The Art of the Meal

When it comes to eating, Ben thinks big. We give him $40 on Monday and expect him to make it to Friday. This was originally supposed to cover some lunches out (though he can always pack something from home for free) and various activity fees like bowling, but Ben has figured out that we prioritize physical and social activity, so he knows that if he blows all his cash by Tuesday, we’ll fork over more money Wednesday so he can bowl with his crew. And, you can’t really bowl with your friends without pizza, right?

The people that take care of Ben every day are fantastic. (Technically, they are called Direct Service Providers, but we call them care givers. Ben misheard us early on and calls them pair givers, or maybe pear givers. I can’t be sure.) They help guide him towards bargains and reasonable choices, but on Monday mornings, when Ben’s wallet is brimming with cash, he can think of little other than how he will drain his monetary holdings in pursuit of food.

Usually, on Mondays Ben eats free at the community kitchen where he volunteers. This week, that didn’t happen, so he suggested Five Guys (burger joint). He got his proposal approved by both his care giver and by me (I’m pleading temporary insanity), and came home $21.17 poorer. Now, I know the cost of everything has gone up, but doesn’t that seem a little high for lunch for one guy? When Phil and I were first married, a big night out for us was Taco Bell when they had their 59, 79, 99 cent menu. We both filled up for under $5. I resolved to do a Ben’s Day Wednesday dinner for us all with a lower price tag than he spent on lunch for himself.

Of course, the first thing Ben suggested was steak. Request denied. When I asked him to try again, he sighed and casually threw out “I guess we could go with lobster,” as though he were the one conceding! I laughed out loud and gave him his favorite cookbook to look through. He found a picture of meatloaf, and settled on that with mashed potatoes and peas.

Though this didn’t seem like something I wanted to eat in the summer, or ever, frankly, as I don’t really like meatloaf or mashed potatoes. I didn’t have any better ideas, (well played, Ben) so we plunged forward.

Ben and I started on the meatloaf, while Phil peeled potatoes. Our timing got way off, and the potatoes were cooked and ready to be mashed before we had even assembled the meatloaf. As I’m sure you know, mashed potatoes wait for no man, so I convinced Ben that we should turn them into oven mashed potatoes. 

Oven Mashed Potatoes

2 1/2 pounds white potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/4 cups milk

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until very tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Mix in stand mixer with flat beater on lowest speed until all lumps are gone, a couple minutes. Add salt, pepper, butter and milk, and mix until well combined. Switch to wire whisk attachment and beat at highest speed until fluffy. Add ricotta, sour cream and half the cheese, and whip at high speed. Pour into greased casserole dish, top with remaining cheese, and bake until bubbly.

We had everything on hand for the meal except for ground beef, potatoes, and ketchup, so we definitely came in well under budget. Bonus? We used up some languishing grocery items that may otherwise have been discarded. Stale Wheat Thins found new purpose as cracker crumbs. The rest of the sour cream and ricotta cartons jazzed up the oven mashed potatoes. We even have leftovers! Now, convincing Ben that free leftovers beat spending an arm and a leg for lunch tomorrow? I’ll save that battle for tomorrow.