A sale on lasagna and the ultimate chef challenge
[Oh. Please click here to read the exciting first half of the story. You know, for context.]
... A cashier said she had stopped making her own lasagna because she couldn’t match the price for 5 pounds of the PC brand. I pressed ahead.
With noodles, mozzarella, pasta sauce, tomatoes, cottage cheese, beef, peppers and mushrooms. I figured I had about 8 pounds of ingredients. Total cost $17.08. It was going to be close.
On an icy morning in early April I assembled the ingredients, sliced and diced, grated cheese and cooked noodles. By 11 a.m. the delicious aroma of fried onions, peppers and spice filled the house and by noon all was ready to spoon into two casserole dishes.
["I also make Frontier Stew. So good it will draw tears": photo GH]
An Italian sausage, onions, garlic and a few spices brought my costs to approximately $18.50 so I needed 9 pounds of very tasty lasagna to win household glory.
“How are you going to weigh it?” Pat asked innocently.
I stopped stirring the sauce and replied, “I hadn’t thought of that.”
After a short pause I suggested confidently, “We’ll go by total volume. I’ll measure the sides of each pan and multiply by how deep it is.”
I arranged fat layers of noodles, cheeses and sauce in the greased pans, and quietly celebrated as the ingredients approached the rim of each dish.
After careful measurements and calculations I estimated I had 24 cubic inches more lasagna than two pans of store-bought - for $1.50 less.
After 35 minutes at 350 degrees the steaming lasagna was served.
“It’s delicious,” Pat stated. “Perhaps I’ll take some to mother’s tonight.”
One vote of confidence was reward enough.
***
‘One vote of confidence’ and a big serving of household glory! Fantastic.
Then there’s the savings. Incredible.
Rising food costs are not to be feared. Buck up. We can cook our way to cheaper grocery bills and good health.
Please click here to read more about rising food costs.
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