The Salad Bar Saves The Day

When I started cooking meals at the church I would purposely make a little extra, thinking that the priests or parish staff would heat up leftovers on days I wasn't there. It didn't take me long to figure out that no one was particularly interested in eating any type of leftovers, so now I try to gauge portions more accurately. If there's a large amount of something that I can reuse down the line I'll put it in the freezer. I noticed the other day my stash was getting large, so the next few week's meals will feature those ingredients.

Today's featured ingredient was a package of smoked sausage bites, which I incorporated into a cold pasta salad. The salad also included tri-color rotini, cheddar cheese, black olives, carrots, broccoli, cherry tomatoes from the parish garden, peppers, and a white wine vinaigrette. The meal also included a green salad, bread, and brownies.

When I got to the grocery store this morning I had a list of needed ingredients on my phone, but as I walked up and down the aisles I decided some pepperoncini would add an extra zing to the pasta. However, even the smallest jar on the shelf was way too much for my needs.

 Then I remembered this grocery store had recently reinstalled their salad bar (which closed at the start of the Covid pandemic). When I reached the bar I saw it was half the size it used to be, but had what I needed. I filled a takeout salad dressing cup with sliced pepperoncini, put the lid on tightly, and placed it in my cart.

The salad bar was $10 a pound, but my cup weighed a little less than half a pound, so I got exactly what I needed and paid way less than the cost of the jar.

Five years ago today: Red Bud Woes