A No Recipe Meal

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I don't read recipes very well. When baking I am on it. When fixing dinner, sometimes a recipe is merely inspiration and ingredients for a grocery list. Sometimes I start making the magazine inspired dish (often Everyday Food since it's perfect for fast family meals) and realize I am serving 6 not 4. That's a problem.

Just exactly this happened to me last week. A quick spin through the most recent EDF found me buying corn on the cob, lima beans and a rotisserie chicken (that's where I am right now). A summer succotash topped with bit of farmer's cheese and fresh avocado. YUM!

All was well until I realized this modest dish for 4 was more side dish appropriate size. What was I thinking?  Jake would surely starve.

So mid-way through my preparation, I began to add things. A few potatoes, an onion, a can of black beans maybe some herbs. Before too long I had a very large pan of dinner. What began as succotash wound up with elements of a hash. The kids called it Succo-Hash. We topped it with Doug's homemade salsa and served it with soft tortillas.

It was really good, really inexpensive and there were leftovers. Amazing what a few potatoes and a can of beans can accomplish.

I love the process of a recipe.

But some days I love fast and cheap even more.