A Veggie Tray

We had dinner at our house on Christmas Eve.  The week before,  my MIL asked what she could bring over to the house for dinner.

I told her that everything was pretty much in check.  She insisted that she had to bring something, so I suggested she bring a veggie tray.  "You're coming over at 1, and we're not eating until 6," I said.  "If anyone gets hungry, they can nibble on the veggie tray while they're waiting for dinner."  No problem she said.  I was thinking she'd run to the grocery store and pick  up a veggie tray, with all of the veggies washed and precut.  All you have to do is take off the cover and eat.  Easy, right?

Christmas Eve arrives, and my husband goes to her house to pick her up and bring her back here, and this is what he finds:

I'm not certain you can appreciate the full extent of what's here.  There is a file folder box, a cooler, and 2 reusable cloth bags on the counter, plus a larger cooler and another box on the floor.

She brought 4 heads of cabbage, 8 of lettuce, 6 pounds of bell pepper, 5 pounds of cherry tomatoes,10 pounds of celery, 10 pounds of carrots, and one can of pineapple tidbits.

We had 6 people for dinner.  The 5 of us, plus her.  

When she arrived, she began slicing and peeling the veggies.  She even told me I had to help her.

I stared at the pile for a while - keep in mind - I NEED that space where everything is to finish prepping dinner.

"Ummm..... what are we going to do with the cabbage?"  I stupidly asked.

"Cut it into wedges.  You need to lose weight, and for that,  you need cabbage wedges"

"I'm happy with my weight right now.  I don't eat raw cabbage."

She looked at me and said "Well, I still need help peeling and slicing all of these vegetables."

"Why didn't you bring a tray?"  I asked.  "They sell them at the grocery store.  $20, all the work is already done."

"Oh, but those are too expensive," she replied.  "Buying the vegetables this way was cheaper."

Right.  Because 4 heads of cabbage, 8 heads of lettuce, 6 pounds of bell peppers, 5 pounds of cherry tomatoes, and 10 pounds of celery and carrots are known for being cheap.  MUCH less than $20.

I sighed heavily, because I'd done most of my prep work ahead of time. I still had to assemble things, but I despise peeling and chopping, so I tend to do a lot of it at once, and I tend to do it ahead of time.  

We finished peeling and chopping all of the veggies less than an hour before I put dinner on the table.  

After she left, I found the receipt for all of the veggies.

Well over $50.