A little of this and a little of that

I don't do a very good job of following recipes.  Very rarely do I follow one completely, and when I do, most of the time the kids remind me that every time I follow one it doesn't turn out very well.  If they see me with the cook book open, they often ask me if I am cooking by the recipe or if I am changing it and then sigh with relief when I tell them I'm doing my own thing with it.  (If I am cooking something I've never tasted before or if it is a complicated recipe, I don't wing it, but I stick with pretty uncomplicated cooking so there isn't too much to mess up.  I also usually follow cake and other baking recipes pretty much).  My mom always told me that if I was using good ingredients, whatever I put together was sure to taste good.

Anyway, Sunday afternoon the kids took a hike in our woods, and I was working on some book work that needed to be done.  All of a sudden there were murmurings about being hungry and I looked at the clock... it was 5:30 and the natives were starving after their hiking and splashing in the creek.  Todd asked me what we were having for supper.  "I don't know... Popcorn?" I asked.  The natives were hungrier for something more than that so I started slam banging around the kitchen and Todd started trying to follow my plan... (If you hadn't noticed, there haven't been any menus posted on here for a few weeks... that's because I haven't been doing my meal planning... and that's why I was in that position at 5:30 in the evening).

We had some leftover rice in the fridge, some Kielbasa, and some other odds and ends which I started pulling out and dumping in the skillet.  Todd watched in horror (well maybe not quite horror, but disbelief)  as I did my thing.  (He doesn't know how many times I have been in this exact same position when he called and said he was on his way home from work and I had no idea what was going to be for lunch or supper... and he works 7 minutes from home...)

We sat down to a nice Cajun black beans and rice supper in about 15 minutes and Todd announced that it was pretty good.  I asked him if he had doubted me and he replied that he wasn't sure how it was going to turn out... Laura said, "You must not spend much time in the kitchen with her, she cooks by ear."