wheels begin to turn in his head. "It's just a Bechamel sauce."

Drew smiles, sensing a new blog entry in the future and returns to eating.

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Garlic, Basil and Pasta

Drew runs to Food Basics to pick up some basics and notices a precarious pile of delicious looking spaghetti squash. This particular Basics always has acorn and butternut squash but very rarely the spaghetti variety. On impulse he picks one out and adds it to the basics. Raul has spent all day continuing to perfect his oatmeal cookies - Drew, and the dog, would argue that they are already perfect but he is a perfectionist - so Drew decides to cook dinner. How difficult can spaghetti squash be?

Drew pre-heats the oven to 375 degrees and slice two stigmatic slices into the top of the squash to vent the steam and prevent a potential explosion. A thin layer of oil in a glass baking dish keeps the squash from sticking and into the oven it goes. He has soaked the garlic baker (wrapping in tin foil is just as effective but the moist clay does give the cloves an extra softness) for an hour in a dish of water. He slices the head off a clove of garlic and, being careful to pick out any sizable bits of the top portion and use them as well, puts a large chunk of butter on top of the flat surface created. The lid goes on and the garlic joins the squash in the oven where they both bake for an hour. The house fills with a sweet odour but Raul insists it is leftover from the cookies.

At the one hour mark Drew puts water on to boil for the spaghettini. It will be ready in 15 minutes which should be time to assemble the other ingredients. The squash appears soft and ready so Drew slices it in half and begins picking out the seeds. That is his fatal error. Pulling out the seeds is tedious and not an accurate process. Separating the strands is no more fun, however he perseveres and fills a bowl with strands of squash. A slab of butter, the roasted garlic and some black pepper is added and all stirred together. He drains and adds the spaghettini.

Fresh basil leaves - about a loosely packed cup's worth - from the balcony are added, tossed until they begin to wilt and then plated. A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese is the finishing touch. Raul eats his entire bowl and his only complaint is that, "the timing was off. It took so long to separate the squash strands that my meal was only lukewarm." Heading into the kitchen he discovers the source of the problem. "You fed me pulp! There is tons of squash left here." Turns out that Drew could have scooped out all the centre and then crumbled the remains into spaghetti-like strands. Raul takes over and comes up with a mountain of perfectly formed filaments.

"Well we can have squash again tomorrow," enthuses Drew. "It was delicious and the roasted garlic was sweet and tasty."

"And I'll look after the timing," suggests Raul. "Have a cookie."

Teriyaki Shrimp on Garlic Rice with Vegetables and Mango Salad

While out and about their individual days R&D acquire more kitchen accessories. Raul scours a thrift store to find a $1 Parmesan cheese grater and small mason jars, 49 cents each, ideal for filling with spices (an entire cupboard is filled with spices and condiments in varying packaging and with even more erratic forms of identification). Drew finds an authentic Japanese knife sharpening stone (made in China) to hone the edges of their hodge-podge selection of cutting and chopping implements. The night before R&D had been reminiscing about the not-so-distant time when the older man towing a knife sharpener had worked the streets by ringing a bell. Rather than replacing the knives R&D own, a motley but high quality collection, they can now, well now Raul can, turn their blades into razor sharp slicing tools. "It really makes a difference," enthuses Raul after a YouTube tutorial on the proper technique of utilizing the stone. "And it's actually safer if the knife is sharp and cuts instantly into the object instead of slipping and severing a finger."

Drew is busy googling street knife sharpeners, wondering where he has gone and what he used to charge, "Is the $11 for the stone actually a bargain?"

Once the knives are ninja-worthy, Raul begins to repackage the spices and reorganize the cupboard. "What is this?" he asks holding up a metal container. "It's called 'The Ultimate Garlic Seasoning for Rice & Pasta' from a company called The Garlic Box."

"That was a Christmas gift from my niece and nephew," says Drew. "They know I love garlic. It's spices that mix with rice or make a rub."

"We'll have to try it," says Raul. "What should we have with it?"

"It's summery today. Something light. Shrimp? Tandoori shrimp?"

"Tamarind shrimp sounds too sweet."

"Tandoori," says Drew while googling. "Here, tandoori shrimp with mango salad, there's about 30 variations but there's a jar of tandoori sauce in the fridge somewhere."

"I just reorganized the spice cupboard," notes Raul. "We'll have shrimp but the spicing will be from scratch."

Raul marinates the shrimp in a mixture of soya sauce, Hoisin sauce and a touch of green Thai curry. The rice goes in the rice cooker with two teaspoons of The Ultimate Garlic Seasoning. He slices a mango, the newly sharpened knife vivisects the pulpy fruit with ease, and sprinkles it with diced red peppers, diced green onion and coriander from the balcony garden. The vegetables are of the frozen variety but the steaming is done with TLC. Once everything else is prepared the shrimp are dropped in a pre-heated cast iron skillet for a minute each side.

"Delicious!" enthuses Drew.

"What I love about it is all the different flavours mixing flawlessly," says Raul. "And now that the spices are organized and accessible we can experiment. I don't know why we don't have tarragon though. Maybe tomorrow while I'm out and about I'll pick some up"

"Or we can grow some on the balcony," muses Drew.

"There is no more room on the balcony," asserts Raul. "One more pot, one more gnome, and it will explode."

"The gnomes protect the plants from the squirrels!"

"That should be Mickey's job," reminds Raul. "You wouldn't want me to not be able to get to the barbecue . . ."

"We'll get a little jar of tarragon," acquiesces Drew. "There's room in the cupboard now."