Saturday, January 27, 2018

Adjusting the Recipe to Cut Cost, Not Flavor

The Original Many Faceted Seafood Casserole:  (from Amy of the Tightward Gazette)

4 to 5 ounces pasta
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 white wine or milk
1 can condensed cream of whatever soup
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 tsp dry mustard or dill weed
6-8 ounces drained canned seafood (shrimp, crab, tuna, salmon)
Crunchy topping

Cook pasta.  Drain and set aside.
Combine mayonnaise with wine or milk.
Stir in soup, cheese and seasoning.
Gently stir in the pasta and drained seafood.
Put into a greased casserole dish.
Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Uncover and top with the crunchy topping.
Bake five minutes more.

Crunchy Topping can be:
Breadcrumbs tossed with butter, crushed potato chips, delivered almonds, or French fried onions.

To Adjust and Save$$:

If mayonnaise is too expensive, try salad dressing.  Always look at the cost of store brands.  They are often made by the same company as the name brand.

Wine or milk:  both will work but the wine does elevate the flavor for special occasions.  Milk is cheaper.

For cheese, use what you have.  Hopefully you bought it at its rock bottom price.

Pasta can be any shape you managed to buy on sale.  You can up the pasta to  6 or 7 ounces since the recipe makes a lot of sauce.. The result is an extra serving.  Lunch anyone?

Buying premade condensed soup can be expensive if you can't get it on sale.  Any cream soup, celery, mushroom or chicken works.  Don't be tied to a specific kind.  Or, make your own based on a white sauce.

The seafood, tuna is the cheapest.  But sometimes you can find a sale on shrimp, crab or salmon for special occasions.

Using less expensive ingredients can cut the cost of the recipe by 75%.  Nothing to sneeze at.

For special occasions pull out all the stops.  It will still be cheaper than going to a restaurant and may even taste better because it was made with love and care.

Enjoy!

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